Confluence Markdown: shortcuts, paste, wiki markup and Mermaid

Updated November 3, 2026

Confluence supports Markdown as typing shortcuts, not as a document format. The cloud editor converts **bold**, # headings, lists, quotes, code fences and [links](url) as you type them and stores rich text. Pasting a whole Markdown file is documented only for the legacy editor's Markup dialog, tables are not on the shortcut list, export produces Word, PDF, HTML or XML, and Mermaid diagrams need a Marketplace app. Everything below is from Atlassian's support pages and the Marketplace.

Markdown commands the Confluence Cloud editor converts

Format	Type this	In GFM	Note
Bold	`Bold`	Same
Italic	`Italic`	Same (GFM also accepts _Italic_)
Strikethrough	`~~Strikethrough~~`	Same
Code	`Code`	Same
Heading 1–6	`# … ###### then Space`	Same
Numbered list	`1. then Space`	Same
Bulleted list	`* then Space`	Same (GFM also accepts - and +)	Only * is on Atlassian's list
Quote	`> then Space`	Same
Code snippet	``` then Space	Fenced code block
Divider	`--- then Space`	Horizontal rule
Link	`[LinkTitle](http://a.com)`	Same
Action item	`[] then Space`	Not Markdown (GFM task list is - [ ])	Confluence-specific
Decision	`<> then Space`	Not Markdown	Confluence-specific
Table	`Not on the list`	\| a \| b \| pipe table	Use the Table toolbar button or /table
Image	`Not on the list`	![alt](url)	Upload or drag the file in
Footnote, alert, math	`Not on the list`	Extensions in some flavors

Markdown shortcuts in the Confluence Cloud editor

Atlassian calls these "markdown commands": type the marker and Confluence converts it into the matching rich-text element. Block markers need a space after them.

Inline: bold, italic, strikethrough, code

**Bold** *Italic* ~~Strikethrough~~ `Code`

Bold Italic ~~Strikethrough~~ Code

Exactly the four inline shortcuts on Atlassian's list. Underscores for emphasis and single-tilde strikethrough are not on it.

Bold and italic guide →

Blocks: type the marker, then Space

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
1. Numbered list
* Bulleted list
> Quote
--- (divider)

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Numbered list

Bulleted list

Quote

Headings go to level 6. Atlassian lists * for bullets; - is not on the list. Each shortcut fires when you press Space after the marker.

Headings guide →

Code snippet and link

``` then Space starts a code snippet

[LinkTitle](http://a.com)

Three backticks and a space open a code snippet block. The link shortcut converts as soon as the closing parenthesis is typed.

Code block guide →

Action items and decisions (Confluence-only shortcuts)

[] for an action item, <> for a decision

[] Space → action item (a checkbox you can assign)
<> Space → decision

These two sit in Atlassian's markdown table but are not Markdown anywhere else. GFM's task list is - [ ] with a space inside the brackets; it is not on Confluence's list.

Checkbox guide →

Pasting a whole Markdown document

Atlassian documents one way to insert a block of existing Markdown: the legacy editor's Insert → Markup dialog. The cloud editor converts markdown commands as you type them; Atlassian's notes on the dialog say "the new editor doesn't support markup".

A README to bring into Confluence

# Service runbook

**Owner:** Platform team

## Restart

1. Drain traffic
2. Run `make restart`

| Env | Host |
| --- | --- |
| prod | api-1 |

Service runbook

Owner: Platform team

Restart

Drain traffic
Run make restart

Env	Host
prod	api-1

In the legacy editor: Insert → Markup → Markdown, paste, check the preview, Insert. Atlassian warns that the result is converted to rich text and "you will not be able to edit your content using markdown". Tables, images and footnotes are not on the cloud editor's shortcut list, so convert or rebuild them.

Format the Markdown first →

Legacy Confluence wiki markup vs Markdown

Older Confluence pages and some admin screens use Confluence wiki markup, a different language that happens to reuse Markdown's characters for other meanings.

Same characters, different meaning

h2. Heading          ← Markdown: ## Heading
*bold*               ← Markdown: **bold**
_italics_            ← Markdown: *italics* or _italics_
-strikethrough-      ← Markdown: ~~strikethrough~~
{{monospace}}        ← Markdown: `monospace`
* bullet / ** sub    ← Markdown: - bullet / indented -
# numbered           ← Markdown: 1. numbered (# is a heading in Markdown!)
||head||head||
|cell|cell|          ← Markdown: pipe table with a --- row
bq. quote            ← Markdown: > quote
----                 ← Markdown: ---
[alias|https://url]  ← Markdown: [alias](https://url)
!image.png!          ← Markdown: ![alt](image.png)

The trap is # and *: a Markdown heading line pasted as wiki markup becomes a numbered list item, and *single asterisks* are bold, not italic. Use the Markdown converters only on files that are really Markdown.

Jira uses the same wiki markup →

Mermaid diagrams in Confluence

A ```mermaid fence pasted into Confluence is a code snippet, not a diagram. Rendering needs a Marketplace app; Atlassian's own import guide points to them and Atlassian Labs publishes one.

Diagram source to paste into a Mermaid macro

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  Draft --> Review --> Publish
```

Install an app such as Mermaid Chart for Confluence (from the Mermaid.js team) or Atlassian Labs' Mermaid diagrams viewer, then paste the diagram text into its macro. Keep the fence in the page too so the source stays editable.

Mermaid in Markdown: where fences render →

Getting Markdown into and out of Confluence

Route	Where	What happens
Type markdown commands	Cloud editor (pages and live docs)	Each marker converts to rich text as you type; the Markdown itself is not stored
Insert → Markup → Markdown	Legacy editor only	Paste a whole document, preview, insert; converted to rich text, no further Markdown editing
Paste Markdown into the cloud editor	Cloud editor	Not documented by Atlassian as a conversion; treat the result as plain text until you check it
Import .md files	Marketplace apps	Atlassian's import guide lists apps for Markdown, HTML, PlantUML, LaTeX, Open API and Mermaid
Export a page	Any	Word or PDF for one page; PDF, CSV, HTML or XML for a space. No Markdown export

Confluence wiki markup vs Markdown

Element	Wiki markup	Markdown
Heading	`h1. Title … h6. Title`	`# Title … ###### Title`
Bold	`bold`	`bold`
Italic	`_italics_`	`italics or _italics_`
Strikethrough	`-strikethrough-`	`~~strikethrough~~`
Underline	`+underline+`	`None (HTML <u>)`
Superscript / subscript	`text^sup^ / text~sub~`	`None (HTML <sup> <sub>)`
Monospace	`{{monospace text}}`	`monospace text`
Bulleted list	`* item, ** sub-item`	`- item, indented - sub-item`
Numbered list	`# item, ## sub-item`	`1. item, indented 1. sub-item`
Table	`\|\|head\|\|head\|\| then \|cell\|cell\|`	`\| head \| head \| plus a \| --- \| --- \| row`
Block quote	`bq. quote`	`> quote`
Horizontal rule	`---- (four dashes)`	`--- (three or more)`
Link	`[alias\|https://example.com]`	`[alias](https://example.com)`
Image	`!image.png!`	`![alt](image.png)`
Line break	`\\`	`Two trailing spaces or \`
Colour	`{color:red}text{color}`	`None`

Mermaid apps on the Atlassian Marketplace

Confluence Cloud has no documented built-in Mermaid macro; a pasted ```mermaid fence is a code snippet. These apps were listed for Confluence Cloud on the Marketplace when this page was checked; names and vendors are as the Marketplace shows them.

App	Vendor	Marketplace summary
Mermaid Chart for Confluence	Mermaid Chart Inc	Described on the Marketplace as the official app from the team behind Mermaid.js
Mermaid diagrams viewer	Atlassian Labs	Renders a diagram from Mermaid source placed in a code block on the same page
Mermaid Diagrams for Confluence	Stratus Add-ons Ltd	Client-side rendering, syntax highlighting, PDF export, version history
Mermaid for Confluence	Tech Labs	Graphs, Gantt charts and other diagrams from plain text

Writing the diagram first? The Mermaid in Markdown page covers the fence syntax and which Markdown renderers draw it natively.

Does Confluence support Markdown?

Partly. Confluence Cloud's editor converts a fixed list of "markdown commands" as you type: **bold**, *italic*, ~~strikethrough~~, `code`, # to ###### headings, 1. and * lists, > quotes, ``` code snippets, --- dividers and [text](url) links, plus Confluence-only [] action items and <> decisions. It stores the result as rich text, not Markdown; there is no Markdown source view and no Markdown export. Tables, images and footnotes are not on Atlassian's list.

How do I paste Markdown into Confluence?

The documented route is the legacy editor: Insert → Markup, select Markdown, paste the text, check the preview and choose Insert. Confluence converts it to rich text and you cannot edit it as Markdown afterwards. Atlassian notes that the new (cloud) editor does not support the Markup dialog; there you type markdown commands one element at a time, or use a Marketplace import app for whole files.

Format the Markdown first →

Does Confluence support Markdown tables?

Pipe tables are not on Atlassian's markdown command list for the cloud editor. Build the table with the Table button or the /table command, or bring the content in through the legacy editor's Markup dialog or a Marketplace import app. The legacy wiki markup has its own table syntax: ||heading|| cells and |cell| rows, with no separator row.

Markdown table generator →

How do I add a Mermaid diagram in Confluence?

Install a Mermaid app from the Atlassian Marketplace and paste the diagram text into its macro. A ```mermaid fence in a page is only a code snippet. Apps listed for Confluence Cloud include Mermaid Chart for Confluence (Mermaid Chart Inc, the Mermaid.js team), Mermaid diagrams viewer (Atlassian Labs), Mermaid Diagrams for Confluence (Stratus Add-ons) and Mermaid for Confluence (Tech Labs). Atlassian's import guide also points to a combined Markdown, PlantUML, LaTeX and Mermaid app.

Mermaid in Markdown: syntax and where it renders →

Can I export a Confluence page as Markdown?

Not with the built-in export. A single page or blog post exports to Word or PDF; a space exports to PDF, CSV, HTML or XML (space admins). To get Markdown, export HTML and convert it, or use a Marketplace app or the REST API with your own converter.

HTML to Markdown converter →

What is Confluence wiki markup, and is it Markdown?

No. Wiki markup is Confluence's older markup language, still used by the legacy editor's Insert → Markup dialog and some admin screens, and shared with Jira. It writes headings as h1., bold with *single asterisks*, italics with _underscores_, numbered lists with #, tables with || and |, quotes with bq. and links as [alias|url]. Because # and * mean different things, pasting Markdown as wiki markup turns headings into numbered items and italics into bold.

Jira wiki markup vs Markdown →

Related tools and sheets

Convert an HTML export with HTML to Markdown, turn a Markdown table into something you can rebuild with the table generator, prepare Jira text with Markdown to Jira, or share the Markdown as a link instead of pasting it. See also the Jira, Notion and Google Docs sheets.