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Markdown sharing guides / Share a Markdown file as a URL

How to share a Markdown file as a URL

If you send a .md file as is, it may open as plain text or need a dedicated app, depending on the recipient's device. With markdown.bz, you can turn it into a browser-friendly share page without signing up.

1. Before you share

Have one of the following ready:

  • A .md or .markdown file
  • Markdown text you can copy and paste

For example, you can share Markdown like this as is:

# Release steps

## Pre-checks

- Tests pass
- Environment variables checked

## Run

```sh
npm run build
```

If the Markdown references local images, you need to add the images as well. To share a whole image folder, see How to share Markdown with images as a ZIP.

2. Steps to create a share URL

  1. Open the Upload page.
  2. Add your Markdown with Choose files, or write or paste the text into the text box. As you type in the text box, you can see how it will look once published.
  3. Click Preview & settings and check how headings, tables, code, links and so on are displayed.
  4. Set a title, expiry and password as needed.
  5. Click Publish to create the share URL.
  6. Copy the URL shown on the completion screen, or share it using the QR code.

If you do not enter a title, the title in the frontmatter takes priority. If there is none, the default title is the file name for a file, or the first Markdown heading for pasted text. Check in the preview that it looks the way you intended before publishing.

3. Choosing no expiry, an expiry date or a password

SettingBest forKeep in mind
No expiryREADMEs and public instructions with no set end dateNot a guarantee of permanent storage
3–100 daysReviews, events and time-limited announcementsAfter expiry, the text, images and download can no longer be viewed
PasswordNarrowing down who can view it, even among people who know the URLAccess control only, not end-to-end encryption

4. What recipients see

Recipients just open the share URL in a browser. They do not need a Markdown viewer or a markdown.bz account. The text, tables, code, Mermaid diagrams, KaTeX math and uploaded images can all be viewed on a single page.

If needed, they can download the original Markdown and images as a ZIP from the share page. For a password-protected share, the password must be entered before the text, images or download can be accessed.

5. Passing the share URL to AI

Share pages contain machine-readable pointers to the raw Markdown. When you pass a share URL to an AI service, AI tools that support this can fetch the raw Markdown. To point explicitly to the raw Markdown URL instead of the HTML, add /raw to the end of the share URL.

https://markdown.bz/d/SHARE_ID/raw

The AI may not be able to read it, depending on whether it can fetch external URLs and on authentication and network settings. For a password-protected document, AI cannot reach the text until it is unlocked.

6. What to check before sharing

  • Do not include personal information, confidential information, credentials or access keys
  • You can fix a published share from "My shares" and keep the same URL, but the before-and-after diff is published as change history, and the expiry cannot be extended
  • Anyone who knows the URL can view it, so set a password if needed
  • Do not use it as a substitute for long-term storage or backups
  • Check the links and images in the preview before sharing

For details on supported formats and limits, see Help / FAQ. To create share URLs from a program, see the API docs.

Share a Markdown file

Last reviewed: / Reviewed by the markdown.bz team