Markdown Tables — Complete Guide with Examples

Tables are one of the most useful features in Markdown, allowing you to organize data in a clear, readable format. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating and working with Markdown tables.

Basic Table Syntax

A Markdown table consists of headers, a separator row, and data rows:

| Name    | Role      | Country |
|---------|-----------|---------|
| Alice   | Developer | USA     |
| Bob     | Designer  | UK      |
| Carol   | Manager   | Canada  |

This renders as:

Name	Role	Country
Alice	Developer	USA
Bob	Designer	UK
Carol	Manager	Canada

Column Alignment

You can align columns using colons in the separator row:

| Left     | Center   | Right   |
|:---------|:--------:|--------:|
| Text     | Text     | Text    |
| Aligned  | Aligned  | Aligned |

• :--- — Left aligned (default)
• :---: — Center aligned
• ---: — Right aligned

Creating Tables Visually

Writing table syntax by hand can be tedious. Our Table Generator lets you create tables visually — just click cells to edit and copy the generated Markdown.

Converting CSV to Markdown Tables

Have data in a spreadsheet? Export it as CSV and use our CSV to Markdown Table converter to instantly generate the table syntax.

Simply paste your CSV:

Name,Email,Role
Alice,alice@example.com,Developer
Bob,bob@example.com,Designer

And get formatted Markdown:

| Name  | Email              | Role      |
|-------|--------------------|-----------|
| Alice | alice@example.com  | Developer |
| Bob   | bob@example.com    | Designer  |

Converting Markdown Tables to CSV

Need to edit a Markdown table in Excel or Google Sheets? Use our MD Table to CSV converter to extract table data into CSV format.

Tips for Better Tables

• Keep it simple — Markdown tables work best for simple data
• Use alignment — Right-align numbers for easier reading
• Avoid long content — Very long cells can break formatting
• Preview often — Check how your table looks as you build it

Related Tools

• Table Generator — Create tables visually
• CSV to Markdown — Convert CSV to tables
• Markdown to CSV — Extract tables to CSV
• Cheat Sheet — Full Markdown syntax reference