What footnote syntax is generated?

The [^1] reference and [^1]: definition pattern supported by GitHub, GitLab, Pandoc, and most modern Markdown processors.

Will the numbering stay correct if I reorder?

Yes. References and definitions are renumbered automatically when you move or delete footnotes so the document stays consistent.

Are named footnote labels supported?

Yes. You can use descriptive labels like [^note-a] instead of numbers — they render the same and are easier to maintain.

Is my document uploaded?

No. Footnote generation happens in your browser.

[^id] · numbered · GitHub-rendered

Build Markdown footnotes that stay in sync

Reference notes inline with [^id] and define them at the end. Add, edit, and remove footnotes — the output keeps both sides aligned.

Footnote Generator

Markdown

189 B

4 lines

Footnotes

defined

Refs in body

[^id] tokens

Orphans

all linked

input · fields

Body (use [^id] to reference)

Footnotes (2)

output · markdown

Pi is irrational[^pi] and was proven by Lambert[^lambert].

[^pi]: An irrational number is one that cannot be written as a ratio of two integers.
[^lambert]: Johann Heinrich Lambert (1768).

Quick Start

How to add Markdown footnotes

Inline reference plus a definition block. GitHub, GitLab and most Markdown processors render numbered footnotes automatically.

01
Write the body
Drop a [^id] token wherever you want a footnote pointer.
Parsing runs through marked with GFM extensions enabled — tables, task lists, strikethrough, and fenced code blocks all match GitHub’s rendering.
bodyGFMmarkedCommonMarklive
input · markdownbody · GFM
```
Pi is irrational[^pi].
```
loaded · GFMGFM · ready
02
Define footnotes
Each footnote has an id and the text shown at the bottom.
Soft-break behaviour is configurable: by default a single newline becomes a space (CommonMark), toggle on for chat-style <br> insertion.
defssoft-breaksoptionsconfiglive
defs · options2 · live
```
[^pi]: ratio of integers.
```
options applied · livelive
03
Keep them in sync
The orphan counter flags definitions whose id never appears in the body.
The preview is scoped under a .mde class so its CSS doesn’t bleed into the rest of the page. Output HTML is whitespace-controlled for clean diffs.
checkpreviewscoped CSSrenderstable
orphan · renderedno · ready
```
orphans: 0
```
rendered · liverendered
04
Copy Markdown
Paste into your blog, docs or GitHub Discussion.
Export covers both raw Markdown and rendered HTML; downloads stream as text/markdown or text/html via Blob + object URL.
exportclipboard.md.htmlblob
✓ · exportedready · done
```
✓ Copied
```
shipped · ready to shipsuccess

Pro tips

Author Markdown that renders everywhere

GFM is the safe default

GitHub-Flavored Markdown is the de-facto baseline (tables, task lists, strikethrough). CommonMark is stricter but ubiquitous as a fallback.

Soft-break behaviour varies

A single newline is a space in CommonMark, a <br> in GFM. Toggle soft breaks when source matters.

Escape inside code fences

Backticks inside fenced blocks need a longer fence — three becomes four. Use ~~~ if your content has many backticks.

Anchors are slugified

GitHub lowercases, strips punctuation, and joins with hyphens. Duplicate headings get -1, -2 suffixes.

Tables need a header row

The dash row sets alignment (:---, :-:, ---:). Use Table Aligner for diff-friendly columns.

Front matter is YAML

Triple-dash blocks at the top of files are parsed by static-site generators. Use the Front-Matter Validator to catch syntax errors.

Use Cases

Where footnotes shine

Long-form docs, academic notes, citations.

Blog posts

Add citations without cluttering the body. Render path uses marked with GFM extensions enabled (tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks), so what you preview matches what GitHub publishes bit-for-bit. Soft-break behaviour is configurable for chat-style vs prose Markdown.

GFM-compliant

RFCs

Reference prior art and links at the bottom. Pairs cleanly with the Markdown Cheatsheet for syntax you can't quite remember — callout blocks, footnotes, definition lists. Output stays diff-friendly so style-only changes don't drown out real edits in PRs.

GitHub-perfect

Books and papers

Long-form prose with many references. Cross-platform safe: anchors, code fences, and tables behave identically on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Gitea. Heading-anchor slugs follow GitHub's lowercase-and-hyphenate rules so deep links survive a docs migration.

diff-friendly

Tutorials

Add side notes that don't break flow. No server roundtrip — perfect for proprietary content you can't paste into a public tool. The full marked + GFM bundle ships with the page, so it works offline once loaded.

render-stable

Migration notes

Footnote breaking changes inline. Front matter (YAML / TOML / JSON) passes through unchanged so static-site pipelines (Jekyll, Hugo, Astro, Eleventy) read it correctly. Pair with the Front-Matter Validator to catch syntax errors before deploy.

cross-platform

Hugo / Jekyll

Static-site engines render the [^id] syntax.

SEO-friendly

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What syntax does this use?

Standard [^id] inline references and [^id]: text definitions — supported by GitHub, GitLab, Pandoc, MkDocs and most engines.

Order of definitions?

Renderers number footnotes by first reference in the body, not by definition order.

Multi-line notes?

Indent continuation lines with four spaces in the rendered Markdown. The tool keeps each note on a single line for simplicity.

Why am I seeing orphans?

A definition id isn’t referenced anywhere in the body. Either add a [^id] or remove the orphan.

Is anything sent to a server?

No. Notes are built locally in the browser.

Suggest a tool

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Tell us what you need. We ship the top requests every two weeks.

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