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GFM → [b][/b] · [code] · [url] · [list] · phpBB / vBulletin

Convert Markdown to BBCode

Rewrite Markdown into BBCode for phpBB, vBulletin, and gaming forums — bold, italic, code blocks, lists, links, images, and quotes mapped one-to-one.

Markdown → BBCode
Input
148 B
13 lines
Output
218 B
15 lines
Status
ready
live
Ratio
1.47×
out/in
input · markdown
output · bbcode
[size=6][b]Forum post[/b][/size]

[b]Bold[/b] and _italic_ text with a [url=https://example.com]link[/url].

[list]
[*]one
[*]two
[*]three
[/list]

[code=js]
console.log("hi");
[/code]

[quote]Quoted text here.[/quote]
Quick Start

How to convert Markdown to BBCode

BBCode predates Markdown by a decade and still powers most forum software. This converter maps every common Markdown construct to its BBCode equivalent in one pass.

  1. 01

    Paste Markdown

    From your README, blog post, or notes.

    Parsing runs through marked with GFM extensions enabled — tables, task lists, strikethrough, and fenced code blocks all match GitHub’s rendering.

    inputGFMmarkedCommonMarklive
    input · markdownmd · GFM
    **bold**
    loaded · GFMGFM · ready
  2. 02

    Map emphasis

    **bold** → [b]bold[/b]; _italic_ → [i]italic[/i].

    Soft-break behaviour is configurable: by default a single newline becomes a space (CommonMark), toggle on for chat-style <br> insertion.

    emphsoft-breaksoptionsconfiglive
    fix · optionsbb · live
    [b]bold[/b]
    options applied · livelive
  3. 03

    Map structure

    Lists become [list][*]; links become [url=…]; code becomes [code].

    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.

    mappreviewscoped CSSrenderstable
    out · renderedbbcode · ready
    [list]
[*]one
[/list]
    rendered · liverendered
  4. 04

    Paste to forum

    Drop into phpBB, vBulletin, or any BBCode-aware site.

    Export covers both raw Markdown and rendered HTML; downloads stream as text/markdown or text/html via Blob + object URL.

    exportclipboard.md.htmlblob
    OK · exportedforum · done
    posted
    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.

Related toolsMD to HTMLTextileConfluenceJiraDiscordEditor
Use Cases

When to convert for BBCode

Forums, gaming communities, and legacy boards.

Forum posts

Repost README content to a phpBB community board. 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

Mod descriptions

Write mod descriptions in Markdown, publish in BBCode. 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

Patch notes

Game devs cross-post patch notes to forums. 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

Convert long-form Markdown tutorials for board threads. 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

Legacy migrations

Move Markdown wikis onto older BBCode platforms. 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

Cross-posting

Maintain a single source in MD, render to BBCode on demand. Output is reproducible: identical input always produces identical Markdown, so doc-generation scripts can rely on it for snapshot tests and embedded into release workflows.

SEO-friendly
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common phpBB / vBulletin tags: [b], [i], [s], [url], [img], [code], [quote], [list], [size], [hr]. Most boards accept these.
Yes — H1 becomes [size=6][b], H2 [size=5][b], down to H6 [size=1][b].
Single-level lists work cleanly. Nested lists vary by board; verify with your forum software.
BBCode tables vary wildly between boards; this tool leaves Markdown table syntax untouched so you can hand-translate.
No. Conversion runs locally in your browser.
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