About

A converter that keeps your documents on your machine.

ConvertMD2PDF is a free Markdown to PDF converter that I build and maintain on my own. This page covers why it exists, how it works and how it pays for itself.

  • Why it exists

    A lot of writing starts in Markdown and still has to end up as a PDF: a developer documenting code, a student turning notes into a handout, someone sending a report.

    I wanted that last step to take seconds, with nothing to install, no account to create and no upload of the file to someone else's server.

  • What it renders

    Headings, lists, tables and code blocks with syntax highlighting, LaTeX maths, and Mermaid flowcharts, sequence and class diagrams, mixed freely in one document.

    The PDF comes in two themes, Modern and Academic, with a choice of 12 sans, serif and monospace fonts, on A1 to A5, Letter, Legal or Tabloid paper in portrait or landscape.

    The editor previews as you type, switches between a vertical and a horizontal layout, has a focus mode that hides everything but the text, and comes in dark and light.

  • How it works

    Every step runs in your browser tab:

    1. markdown-itTurns your text into HTML, with plugins I wrote for alignment, text colour and image sizing.
    2. KaTeXTypesets inline and display maths.
    3. MermaidDraws diagrams from their text description.
    4. highlight.jsColours the code blocks.
    5. Print engineYour browser's own print engine lays out the PDF pages and saves the file; on iPhone and iPad, html2pdf.js does it instead.

    The site itself is plain JavaScript and CSS, built with Vite, with fonts from Google Fonts, and hosted on Vercel.

  • Privacy

    Your documents are processed in your browser's memory; there is no upload step. Drafts are kept in this browser's IndexedDB, not on my server, and leave your device only if you sign in and turn on sync.

    The full detail is in the privacy policy.

  • How it is paid for

    The ads on the site. They keep the converter free, and every feature that is free today stays free.

    A Pro plan without ads and with extra PDF themes is described on the pricing page. It is not on sale yet.

  • Who builds it

    I am Iqbal Riaz, a software engineer. I build and maintain ConvertMD2PDF on my own, and I read every message that comes in through the contact page.

    You can also find me on GitHub and LinkedIn.