Markdown Table Generator
Edit a grid, get aligned Markdown โ alignment colons done right.
About this generator
Type into the grid; the Markdown updates live with columns padded to equal width โ so the SOURCE stays readable, not just the render. Alignment buttons cycle left/centre/right per column, writing the colon syntax correctly, and pipes inside cells are escaped automatically.
Markdown tables, honestly assessed
Tables are Markdown's least ergonomic corner โ invented in GitHub-flavoured Markdown rather than the original spec, and miserable to hand-edit past two columns, which is precisely why generators exist. The syntax decoded once: the second row's colons set alignment (:--- left, :---: centre, ---: right), and everything else is pipes. Two honest limits worth knowing: cells can't contain line breaks (use <br> where your renderer allows it), and column spans don't exist โ genuinely tabular data past a certain complexity wants CSV or real HTML. Where these tables shine: READMEs, issues, PR descriptions and anywhere Markdown renders โ which is where to preview the result.
Frequently asked questions
How does Markdown table alignment work?
The separator row's colons decide per column: :--- left-aligns, :---: centres, ---: right-aligns. The alignment buttons write these for you โ it's the syntax nobody remembers.
Why pad the columns with spaces?
Renderers don't care, but humans reading the raw file do โ padded pipes line up into a readable grid. It's a courtesy to the next editor of the README.
Can I put a pipe character inside a cell?
Yes โ escaped as \\|, which the generator does automatically. Unescaped pipes would split the cell.
Can table cells contain multiple lines?
Not in standard Markdown โ cells are single-line. Most renderers accept an HTML <br> inside a cell; beyond that, complex data wants a real HTML table.