Formatting text with Markdown (standard agent interface)

Markdown is a simple markup language you can use to easily add formatting, links, and images to plain text. If Markdown is enabled in your account, you can use it in the following places:

• Ticket comments (from the agent interface)
• Macros
• Agent signatures
• Dynamic content

For agents to use Markdown, an administrator has to enable it in your account. (see Enabling formatting options for agents). You cannot use Markdown if rich-text is enabled for your account.

Note: Markdown is not available in emails and email templates. If you enter text with Markdown syntax, the formatting will not render and the text will remain as is. Also, markdown has been deprecated in the Zendesk Agent Workspace, except in agent signatures.

Topics covered in this article:

• Adding Markdown to text
  • Bold
  • Italics
  • Bulleted lists
  • Numbered lists
  • Nested lists
  • Headings
  • Block quotes
  • Inline code
  • Code blocks
  • Images
  • Links
  • Images that are also links
  • Links to tickets
  • Horizontal line rule
  • Line break
• Previewing Markdown in ticket comments

Adding Markdown to text

The following table shows examples of how you can use Markdown to add common formatting.

Note: These examples demonstrate one way you can add certain formatting. There might also be additional ways you can achieve the same formatting. There are also many more formatting options you can add with Markdown. For more options and information, see the complete Markdown syntax documentation.

You can also watch this short video.

Using Markdown in a Ticket (01:41)

Table 1. Examples of Markdown syntax

Formatting	Entered text	Published text
Bold	This is how you **bold** text.
Italics	This is how you *italicize* text.
Bulleted lists	* Bullet one (don't forget a space after the asterisk) * Bullet two Note: You must type a line break before and after the list.
Numbered lists	1. Step one 2. Step two Note: Do not use a hashtag (#) when creating numbered lists in Markdown, as the symbol is used for other formatting. Note: You must type a line break before and after the list.
Nested lists	* This is the first level of this list. * To make a second level, add two spaces before the asterisk or number. Note: You can add things like images, quote blocks, or links to a nested list in addition to just text. Note: You must type a line break before and after the list.
Headings	# Heading level one (with a space after the #) ## Heading level two ### Heading level three You can add up to six heading levels. Note: You can add a row of equal signs (=) under a line of text to create Heading level one, or a row of dashes (-) under a line of text to create a Heading level two.
Block quotes	> Block quotes have to start and end with a blank line > And each line of the quote starts with a right angle bracket and a space
Inline code	Here is some `inline code.`
Code blocks	``` This is a code block. ``` Note: Creating a blank line and then indenting the next line or lines with four spaces creates a code block too. Note: You must type a line break before and after the code block.
Images	 Community tip! Evan shares a simple tip in our forums for embedding an image that's not hosted.
Links	[Link display text](http://www.sampleurl.com)
Images that are also links	[](linkurl)
Links to tickets	We addressed this in ticket #61.
Horizontal rule line	--- Note: You must type a line break before and after the hyphens.
Line break	Line 1   Line 2   Note: You must type two line breaks before each  .	Line 1 Line 2

Previewing Markdown in ticket comments

When you use Markdown in a ticket comment, you can preview your formatting before submitting the comment. You enter your comment with Markdown formatting, like in the example below.

Then, click Preview to view how your ticket comment will look when posted.