Formatting text with Markdown

This article includes a description of a rich content editor, CKEditor, that is being rolled out to Zendesk Agent Workspace accounts from April 5, 2021 to May 31, 2021. CKEditor will be available at a later date for accounts that don't have the agent workspace enabled.

Markdown is a simple markup language you can use to easily add formatting, links, and images to plain text. If Markdown is available 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, there are two options, depending on whether or not you have the Zendesk Agent Workspace enabled :

• Accounts with Zendesk Agent Workspace: These accounts have Zendesk's latest rich text editor, CKEditor. Markdown commands are automatically supported by the editor. With CKEditor, you can enter Markdown commands to format your content, or you can use the format toolbar. See Table 1 below for Markdown commands supported by CKEditor.
• Accounts without Zendesk Agent Workspace: These accounts have an earlier version of the rich text editor. Markdown commands are not supported in the editor. Instead, an administrator can enable a special, separate Markdown editor in your account. (see Enabling formatting options for agents). In this case, you cannot use Markdown if rich-text content 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.

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	Supported by CKEditor?
Bold	This is how you **bold** text.		Supported
Italics	This is how you *italicize* text.		Supported
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.		Supported
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.		Supported
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.		Supported. For the second level of indent, press Tab after the bulleted list or numbered 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.		Supported. Up to four heading levels.
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		Supported
Inline code	Here is some `inline code.`		Supported
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.		Supported
Images	 Community tip! Evan shares a simple tip in our forums for embedding an image that's not hosted.		Supported. Adding an image URL automatically turns it into an image link. When the ticket comment is submitted, the image appears in the conversation log.
Links	[Link display text](http://www.sampleurl.com)		Supported. Adding a URL automatically turns it into a link, but display text is not included.
Images that are also links	[](linkurl)		Not supported
Links to tickets	We addressed this in ticket #61.		Not supported, yet
Horizontal rule line	--- Note: You must type a line break before and after the hyphens.		Supported
Line break	Line 1   Line 2   Note: You must type two line breaks before each  .	Line 1 Line 2	Not supported

Previewing Markdown in ticket comments

For the separate Markdown editor, 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.

Note: If you're using Markdown commands in CKEditor, you don't need to preview your formatting. Your content is formatted automatically as you enter Markdown commands.

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