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8 May 2024 ~ 8 min read

How to Center Text in Markdown


To center text in your Markdown documents, you will need to employ HTML since Markdown by itself does not offer a direct syntax for text alignment. Here’s a straightforward method to ensure your text stands attractively in the middle of the page, clear and well-presented:

  1. Embed HTML within Your Markdown: Start by inserting a basic HTML paragraph tag (<p>) in your Markdown file.

  2. Apply Inline CSS: To center the text, include the style attribute directly within the <p> tag. Set the value of this attribute to text-align: center;. This CSS property directs the text to align in the center of its container.

  3. Include Your Text: Between the opening and closing <p> tags, write the text you wish to center.

Here’s how you can put this into practice:


<p style="text-align: center;">Your centered text goes here</p>

This method ensures that your text is centered across all devices and viewers that support HTML rendering within Markdown environments. For those interested in further customization or more complex layouts, you might consider wrapping your text within a <div> element or employing external CSS stylesheets linked to your Markdown, providing a richer control over the document’s appearance.

Example for Visual Clarity:

Markdown CodeOutput
<p style="text-align: center;">Welcome to my page!</p>Welcome to my page!
<p style="text-align: center;">This is centered text using HTML and CSS in Markdown.</p>This is centered text using HTML and CSS in Markdown.

Use this technique whenever you need to center text within your Markdown to enhance the layout of your documents, making them more engaging and easier to read.

Markdown center image

To center an image in a Markdown document, you can embed HTML within your Markdown to utilize the style attributes that HTML offers, as Markdown itself does not provide an explicit syntax for centering images. Here’s a straightforward method to achieve this:

  1. Wrap the image in a <div> tag: By wrapping the image in a <div> tag, you can apply the style attribute to center the image.

  2. Use CSS for centering: Specifically, set the text-align property to center on the <div> tag and then insert the <img> tag for your image within this <div>.

The HTML code snippet below demonstrates how to center an image within a Markdown file effectively:

HTML TagAttributeValue/Description
<div>style'text-align: center;'
<img src="URL_of_image.jpg" alt="Descriptive Text">srcThe URL of the image
<img src="URL_of_image.jpg" alt="Descriptive Text">altA brief description of the image for accessibility

Here’s how you might write this in your Markdown document to implement the image centering:


<div style="text-align: center;">

<img src="URL_of_image.jpg" alt="Descriptive Text">

</div>

This method ensures that the image is centered regardless of the viewing platform, maintaining a neat and professional appearance in your document.

Markdown center titles and headers

To center titles and headers in Markdown, you need to incorporate HTML since Markdown itself does not directly support text alignment. The strategy involves using <div> tags with a style attribute that specifies the center alignment. This technique ensures your titles and headers appear in the middle of the page, enhancing the visual hierarchy and readability of your content.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to center titles and headers:

  1. Define the Header: Start by writing your header in HTML inside a <div> element.

  2. Apply Inline CSS: Use the style attribute within the <div> tag to set text-align: center; ensuring the text aligns centrally.

  3. Close the Div Tag: After the header, close the <div> tag to maintain proper HTML syntax.

For instance, if you want to center a header titled “Welcome to My Blog”, you would write it in your Markdown file as follows:


<div style="text-align: center;">

<h1>Welcome to My Blog</h1>

</div>

This snippet centers the text of the <h1> header. You can apply this same style attribute to other header levels (<h2>, <h3>, etc.) depending on your document’s structure.

Additionally, here’s a table summarizing the HTML tags and styles used to center different types of content in Markdown documents:

Content TypeHTML TagStyle Attribute
Header 1<h1>text-align: center;
Header 2<h2>text-align: center;
Header 3<h3>text-align: center;

Markdown center a table

To center a table in a Markdown document, you cannot rely solely on Markdown syntax, as it does not inherently support alignment. Instead, you must use HTML within your Markdown to achieve the desired centered layout. Here’s how you can do this seamlessly:

First, ensure your table is wrapped in <div> tags with a style attribute set for center alignment. This approach is consistent with adding custom styling in Markdown, which allows for a broader range of formatting options that Markdown itself does not provide.

Below is a step-by-step process using HTML to center your table:

  1. Create your table in HTML: If you are not familiar with HTML tables, they are structured using <table>, <tr>, and <td> tags to define the table, rows, and cells respectively.

  2. Wrap your table with <div> tags: This is crucial for applying styles that are not natively supported in Markdown.

  3. Apply the centering style: Use the style attribute within the <div> tags to set the alignment to the center. The correct CSS for centering is text-align: center; but for block elements like tables, you should use margin: auto;.

Here’s an example of how you can format this in your Markdown document to ensure your table is centered:


<div style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">

<table border="1" style="margin: auto;">

<tbody>

<tr>

<td>Header 1</td>

<td>Header 2</td>

<td>Header 3</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>Data 1</td>

<td>Data 2</td>

<td>Data 3</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>Data 4</td>

<td>Data 5</td>

<td>Data 6</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

</div>

This setup uses <div> for applying the text alignment and the table’s own margin: auto; CSS property to center it within the <div>. Remember, the outer <div> must have a defined width (100% works universally) to properly center the table inside it.

By following these steps, you ensure that your table is not only visually appealing but also neatly organized and centered, enhancing the readability of your data.

More resources

To enhance your understanding of Markdown and specifically learn how to center text using this versatile formatting language, several online resources are available that provide tutorials, examples, and comprehensive guides. These resources are tailored to equip you with practical skills and deeper insights into Markdown’s functionality.

  1. Markdown Guide - This website offers a beginner-friendly, thorough guide to Markdown. It covers everything from basic syntax to more advanced features like tables and embedding HTML. Check out their detailed section on incorporating HTML to center text in Markdown.

URL: Markdown Guide

  1. Awesome Markdown - A curated list of tools, libraries, and resources for working with Markdown. This list includes editors, tutorials, and plugins that enhance Markdown documents and support HTML integration for tasks such as centering text.

URL: Awesome Markdown

  1. Stack Overflow - A vital resource for any programming or formatting query. Search for questions about centering text in Markdown or post your own queries to get solutions from the community.

URL: Stack Overflow

  1. YouTube Tutorials - Many video tutorials are available that not only teach basic Markdown but also delve into specific tasks like text alignment using HTML. Channels like Traversy Media often cover these topics in depth.

URL: YouTube

To help you navigate these resources, here’s a structured table that outlines where to find specific information:

ResourceDescriptionURL
Markdown GuideComprehensive tutorials from basics to advanced Markdown features.Visit Site
Awesome MarkdownA collection of tools and resources to enhance your Markdown experience.Visit Site
Stack OverflowCommunity support for specific Markdown queries, including HTML integration.Visit Site
YouTube TutorialsVisual learning through step-by-step video guides on Markdown.Visit Site

Conclusion

In the realm of digital documentation, Markdown stands as a simple yet powerful tool, but it often requires a sprinkle of HTML to achieve certain formatting effects like centering text. When you want to draw the reader’s attention to a central piece of text, the direct approach involves embedding HTML tags directly into your Markdown. This fusion allows for precise control over text placement, ensuring that your words not only convey the message but also catch the eye exactly where they’re meant to.

For those venturing into the nuanced world of Markdown formatting, centering text might initially seem out of reach. However, by integrating simple HTML <p> tags with a style attribute specifying text-align: center;, your text gracefully takes center stage. This method proves effective not only for textual content but extends to images and headers, enhancing the visual hierarchy and reader engagement of your documents.

Adopting this technique not only elevates the aesthetics of your Markdown documents but also bridges the gap between straightforward Markdown syntax and the dynamic styling capabilities of HTML.


Jacqueline M. Leonard

Hi, my name is Jacqueline M. Leonard. I am the main developer and editor of markdowntohtmlgenius.com. Markdown to HTML Genius offers an amazing and easy-to-use tool for converting Markdown to HTML.