Microsoft MarkItDown

Use MarkItDown to convert various files (PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, images, audio, HTML, CSV, JSON, etc.) to Markdown format for LLM processing and text analysis. Also supports content extraction from ZIP archives, YouTube videos, and EPUB e-books.

A Python tool for converting various file types to Markdown format.

Use Cases

Use this skill when users mention scenarios like "convert file to Markdown," "extract document content," "file to Markdown," or "extract text from PDF/Word/Excel."

Installation

bash

pip install 'markitdown[all]'

Optional dependency group installations (to save space):

Tag	Description
[pptx]	PowerPoint files
[docx]	Word files
[xlsx]	Excel files
[xls]	Legacy Excel files
[pdf]	PDF files
[outlook]	Outlook emails
[az-doc-intel]	Azure Document Intelligence
[audio-transcription]	Audio transcription (wav/mp3)
[youtube-transcription]	YouTube video transcription

Command Line Usage

bash

# Basic usage: output to stdout
markitdown path-to-file.pdf > document.md

# Specify output file
markitdown path-to-file.pdf -o document.md

# Pipe input
cat path-to-file.pdf | markitdown

# Use Azure Document Intelligence
markitdown path-to-file.pdf -o document.md -d -e "<document_intelligence_endpoint>"

# List installed plugins
markitdown --list-plugins

# Enable plugins
markitdown --use-plugins path-to-file.pdf

Python API Usage

python

from markitdown import MarkItDown

md = MarkItDown(enable_plugins=False)  # True to enable plugins
result = md.convert("test.xlsx")
print(result.text_content)

With LLM Image Description (Only supports pptx and image files)

python

from markitdown import MarkItDown
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI()
md = MarkItDown(llm_client=client, llm_model="gpt-4o", llm_prompt="optional custom prompt")
result = md.convert("example.jpg")
print(result.text_content)

With Azure Document Intelligence

python

from markitdown import MarkItDown

md = MarkItDown(docintel_endpoint="<document_intelligence_endpoint>")
result = md.convert("test.pdf")
print(result.text_content)

Using markitdown-ocr Plugin (OCR for Images Embedded in PDF/DOCX/PPTX/XLSX)

python

from markitdown import MarkItDown
from openai import OpenAI

md = MarkItDown(
    enable_plugins=True,
    llm_client=OpenAI(),
    llm_model="gpt-4o",
)
result = md.convert("document_with_images.pdf")
print(result.text_content)

Supported Formats Overview

Format	Extensions	Dependency Tag
PDF	.pdf	[pdf]
PowerPoint	.pptx	[pptx]
Word	.docx	[docx]
Excel	.xlsx / .xls	[xlsx] / [xls]
Images	.jpg/.png etc.	Built-in (OCR requires [audio-transcription] + LLM)
Audio	.mp3/.wav	[audio-transcription]
HTML	.html	Built-in
CSV/JSON/XML	.csv/.json/.xml	Built-in
ZIP	.zip	Built-in (iterates contents)
YouTube	URL	[youtube-transcription]
EPUB	.epub	Built-in
Outlook	.msg	[outlook]

Agent Execution Workflow

When a user requests file conversion:

1. Confirm Input File: Obtain the file path.
2. Install Dependencies: Check if markitdown is installed and suggest installing corresponding dependencies based on the file type if needed.
3. Execute Conversion:
   • Command line: markitdown <file> -o <output.md>
   • Or Python API.
4. Return Result: Output the Markdown content or the saved file path.

Notes

• Python 3.10+ is required.
• Using a virtual environment is recommended to avoid dependency conflicts.
• The OCR plugin requires an LLM API Key (e.g., OpenAI).
• Azure Document Intelligence requires an Azure account configuration.