PilcrowMD

How to get clean Markdown out of ChatGPT

ChatGPT gives you a useful answer: a packing list, a plan, a table. You want to keep it and read it later.

ChatGPT shows the answer nicely formatted. But if you copy the Markdown behind it into a notes app, it fills up with symbols like # and |.

Those symbols are Markdown. A Markdown reader turns them back into a clean page with headings, lists and tables. And the file is yours: a normal .md file that any app can open.

Step 1: get the Markdown from ChatGPT

Way 1: copy it. Ask for what you need, then add: "Put the answer in a Markdown code block so I can copy it." If ChatGPT puts the answer in a code block, use that block's Copy button. If you don't see one, try Copy below the answer or in its ••• menu. What that Copy gives you can vary by app and answer: sometimes formatted text without the Markdown symbols.

Way 2: download a file. Try asking: "Create a downloadable .md file with this answer." In our test on Android this gave a file; it may not work every time. If ChatGPT gives you a file, download it. If it doesn't, use Way 1.

Step 2a: read it on Android

If you copied the text:

  1. Open PilcrowMD and tap New file on the welcome screen.
  2. Paste the text.
  3. Tap Read. You see real headings and a real table, not symbols.
  4. Tap Save to keep it as an .md file on your phone.

If you downloaded a file: tap it. If Android asks which app to use, choose PilcrowMD. If it doesn't ask, find the file in your phone's Files app (usually in Downloads) and open it with PilcrowMD (if another app opens it instead, use the file's Open with option).

Get it on Google Play Also on F-Droid

Step 2b: read it on a Mac

If you copied the text:

  1. In PilcrowMD, choose File › New Window (⌘N).
  2. Paste the text, then switch to Read (⌥⌘1).
  3. Save it with File › Save As… (⇧⌘S).

If you downloaded a file: open it in PilcrowMD with File › Open….

PilcrowMD for Mac (beta) (free, signed and notarized by Apple)

Why use a Markdown reader?

Plain-text notes appMarkdown reader
Headings and boldMay show # and **Shown as headings and bold
TablesMay show `and---`
Your fileDepends on the appA normal .md file you can open anywhere

Keep your answers together

Save your answers in one folder. On Android, add that folder in My folders: new and changed notes get a small mark until you open them. On a Mac, add it in My folders too.

To share an answer as a document, export it: Export as PDF on Android, Export as PDF… on Mac.

Common questions

Does ChatGPT always show Markdown symbols? No. It usually shows answers already formatted. To get the Markdown itself, ask for the answer in a Markdown code block.

Why does my copied answer have no symbols? The Copy under an answer does not always copy the Markdown itself. Ask for a Markdown code block and use the code block's Copy button.

Does PilcrowMD send my answers anywhere? No. The Android app has had no internet permission since version 1.0.15, and the Mac app makes no internet connection. If you keep notes in a folder that another app syncs, such as Google Drive, that app may sync the file.

Also on Mac: PilcrowMD for Mac (beta)