BYTETOOLS

Markdown to BBCode Converter

Convert Markdown to BBCode for forums, or BBCode back to Markdown. Handles bold, italic, links, images, lists, quotes and code blocks.

BBCode output

What is the Markdown to BBCode Converter?

Markdown to BBCode Converter rewrites the markup used by GitHub, Reddit and static-site generators into the tag syntax that phpBB, vBulletin, XenForo and many game forums expect.

  • Converts headings, bold, italic, strikethrough and inline code
  • Maps links and images to [url] and [img] tags
  • Handles blockquotes, ordered and unordered lists and fenced code
  • Reverse direction turns BBCode back into Markdown
  • Warns when opening and closing BBCode tags do not match
  • Copy or download the converted text

How to use the Markdown to BBCode Converter

  1. 1

    Choose the direction: Markdown to BBCode, or BBCode to Markdown.

  2. 2

    Paste your text into the input box, or click Load Markdown example to try it.

  3. 3

    Review the converted output, including any warning about unbalanced BBCode tags.

  4. 4

    Copy the result or download it as a file.

About the Markdown to BBCode Converter

Markdown to BBCode Converter rewrites the markup used by GitHub, Reddit and static-site generators into the tag syntax that phpBB, vBulletin, XenForo and many game forums expect. Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, links, images, blockquotes, lists and fenced code blocks are all mapped across.

The conversion runs in both directions, so you can also paste forum BBCode and get clean Markdown back for a README or blog post. Code blocks are protected before any other rule runs, so the contents of a snippet are never mistaken for formatting.

The converter works 100% locally in your browser using plain pattern matching. Nothing you paste is uploaded, which matters when you are drafting a post that is not public yet, and it means the tool keeps working offline. A warning appears if the opening and closing BBCode tags do not balance, so you can catch broken markup before a forum renders it wrongly.

Frequently asked questions

What is BBCode used for?

BBCode is the square-bracket markup used by forum software such as phpBB, XenForo and vBulletin. It works like a safe, limited subset of HTML, so posts can be styled without letting users write raw HTML.

Does Markdown work on forums?

Usually not. Most traditional forum engines only understand BBCode, so a Markdown post shows up with visible asterisks and brackets. Converting first gets you the formatting you intended.

How are headings converted to BBCode?

BBCode has no heading tag, so each Markdown heading becomes bold text wrapped in a size tag, with level one the largest. Converting back turns those size-and-bold pairs into hash headings again.

Will my code blocks survive the conversion?

Yes. Fenced and inline code are set aside before any other rule runs and put back at the end, so asterisks or brackets inside a snippet are never treated as formatting.

Why am I seeing an unbalanced tag warning?

It means the number of opening tags does not match the closing ones, for example three [b] tags but only two [/b]. Most forums render that incorrectly, so it is worth fixing before you post.

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