.txt vs .md — When to Use Markdown and When to Stay Plain

Markdown files (.md) and plain text files (.txt) are both just text. Open either one in any text editor and you see the same thing — characters, spaces, line breaks. The difference is that Markdown has a defined syntax that some tools know how to interpret. A line starting with # is a heading. Text wrapped in ** is bold. A line starting with - is a list item.

Whether that layer of meaning helps you or gets in your way depends entirely on what you're doing with the file.

Use Markdown when the file will be rendered

Markdown is worth using when something downstream is going to convert it into formatted output — a website, a documentation system, a note app with preview, a GitHub README. In those contexts, the Markdown syntax is meaningful. Write **important** and the rendered output shows important in bold. The syntax is invisible to the end reader.

Common situations where .md is the right choice: GitHub README files, documentation, blog posts stored as files, notes in Obsidian or iA Writer, anything going into a static site generator like Jekyll or Hugo.

Use plain .txt when the file is the destination

If you're writing something that will be read as-is — a log file, a config file, a quick note, data for a script, a personal journal — plain .txt is cleaner. There's no syntax to worry about, no # symbols cluttering headings, no risk of a reader seeing raw Markdown instead of formatted output.

Markdown in a file that's never rendered is just noise. ## Meeting Notes is less readable than just Meeting Notes when neither is being processed by a renderer.

The portability question

Both formats are equally portable — they're both plain text and open in any editor. The difference is that .md files carry an expectation. If you share an .md file with someone, they might open it expecting rendered output and see raw syntax instead. A .txt file carries no such expectation.

For files you share with non-technical people, .txt is the safer choice. For files in a technical context where the recipient understands Markdown, .md is fine.

Mixing them works fine

Many people use .md for structured notes and documents and .txt for raw captures and logs. The two live comfortably together in the same folder. Your text editor treats them identically. Git handles them identically. The extension is just a signal about intent and downstream processing.

What about .markdown extension?

Some files use the full .markdown extension instead of .md. It means the same thing. The convention settled on .md because it's shorter, and that's what GitHub, most static site generators, and most Markdown-aware apps expect. Use .md unless you have a specific reason not to.

The choice boils down to one question: is something going to render this file? If yes, .md. If no, .txt. Both are plain text, both open anywhere, both work with every tool you already have. The extension is just a signal about what the file is for.