[^1] in your text and [^1]: your footnote anywhere in the document.
Basic Syntax
In the body of your text:
Here is a statement that needs a citation.[^1]
Anywhere in the document (usually at the bottom):
[^1]: This is the footnote text that appears at the bottom.
The footnote renders as a superscript number in the text, linked to the footnote definition at the end of the page.
Named Labels
Instead of numbers, use descriptive labels:
Markdown was invented[^gruber] in 2004.
[^gruber]: By John Gruber and Aaron Swartz.
Named labels are easier to manage in long documents — no need to renumber when you add new footnotes.
Multi-Line Footnotes
For longer footnotes, indent continuation paragraphs with 4 spaces:
[^note]: First paragraph of the footnote.
Second paragraph, indented with 4 spaces.
Platform Support
- GitHub — supported (added in 2021)
- Obsidian — supported
- Pandoc — full support including academic-style footnotes
- Notion, Discord, Slack — not supported
Where to Place Definitions
Footnote definitions can be placed anywhere in the document — top, bottom, or near where they're referenced. They always render at the bottom of the page regardless of where you define them.
Full reference: Markdown Footnotes.