How to add footnotes in markdown using [^label] syntax. Supported by GitHub, Pandoc, and most extended parsers.
Footnotes add numbered references to text that link to definitions at the bottom of the document. The inline marker [^1] or [^label] appears in the text, and the corresponding [^1]: definition appears elsewhere. Footnotes are a GitHub Flavored Markdown extension.
The [^1] marker in text links to the [^1]: definition at the bottom.
Use descriptive labels instead of numbers for more readable source.
Indent continuation paragraphs with 4 spaces.
| Platform | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub | Yes | Supported since 2021 |
| GitLab | Yes | — |
| Pandoc | Yes | — |
| Obsidian | Yes | — |
| Discord | No | — |
| Notion | No | — |
[1] footnote marker
[^1] with caret
Plain square brackets [1] create a reference link, not a footnote. The caret ^ distinguishes footnote syntax.
Forgetting the colon after the label
[^1]: definition text
The definition must have a colon after the closing bracket: [^1]: text.
[^source]: URL is more readable in source than [^1]: URL, especially when you have many footnotes.
Footnote definitions can be placed anywhere in the document — beginning, end, or near where they're referenced. They always render at the bottom.
Everything you need to know.
Use [^1] in your text and [^1]: your footnote text anywhere in the document. GitHub, Pandoc, and Obsidian support this syntax.
Reference-style links separate the link text from the URL by using a label. The link text uses [text][label] and the URL is defined elsewhere with [label]: url. This keeps long URLs out of the flow of prose, making the source markdown easier to read and maintain.
Superscript text appears above the normal line of text at a smaller size, commonly used for exponents (x²), ordinals (1st), and footnote numbers. Markdown has no standard superscript syntax — platforms use either caret (^) notation or raw HTML.
Links in markdown use square brackets for the display text and parentheses for the URL: [text](url). You can also add hover titles, use reference-style links for cleaner source, and auto-link bare URLs on most platforms.
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