What does the headings extractor do?

It scans every line of your Markdown for heading markers (# through ######) and lists them in order with their heading level, indent, and anchor slug. This gives you a bird's-eye view of the document's structure.

Can I use this to find structural problems?

Yes. A common issue is skipping heading levels (e.g. jumping from h1 to h3). The hierarchical list makes these gaps immediately visible.

What is the anchor slug for?

The anchor slug is the ID GitHub and most Markdown renderers assign to the heading element. It is used to build internal links (e.g. [jump to section](#anchor)) and is the same value the TOC Generator uses.

Can I export the outline?

Yes. Click Copy Outline to copy the indented heading list as plain text, or Copy as TOC to copy it as Markdown links suitable for a table of contents.

Does it detect HTML headings inside Markdown?

No. The extractor only detects ATX-style Markdown headings (lines starting with # characters). HTML – tags embedded in the document are not extracted.

How does this differ from the TOC Generator?

The Headings Extractor focuses on showing the document structure visually — heading levels and counts. The TOC Generator focuses on producing Markdown link syntax ready to paste into your document.

Does this work offline?

Yes. The extractor runs entirely in your browser with no network requirement.

Can I check my word count too?

Use the Markdown Word Count tool for a full breakdown of words, characters, and reading time.

Markdown Headings Extractor

Paste a Markdown document and see the full heading outline — levels, anchors, and structure at a glance.

100% client-side · no upload

Markdown input

Heading outline (0)

Outline will appear here…

How to extract headings from Markdown

Paste your Markdown document into the left panel.
The heading outline updates automatically in the right panel.
Click Copy outline to copy the indented plain-text list.
Click Copy as TOC to copy it as a Markdown table of contents.
Use the outline to identify skipped heading levels or structural gaps.

Common use cases

Document review: Check that the heading hierarchy makes logical sense.
Accessibility audit: Skipped heading levels (h1 → h3) reduce screen-reader usability.
SEO check: Verify there is exactly one h1 and that h2/h3 use target keywords.
Content planning: Extract headings from a draft to review the overall structure.

Related tools: TOC Generator · Word Count · Markdown Preview

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the headings extractor do?: It scans every line of your Markdown for heading markers (# through ######) and lists them in order with their heading level, indent, and anchor slug. This gives you a bird's-eye view of the document's structure.
Can I use this to find structural problems?: Yes. A common issue is skipping heading levels (e.g. jumping from h1 to h3). The hierarchical list makes these gaps immediately visible.
What is the anchor slug for?: The anchor slug is the ID GitHub and most Markdown renderers assign to the heading element. It is used to build internal links (e.g. [jump to section](#anchor)) and is the same value the TOC Generator uses.
Can I export the outline?: Yes. Click Copy Outline to copy the indented heading list as plain text, or Copy as TOC to copy it as Markdown links suitable for a table of contents.
Does it detect HTML headings inside Markdown?: No. The extractor only detects ATX-style Markdown headings (lines starting with # characters). HTML <h1>–<h6> tags embedded in the document are not extracted.
How does this differ from the TOC Generator?: The Headings Extractor focuses on showing the document structure visually — heading levels and counts. The TOC Generator focuses on producing Markdown link syntax ready to paste into your document.
Does this work offline?: Yes. The extractor runs entirely in your browser with no network requirement.
Can I check my word count too?: Use the Markdown Word Count tool for a full breakdown of words, characters, and reading time.

Report a problem with this tool