paste-md – Markdown to Rich Text

🎯 Project Overview

paste-md is a Windows system tray application that instantly converts Markdown text into beautifully formatted rich text for Microsoft Office applications. Simply copy any Markdown and press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste with full formatting—including GitHub-style code blocks with gray backgrounds.

Paste-MD converting Markdown to rich text

Paste-MD seamlessly converts Markdown from VS Code into beautifully formatted documents in OneNote

Example:
Copy: **Hello World!** Here's some `code` with syntax highlighting.
Press Ctrl+Shift+V → Pastes as: Hello World! Here's some code with syntax highlighting.

✨ Key Features

🎯 Smart Detection
Automatically detects Markdown in clipboard (requires 2+ patterns)

⚡ Instant Conversion
No preview needed—paste renders immediately

💻 Code Block Support
GitHub-style gray backgrounds with monospace fonts

📄 Office Compatible
Works with Word, OneNote, Outlook, and PowerPoint

🎨 Full Markdown Support
Headers, bold, italic, lists, links, tables, blockquotes

↩️ Undo Support
Ctrl+Z always available to revert changes

🚀 How It Works

System Tray App runs silently in background
Global Hotkey Ctrl+Shift+V triggers smart paste
Smart Detection identifies Markdown patterns in clipboard
Code Blocks render with gray background (#f6f8fa) and Consolas font
Preserves Original - Regular Ctrl+V still works normally

System tray icon provides quick access to paste options and application controls

Confirmed Working:

✅ Microsoft Word - Full RTF support
✅ OneNote - HTML formatting
✅ Outlook - Email composition
❌ PowerPoint - Not supported (use screenshots)

📦 Installation & Usage

Quick Install from Microsoft Store

Recommended: One-click install from Microsoft Store with automatic updates

Alternative: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/PatrickRutledge/paste-md.git
cd paste-md
dotnet build --configuration Release
.\INSTALL.bat # Run as Administrator

Usage

Start paste-md (tray icon appears)
Copy any Markdown text from GitHub, VS Code, etc.
Press Ctrl+Shift+V in Word/OneNote/Outlook
Done! Formatted text with proper code block styling

📥 Download Latest Release

🛠️ Technical Details

Platform: Windows 10/11 (x64)
Framework: .NET Framework 4.8 for COM compatibility
Dependencies: .NET 6.0 Runtime
Architecture: System tray application with global hotkeys
Markdown Engine: Markdig

Project Structure

paste-md/
├── src/
│ ├── paste-md.Core/ # Core Markdown processing
│ └── paste-md.TrayApp/ # System tray application
├── INSTALL.bat # Quick installer
├── UNINSTALL.bat # Clean uninstaller
└── README.md # Documentation

🎮 Demo & Examples

📹 Video Demonstration

Watch paste-md in action converting complex Markdown documents

📊 Real-World Example: Markdown Tables

One of paste-md's most powerful features is converting Markdown tables into perfectly formatted Office tables:

Before: Raw Markdown table in VS Code

After: Beautifully formatted table in OneNote

paste-md preserves:

Table structure and alignment
Links (like the Markdig reference)
Code formatting within cells
Priority indicators and styling

📸 Conversion Example

Side-by-side view: Raw Markdown in VS Code (left) instantly converts to beautifully formatted content in OneNote (right) with Ctrl+Shift+V

🔗 Resources & Links

GitHub Repository: github.com/PatrickRutledge/paste-md
Documentation: Complete README
Store Submission Guide: Available in project documentation
Issues & Support: GitHub Issues

🎯 Use Cases

Converting GitHub README content for presentations
Pasting documentation into Word documents
Formatting technical notes in OneNote
Sharing code snippets via Outlook with proper styling
Creating professional reports from Markdown drafts

📝 paste-md