Megan Ellis / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google Keep for Android is testing a new “Export to Markdown” feature.
- The feature has been spotted as a debug option, suggesting it is in the early stages of testing.
- While this will enable easier data portability to other Markdown-supported apps, it does not yet provide native Markdown editing in the Keep app for Android.
Google Keep is one of those Google apps that thrives in its simplicity, but that doesn’t mean users haven’t been asking for more. For instance, Markdown support is one of the long-requested features for Keep, but Google has yet to add native Markdown support to the Keep app. That doesn’t seem to be changing just yet, but the Keep app on Android could soon make it easier to work with Markdown thanks to export support.
Markdown is a lightweight, easy-to-read markup language that lets users format plain text using special characters, such as # for headings, * for bold, and _ for italics.
Google Keep does not natively support Markdown formatting (though it does provide standard Rich Text Formatting through manual UI buttons). However, you can add Markdown support to Keep on the web via third-party browser extensions. Depending on the extension, you can get live rendering, syntax highlighting, and export capabilities to Markdown-enabled tools. It’s a roundabout way to get Markdown support in Keep, and frankly, it defeats a good chunk of Markdown’s simplicity.
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In Google Keep v5.26.191.01.90 on Android, we’ve spotted strings that indicate the app could finally export notes to Markdown.
Code
<string name="menu_export_to_markdown">Export to Markdown [debug]</string>From the layout files, we’ve learned that the Export to Markdown option will likely appear in the three-dot menu after you long-press a note in Google Keep (screenshot provided for reference).
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
There are some caveats here that you should note. The string explicitly states that the Export to Markdown option is for debugging, indicating that Google plans to undertake extensive testing before the feature is deemed ready for users.
Further, the ability to export notes in Markdown (.md file extension) from Keep is not the same as natively supporting Markdown editing within Keep, so users would still have to keep demanding proper Markdown support from Google.
We’ll keep you updated when we learn more about Markdown support in Google Keep.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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