CONVERT
OPML → MD
Fast, secure OPML to MD conversion. No registration required.
DRAG. DROP. DONE.
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Setup: OPML is a document format oriented around a particular office suite or publishing pipeline. Goal: an interchangeable MD. Converting OPML to MD online saves installing office suites you use once a year. Upload the document, let the server render it through the same pipeline large publishers use, and download a polished MD that keeps its original structure and typography. In practice OPML is a document format oriented around a particular office suite or publishing pipeline. On the other end, MD is Markdown, a plain-text format with minimal syntax that renders to formatted HTML.
OPML Outline
Source formatOPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is an XML format for structured outlines and lists. It is most widely used for exchanging RSS feed subscription lists between podcast apps and feed readers, and for hierarchical note-taking.
Markdown
Target formatMarkdown is a lightweight markup language that uses plain text formatting syntax. It is widely used in software development, technical documentation, and content management systems.
Why convert OPML to MD
The driver for a OPML to MD conversion is almost always the downstream audience: the editor, archivist, signer or reader who expects a MD. Doing the conversion in a proper rendering pipeline, rather than hoping the receiving tool will figure it out, avoids layout drift and font substitutions.
HOW TO CONVERT
OPML → MD
Provide the document
Select a OPML file. Very large documents (100+ pages) may take a few extra seconds to render completely.
Render to MD
LibreOffice plus supporting filters translate the OPML into a fully-formed MD with no structural drift.
Save the result
The converted MD streams back over HTTPS; open in the target application to verify formatting.
Common Use Cases
Print shop delivery
Print houses accept MD as a first-class submission format and reliably preserve pagination; OPML may reflow at the printer.
Archival preservation
MD/A and related PDF archive standards are accepted by national libraries and long-term record keepers worldwide.
Multi-device reading
MD renders identically on phones, tablets and desktops; OPML layout can shift based on the reader application.
Presentation handouts
Speakers distribute slide notes and references as MD so attendees can view them without the source application.
OPML vs MD — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
OPML Strengths
- Standard RSS subscription interchange format.
- Simple XML — easy to parse and generate.
- Highly extensible via arbitrary attributes.
- Supported by every major outline and RSS tool.
Limitations
- XML verbosity — larger than a JSON-based equivalent.
- Specification is loose — different tools disagree on edge cases.
- Primary use (RSS reading) has shrunk dramatically since Google Reader.
MD Strengths
- Readable as plain text even before rendering — fits in version control beautifully.
- Dead-simple: 90% of needs covered in 10 minutes of learning.
- Converts trivially to HTML, PDF, EPUB, and DOCX via Pandoc.
- Every modern IDE, note-taking app, and developer tool renders it natively.
- Lightweight — a typical Markdown file is kilobytes, not megabytes.
Limitations
- No formal authoritative spec — CommonMark, GFM, and MultiMarkdown differ on edge cases.
- Tables and complex layouts are clunky; footnotes and math require extensions.
- Links to images stay external — no embedded media unless you base64-inline.
OPML vs MD — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
| Specification | OPML | MD |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | text/x-opml | text/markdown |
| Extension | .opml | — |
| Format | XML with nested <outline> elements | — |
| Standard | OPML 2.0 (2006) | CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) |
| Primary use | RSS subscription interchange | — |
| Extensions | — | .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd |
| Encoding | — | UTF-8 (conventional) |
| Companion spec | — | RFC 7763 (2016) |
OPML vs MD — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
OPML
- Typical RSS reader export (50 feeds) 5-30 KB
- Deep outline (Scrivener novel plan) 20-200 KB
MD
- README 1-15 KB
- Blog post 2-30 KB
- Full technical manual 50 KB - 2 MB
Quality & Compatibility
The conversion preserves document structure rather than pixel-perfect rendering: a paragraph in OPML is a paragraph in MD, not a bitmap snapshot. That means you can still edit and search the MD. If you need exact visual fidelity (for legal or print workflows), export to PDF as the final step.
Tips for Best Results
- Run a spell-check in the MD after conversion — occasionally hyphenation or language tagging shifts and typos become invisible to the original checker.
- Include fallback generic fonts (sans-serif, serif) in your style definitions so the MD degrades gracefully when a font is missing on a viewer device.
- For archive-quality output, export to PDF/A after converting to MD; this locks the document against future rendering drift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as the fonts are standard (system fonts or common office fonts like Arial, Calibri, Times, Helvetica). Custom corporate fonts survive if they are embedded in the source document; otherwise the conversion substitutes the closest available match, which can shift line breaks by a character or two.
Yes. Inline images are embedded into the MD at full resolution, editable tables become native MD tables, and hyperlinks keep their URLs. Complex features unique to OPML — macros, form fields, track-changes — are mapped where an equivalent exists in MD and flattened into static content otherwise.
All uploads go over TLS, files are processed in isolated containers and both the source and the output are deleted within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never indexed or used for training, and the paid plan adds a signable data-processing agreement for regulated workflows.
RELATED CONVERSIONS
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Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
Related Guides
OPML Format Guide: Podcast Subscriptions, RSS Feeds & Outlines
Complete guide to OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) — the universal format for podcast subscription exports, RSS reader migration, and hierarchical outlines. Structure, attributes, versions, and tools.
Read guideMarkdown: The Complete Guide to .md Format
Everything about Markdown — core syntax, GFM vs CommonMark, converting to PDF/HTML/Word, static site generators, and platform-specific variants.
Read guideSecure & Private Conversion
Your files are encrypted during transfer, processed in isolated containers, and automatically deleted within 60 minutes. We never read, share, or store your data.