MdPipe

MdPipe converts PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML and images to Markdown on Windows. It is available as a portable desktop application and as a .NET CLI. Conversion runs through Microsoft's MarkItDown.

Download

_{One file. No installer. No .NET or Python required.}

It is a portable, self-contained Windows 10/11 x64 executable. The first launch downloads a private Python environment and MarkItDown into %APPDATA%\mdpipe; later conversions work offline. Because the executable is not code-signed yet, Windows SmartScreen may ask you to confirm that you want to run it.

I built MdPipe so I could give someone a document converter without first asking them to install Python or work from a terminal.

What it does

• Converts several files in one batch using drag and drop.
• Saves the Markdown beside the original or in a chosen folder.
• Runs locally without uploading documents or collecting telemetry.
• Includes a CLI for scripts and automation.
• Keeps MarkItDown on a version tested with MdPipe.

CLI

The repository also includes a CLI for scripts and local use. Run it from source with the .NET 10 SDK:

dotnet run --project src/MdPipe.Cli -- convert report.pdf
dotnet run --project src/MdPipe.Cli -- convert report.pdf -o report.md
dotnet run --project src/MdPipe.Cli -- status

How it works

The WPF application and CLI share the same conversion and setup code. MdPipe creates its environment under AppData and does not modify the system Python or PATH.

A small compatibility manifest records the MarkItDown versions tested with MdPipe. Setup also passes the Windows proxy to pip and keeps its output visible when a firewall, proxy or SSL inspection blocks the download.

There is a longer write-up with code samples on gdols.dev.

Build from source

You need the .NET 10 SDK:

git clone https://github.com/gdols/MdPipe.git
cd MdPipe

dotnet run --project src/MdPipe.Wpf
dotnet test

To build the portable executable:

dotnet publish src/MdPipe.Wpf -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained -p:PublishSingleFile=true

Limitations

• Official releases currently target Windows x64 only.
• The first launch needs internet access to download Python and MarkItDown.
• The executable is not code-signed, so new releases can trigger SmartScreen.
• Conversion quality depends on the source format and MarkItDown.

License

MdPipe is available under the MIT license. It is an independent project and is not affiliated with Microsoft. MarkItDown is fetched from PyPI at runtime and is not redistributed; see NOTICE.md.

Bug reports and small pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md and SECURITY.md.