Summary — What Free BBCode to Markdown Converter Does
What This Free Tool Is
Free BBCode to Markdown Converter turns legacy forum posts (phpBB, vBulletin, MyBB, SMF) into clean Markdown. Every major BBCode tag is supported: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, links, images, quotes, lists, code blocks, size-based headings, and color/font tags.
Privacy: This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, logged, or cached. Close the tab and it's gone. Verify in DevTools → Network: zero requests fire.
Why It's Free (And How We Keep It Free)
Forum archives are full of valuable content trapped in BBCode. Getting it into a modern format shouldn't require paid software. The converter runs 100% in your browser.
Table of Use
At-a-Glance Reference
| Input | Output | Typical size | Speed | Login needed |
|---|
| BBCode | Markdown (.md) | Any post size | < 10 ms | No |
BBCode to Markdown Converter Features
Here's what this free tool does in detail — every feature is built to solve real problems, runs entirely in your browser, and is free forever.
Complete BBCode Tag Coverage
Handles [b], [i], [u] (mapped to Markdown's __underline__ since plain Markdown doesn't have a native underline), [s] (strikethrough), [url=x]text[/url], [img]x[/img], [quote] and [quote=author], [list] and [list=1] with [*] items, [code] and [code=lang], [c] for inline code, [size=N][b] heading patterns, [color] and [font] (stripped, content preserved), alignment tags, and [hr].
For the opposite direction, use the Free Markdown to BBCode tool.
Smart Size-to-Heading Mapping
Classic BBCode doesn't have real headings — authors use [size=7][b]…[/b][/size] for top-level headings, [size=6][b]…[/b][/size] for subheadings, and so on. The converter maps sizes 6-7 → H1, 5 → H2, 4 → H3, 3 → H4, 2 → H5. Toggle the option off to strip size tags without creating headings at all.
Preserves Code Blocks Exactly
Content inside [code]…[/code] and [code=python]…[/code] is preserved byte-for-byte and becomes a Markdown fenced code block with the language hint (when present). Your code comments, indentation, and special characters all survive intact.
Forum Migration Friendly
Bulk-export posts from phpBB/vBulletin as BBCode, batch-convert to Markdown via the upcoming API, then import into a static-site generator (Jekyll, Hugo, Astro), a wiki (MediaWiki with Markdown plugin), or a modern CMS. This is the workflow for getting decade-old community content off a legacy forum before it goes offline.
How To Use Free BBCode to Markdown Converter
Step 1 — Paste BBCode
Paste a forum post, or click Load example to see the supported tags.
Step 2 — Adjust options
Toggle size-to-heading conversion based on what the source post uses sizes for.
Step 3 — Copy Markdown
Click Copy Markdown or Download .md. Paste into your new CMS, wiki, or static site.
Who Can Use This Tool
Forum admins migrating off phpBB/vBulletin
Bulk-export the forum database, convert posts to Markdown, import into a modern platform.
Community archivists saving old posts
Convert historical threads to Markdown for long-term storage.
Writers reclaiming old content
Pull a years-old forum post into your personal blog without retyping.
Wiki maintainers importing community content
Move knowledge-base answers from forum threads into a Markdown-based wiki.
Historians preserving online communities
Save fan-fiction, gaming guides, and community discussions in a format that'll still be readable in 20 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this BBCode to Markdown tool free?
Yes. Free forever, no account required.
Which BBCode tags are supported?
All the common ones: b, i, u, s, url, img, quote, list, code, size, color, font, alignment, hr.
What about custom forum tags?
Non-standard tags are stripped but their content is preserved.
Is this the right tool for forum migration?
Yes. Pair it with a bulk export script and you can move entire forums to Markdown-based platforms.
Is my content uploaded?
No. Runs 100% in your browser.
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