markitdown outputs plain text instead of Markdown when converting PDF

[akgupta1337]

Summary

When converting a PDF to Markdown using markitdown, the generated .md file contains only plain text with line breaks and almost no Markdown syntax. Although the output file has a .md extension, headings, lists, tables, and other document structure are not represented using Markdown formatting.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install MarkItDown:

   pip install markitdown

2. Convert a PDF:

   markitdown apex.pdf > document.md

3. Open the generated document.md file.

Expected Behavior

I expected the generated file to use Markdown syntax where possible. For example, document titles and section titles should be converted to Markdown headings (#, ##), lists should be preserved as Markdown lists, and tables should be converted to Markdown tables when they can be recognized.

Actual Behavior

The generated file is essentially plain text with line breaks. For example, the beginning of the output looks like:

APEX Subscriptions Schedule

to

Commercial Terms of Sale

Last Updated: November 4, 2024

instead of something like:

# APEX Subscriptions Schedule

## Commercial Terms of Sale

**Last Updated:** November 4, 2024

Environment

• OS: Windows
• Python: 3.12
• MarkItDown version: 0.1.6

Question

Is this the expected behavior for PDF conversion, or is Markdown formatting supposed to be generated when the document structure can be inferred? If this is expected, could the documentation clarify what level of Markdown formatting is supported for PDFs?

PDF USED

https://i.dell.com/sites/csdocuments/Legal_Docs/en/us/apex-subscriptions-schedule-cts-en.pdf