ASCII art in Markdown: code blocks and special characters
To preserve multiline ASCII art in Markdown, put it in a fenced code block. Use a fence longer than any matching run in the drawing, then check how the target service renders it.
Example 1: a cat in a block
```text /\_/\ ( o.o ) > ^ < ```
Copy both fences and the drawing between them. Here text identifies plain content; some services ignore it. Blank lines around the block help separate your message from the drawing. Do not wrap the cat in single backticks: inline code is not suitable for multiline drawings.
Example 2: content containing three backticks
````text This drawing contains ``` inside it. ````
Four backticks in each fence safely surround the three inside the content. CommonMark rules support backtick or tilde fences. Do not switch between the two types from opening to closing. ArtASCII buttons choose a fence length suited to the copied text.
Why art changes outside the block
| Mark | Outside a block | Action |
|---|---|---|
| * | Emphase / emphasis | Bloc de code / code block |
| < > | HTML / citations | Bloc de code / code block |
| Espaces / spaces | Fusion / collapse | Préserver / preserve |
| ` | Délimiteur / delimiter | Clôture plus longue / longer fence |
Do not manually escape every mark inside the block. Backslashes added to “protect” asterisks can become visible and add columns. Start with raw text and add only the required fences.
Platform limits
GitHub documentation confirms fenced blocks on that service. A Markdown editor can still use its own extensions and width rules. Valid syntax does not guarantee a scroll-free mobile view. Test an actual paste and shorten a drawing that overwhelms the conversation.