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MarkdownTables

Transpose a Markdown Table

Swap the rows and columns of a Markdown table in one click, turning a wide table into a tall one or the reverse.

Row
1
🟢 Done
2
🟡 In Progress
3
Output
| Task                |     Status     | Priority |
| :------------------ | :------------: | -------: |
| Launch website      |    🟢 Done     |     High |
| Write documentation | 🟡 In Progress |   Medium |
| User testing        |   ⚪ Planned   |      Low |
3 rows × 3 columns
Rendered Preview
TaskStatusPriority
Launch website🟢 DoneHigh
Write documentation🟡 In ProgressMedium
User testing⚪ PlannedLow

How to transpose a Markdown table in 3 steps

  1. Paste the table

    Press Ctrl+V (⌘V) anywhere on the page outside a text box, or paste into the Markdown or Import tab. CSV and spreadsheet cells work too.

  2. Click Transpose

    Rows become columns and columns become rows. The old header row becomes the first column, and the first column becomes the new header.

  3. Fix alignment and copy

    Alignment is reset because columns now hold different data; use Tools › Auto-align or the column menu, then click Copy Markdown.

Example

Wide: one column per feature
| Plan | Price | Seats | Storage | SSO |
| :-- | --: | :-: | --: | :-: |
| Free | $0 | 1 | 5 GB | No |
| Pro | $12 | 10 | 100 GB | No |
| Business | $40 | 50 | 1 TB | Yes |
Transposed: one column per plan
| Plan    | Free | Pro    | Business |
| ------- | ---- | ------ | -------- |
| Price   | $0   | $12    | $40      |
| Seats   | 1    | 10     | 50       |
| Storage | 5 GB | 100 GB | 1 TB     |
| SSO     | No   | No     | Yes      |

Options explained

Transpose
Flips the table along its diagonal. Click it again to flip back (alignment is not restored).
Tools
Follow-up fixes after transposing: auto-align columns, change header case, or clean the table.UPPER · lower · Title Case · Auto-align · Transpose · Quick clean · Deep clean
Grid / Markdown / Import tabs
Edit the result in the grid, see or edit the Markdown source, or import CSV, TSV, HTML, JSON or a spreadsheet file to transpose.
Spacing and Flavor
How the output is written. Defaults (GFM, Padded) suit GitHub and most editors.Padded · Compact · No outer pipes · GFM · MultiMarkdown · Pandoc Pipe · reStructuredText · Org-mode
Output format and Download
Copy the transposed table as Markdown, HTML, CSV, TSV, JSON, LaTeX, SQL or Jira, or download .xlsx, CSV or PNG.

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About this tool

A comparison table with many columns and a few rows scrolls sideways on GitHub and on phones; the same data transposed reads top to bottom. Paste the table and click Transpose to swap rows and columns. The old header names become the first column, the first column becomes the new header, and every cell keeps its content.

  • Swaps rows and columns in one click
  • Old header becomes the first column; first column becomes the header
  • Keeps cell content, links, code and <br> as written
  • Works on pasted Markdown, CSV, TSV, HTML or spreadsheet cells
  • Auto-align the result in one more click
  • Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded

Technical details

What happens to the header when you transpose

A Markdown table always has exactly one header row, so transposing has to decide what the new header is. The tool treats the header as row zero: after flipping, the old header names run down the first column, and the values that were in the first column run across the new header.

  • Shape: An M-row × N-column table (plus header) becomes an N-row × M-column table (plus header) after transposing; the header names become the first column.
  • Header choice: Put the labels you want as new column titles in the first column before transposing (for example plan names in a pricing table).
  • Alignment: Reset to default, because a column that was numeric is now spread across a row.
  • Content: Cell text, including Markdown formatting, is moved unchanged.

Common problems and fixes

The new header row is full of IDs or numbers

Cause: The first column of the original table held IDs, so they became the header.

Fix: Move a descriptive column to the first position (▾ menu › Move column left) and transpose again.

A new header is called “Column 3”

Cause: The original first column had an empty cell in that row, so the new header had no name and got a placeholder.

Fix: Click the header cell in the grid and type a label.

Frequently asked questions

How do I swap rows and columns in a Markdown table?

Paste the table on this page (Ctrl+V or ⌘V outside a text box) and click Transpose, then copy the Markdown. Markdown has no transpose syntax, so the table has to be rewritten; the tool does that for you.

What happens to the header row?

The old header names become the first column, and the values from the old first column become the new header. Put the labels you want as column titles in the first column before transposing.

Why did my column alignment disappear?

Alignment belongs to a column, and after transposing each column holds different kinds of data, so it is reset. Use Tools › Auto-align to right-align numeric columns again, or set alignment from the ▾ menu.

When should I transpose a table?

When it is much wider than it is tall: a few items compared on many attributes, or a single record with many fields. Tall tables are easier to read on narrow screens and produce smaller diffs when a value changes.

Can I transpose CSV or spreadsheet data?

Yes. Paste CSV, TSV or cells copied from Excel or Google Sheets (or upload a file from the Import tab), click Transpose, and copy the result as Markdown or switch the output to CSV.

Can I undo a transpose?

Yes. Click Transpose again to flip it back, or press Ctrl+Z (⌘Z). Only alignment is not restored by flipping back; undo restores it.

Is my table uploaded?

No. Transposing runs in your browser; the table is not sent to a server.