Clean HTML for Medium
Medium is a popular publishing platform with a clean, distraction-free editor. Medium's paste handler strips most HTML formatting but can produce inconsistent results with complex Google Docs content. Pre-cleaning with Publish Helper ensures reliable paste results.
HTML Issues with Medium
Medium's editor aggressively normalizes pasted HTML but doesn't always get it right. Complex formatting, nested lists, and table content from Google Docs may paste as plain text or lose structure. Medium supports a limited set of HTML elements: paragraphs, headings (H1, H2), bold, italic, links, blockquotes, lists, images, and code blocks.
How to Paste Clean HTML into Medium
- 1.
Copy your content from Google Docs, Word, or any editor
- 2.
Paste into Publish Helper and click 'Clean HTML'
- 3.
Copy the clean HTML from Publish Helper
- 4.
Paste directly into Medium's editor — it will parse the clean HTML correctly
- 5.
Review the post in Medium's preview for any formatting adjustments
Medium Tips
- Medium only supports H1 (title) and H2 (section heading) — use Publish Helper's heading conversion to match
- Clean HTML pastes more reliably into Medium than raw Google Docs content
- Medium converts bold to <strong> and italic to <em> — clean HTML from Publish Helper already uses these tags
- For code blocks, Medium uses triple backtick notation — keep code content in paragraphs for paste
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Medium strip my formatting anyway?
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Medium normalizes HTML to its supported elements, but it does this more reliably with clean input. Messy Google Docs HTML often produces unpredictable results — clean HTML gives Medium consistent input to work with.
Why did my headings disappear on Medium?
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Medium only supports H1 (as the post title) and H2 (as section headings). H3-H6 headings from Google Docs are converted to bold text. Use Publish Helper's heading conversion to restructure your content for Medium's heading model.
Can I paste tables into Medium?
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Medium doesn't support HTML tables. Tables pasted from Google Docs will likely break. Consider converting table content to a list or using a screenshot for data-heavy tables on Medium.
Last updated: March 2026