# Markdown round-trip > Export and import between Canvas documents and Markdown so headings, lists, and code blocks survive without flattening your structure into plain paste. Also known as Markdown export ## In practice Markdown round-trip means you can export a Canvas document and bring Markdown back without flattening every heading and list into anonymous paste. Portability is the point: archives, static sites, and plain-text pipelines should still recognize the structure you built in blocks on purpose. Complex embeds may export as marked sections rather than perfect clones. That is expected while Canvas early access matures — verify a re-import on a draft line and keep a named save point before you delete the only rich copy of a binder you still care about for the project. Prefer Markdown when you need a durable interchange format; use other exports when a collaborator demands them. Round-trip discipline is a habit: export, edit elsewhere if needed, re-import, then confirm headings and lists still match the outline you trusted yesterday before sharing. [Canvas early access](https://www.inkwell.software/canvas) ## Common questions ### Can I edit the Markdown in another tool and bring it back? Yes for many workflows — export, edit, re-import. Use named save points on each side so you are never guessing which copy is canonical. ### Why Markdown instead of only DOCX? Markdown stays human-readable and tool-agnostic. It is a durable interchange format for archives and plain-text pipelines, not a one-way handoff into another silo. ### Do embeds survive export perfectly today? Not always. Complex embeds may export as marked sections while Canvas early access matures — verify re-import before deleting a source file. ### Should I round-trip on a draft line? Yes when the file matters. A draft line or save point gives you a clean rollback if an external edit mangles structure you still need. ## Related terms - [Block editor](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/block-editor): A document model built from typed blocks — paragraphs, headings, lists, embeds — instead of one undifferentiated page. Canvas uses blocks so outlines, history, and skills can target real sections. - [Canvas outline](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/canvas-outline): A navigable view of headings and sections in a long Canvas document — the long-form cousin of a screenplay scene list. - [Read the pillar guide](https://www.inkwell.software/learn/markdown-round-trip): A longer guide for this workflow --- Canonical page: