Markdown Nested List: Indent List Items

Nested lists in Markdown

Lists

Markdown syntax

Works everywhere

- Parent
  - Child

Indent by two spaces under a dash item.

Indent the child item so its marker lines up with the first letter of the parent's text. That is two spaces under "- " and three under "1. ". You can mix bullet and numbered levels freely.

All ways to write it

```
- Parent
  - Child
```
Indent by two spaces under a dash item.Works everywhere
```
1. Parent
   - Child
```
Indent by three spaces under a numbered item.Works everywhere
```
- Parent
    - Child
```
Four spaces also works in most tools and is the safe choice for older renderers.Works everywhere

Example

You type

1. Prepare the files
   - One .md file per page
   - Images in the same folder
2. Import the ZIP
   - Folders become parent pages

You get

Prepare the files
- One .md file per page
- Images in the same folder
Import the ZIP
- Folders become parent pages

Questions

Why is my nested item showing at the top level?

It isn't indented enough. Under a numbered item, two spaces is too few; line the child up with the parent's text.

Can I use tabs to nest lists?

A tab counts as indentation to the next multiple of four, so it usually works, but spaces give predictable results across editors.

Nested list in Confluence

Markdown Macro+ renders nested lists in its live preview. When you move pages out of Confluence, Markdown Exporter exports nested lists with their levels intact.