Convert Word .docx to HTML or Markdown with Python’s Mammoth CLI

This short guide shows how to use the Python‑based Mammoth CLI to convert .docx Word documents into simple web pages (HTML) or Markdown files.

According to a 2020 Statista survey, Microsoft Office remains the most popular office suite, and many users want to share document content as web‑friendly formats such as HTML or Markdown, which can be hosted cheaply on services like GitHub Pages.

Install Mammoth

Make sure Python and pip are installed, then run:

pip install mammoth

Convert a DOCX to HTML

From the command line: $ mammoth input_name.docx output_name.html Or using Python:

import mammoth
with open("sample.docx", "rb") as docx_file:
    result = mammoth.convert_to_html(docx_file)
with open("sample.html", "w") as html_file:
    html_file.write(result.value)

Convert a DOCX to Markdown

From the command line:

$ mammoth .\sample.docx output.md --output-format=markdown

Or using Python:

with open("sample.docx", "rb") as docx_file:
    result = mammoth.convert_to_markdown(docx_file)
with open("sample.md", "w") as markdown_file:
    markdown_file.write(result.value)