README Template — Copy and Paste Markdown

README templates.

Markdown README starting points — a full project readme, a minimal one, and a GitHub profile readme.

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Tap Copy on any template, paste it, and replace the [bracketed] parts with your own details.

README files

Full project README

# [Project Name] [One-sentence description of what this project does.] ## Features - [Feature 1] - [Feature 2] - [Feature 3] ## Installation ```bash [install command, e.g. npm install project-name] ``` ## Usage ```bash [basic usage example] ``` ## Configuration [Any setup, environment variables, or options.] ## Contributing Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue first to discuss any major changes. ## License [License name] — see the LICENSE file for details.

Minimal README

# [Project Name] [What it does, in one or two sentences.] ## Install ```bash [install command] ``` ## Use ```bash [example] ``` ## License [License]

Profile / personal README

# Hi, I'm [Name] 👋 [One line about who you are and what you do.] - 🔭 I'm currently working on [project] - 🌱 I'm learning [thing] - 💬 Ask me about [topic] - 📫 Reach me at [email or link] ## Tech I work with [languages / tools, comma-separated]

These are written in Markdown — paste them into a README.md file and they'll render with headings and code blocks on GitHub, GitLab and most editors.

What a good README covers

A README is the first thing anyone sees in a repository, and a clear one answers a few questions fast: what is this, how do I install it, and how do I use it. The full template above covers those plus contributing and licence sections; the minimal one is enough for a small script or personal project. Whatever you keep, lead with a one-line description and a usage example — that's what most visitors are looking for. Since READMEs are Markdown, you can preview how yours will look with the Markdown to HTML tool, and the .gitignore generator handles the other file every repo needs.

FAQ

What format is a README written in?

Markdown (a README.md file). Markdown uses simple symbols — # for headings, ``` for code blocks, - for lists — that render as formatted text on GitHub and most platforms. Paste a template above into README.md and fill it in.

What should every README include?

At minimum: the project name, a one-line description, installation steps, and a basic usage example. Larger projects add configuration, contributing guidelines and a licence. Start with the minimal template and grow it as the project does.