README Generator — Free Online Tool

Generate a professional README.md template for your project instantly. Choose your project type, license, and sections — get ready-to-use Markdown.

README Template Generator

Generate a professional README.md template for your project. Fill in the fields and get a ready-to-use markdown file instantly.

What is the README Generator?

The README Generator is a free browser-based tool that produces a structured README.md template for your project. Enter your project name, description, and type, pick a license, and select optional sections — you get a complete Markdown template with proper headings, installation instructions, usage examples, and a contributing guide, ready to paste into your repository.

All generation happens locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server.

How to Use the README Generator

  1. Enter your Project name (used as the title and in code examples)
  2. Write a Short description — one or two sentences explaining what the project does
  3. Select the Project type: CLI tool, Library/Package, Web app, API, or Other
  4. Choose a License: MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL v3, or None
  5. Toggle optional sections: Badges and Contributing
  6. Click Generate README
  7. Click Copy Markdown to copy the output, then paste it into your project’s README.md — or preview it with the Markdown to HTML Converter

What Sections Are Included

The generated README includes these sections, adapted to the project type you selected:

  • Title + Badges (optional) — Project name with license and version shield badges
  • Description — Your short description paragraph
  • Table of Contents — Links to each major section
  • Features — Placeholder bullet list for key features
  • Installation — npm install, git clone, or global install commands (based on project type)
  • Usage — Code examples and command reference (CLI, API, or library-specific)
  • Contributing (optional) — Standard fork → branch → PR workflow steps
  • License — License declaration and link to the LICENSE file

README Best Practices

  • Write for a newcomer — Assume the reader has never heard of your project. The first paragraph should explain what it does and why someone would use it.
  • Keep installation steps copy-paste-ready — Use code blocks for every terminal command.
  • Add a badge for CI status — A passing build badge signals that the project is actively maintained.
  • Update the README when the API changes — Outdated documentation is worse than no documentation. Use the Diff Viewer to spot exactly what changed between versions.
  • Link to full docs separately — If your project has extensive documentation, link to a /docs folder or an external site rather than cramming everything into the README.

For essential CLI commands to use alongside your README, see the Git Commands Cheat Sheet.