Pandoc is a free-software document converter, widely used as a writing tool (especially by scholars) and as a basis for publishing workflows. It was created by John MacFarlane, a philosophy professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
Pandoc dubs itself a "markup format" converter. It can take a document in one of the supported formats and convert only its markup to another format. Maintaining the look and feel of the document is not a priority.
Plug-ins for custom formats can also be written in Lua, which has been used to create an exporting tool for the Journal Article Tag Suite, for example.
An included CiteProc option allows pandoc to use bibliographic data from reference management software in any of five formats: BibTeX, BibLaTeX, CSL JSON or CSL YAML, or RIS. The information is automatically transformed into a citation in various styles (such as APA, Chicago, or MLA) using an implementation of the Citation Style Language. This allows the program to serve as a simpler alternative to LaTeX for producing academic writing in Markdown with inline citation keys. Or the program can be used to convert any bibliographic data stream in the accepted formats into a list of citations in a chosen style.
What is Pandoc?
Pandoc by John MacFarlane is open-source Windows software in the media converters category. It ranks 1st by popularity among media converters in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 2006. It is written in Haskell. Besides Windows, it is available for macOS and Unix-like operating system.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides MSI and Portable installers for 64-bit Windows. It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches. An MSI package is available for deployment with Group Policy, Intune or Configuration Manager.
Updates and version history
The current version is 3.12.1, released on October 8, 2026. The version history goes back to March 30, 2021: 69 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 12 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 1,354,201 times. The source code on GitHub (jgm/pandoc) has 46,672 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 11 of our languages. Similar programs include HandBrake, scrcpy and File Converter.
Project description on GitHub: “Universal markup converter”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- MSI package for managed deployment
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
- Frequent updates (about 12 a year)
- Also runs on macOS and Unix-like operating system
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: Pandoc is an open-source media converter tool for 64-bit PCs. It is actively maintained. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is Pandoc safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
B6BF9F2C8408A1689272BE5722E45F93ED9DA17BA74321D0F7EF4E5A196605E8· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the jgm/pandoc repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No dangerous workflows10
- Security policy10
- Restricted token permissions10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Fuzzing10
- Code review0
- Static code analysis0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Branch protection0
- Signed releases0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 69 versions ›69 versions over 6 years · about 12 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.12.1Latest | October 8, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP64-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
| 3.12 | September 29, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP64-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
| 3.11 | August 29, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSI64-bit ZIP64-bit MSI |
| 3.10.2 | August 12, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP64-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
| 3.10.1 | July 22, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSI64-bit MSI64-bit ZIP |
| 3.10 | June 4, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSI64-bit ZIP64-bit MSI |
| 3.9.0.2 | March 19, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSI64-bit MSI64-bit ZIP |
| 3.9.0.1 | March 18, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSI64-bit ZIP64-bit MSI |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id JohnMacFarlane.Pandoc -echoco install pandoc -yscoop install main/pandocmsiexec /i pandoc-3.12.1-windows-x86_64.msi /qn /norestartmsiexec /x {42C8B404-86B8-4D04-9B8D-634303898403} /qn /norestartRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install pandocInformation
- Publisher
- John MacFarlane
- Category
- Media converters
- Licence
- GPL-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/jgm/pandoc
- Written in
- Haskell
- Interface languages
- English
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- MSI, Portable
- Other platforms
- macOS, Unix-like operating system
- Version
- 3.12.1
- Released
- October 8, 2026
- First release
- 2006
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 69
- Updates / year
- 12.5
- Chocolatey downloads
- 1,354,201
- GitHub stars
- 46,672
- GitHub forks
- 6,626
- Website
- pandoc.org
- winget ID
- JohnMacFarlane.Pandoc
- Chocolatey package
- pandoc
- Scoop package
- main/pandoc
- MSI product code
- {42C8B404-86B8-4D04-9B8D-634303898403}
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Pandoc
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Frequently asked questions
Is Pandoc free?
Yes. Pandoc is open-source software under the GPL-2.0 licence.
Is Pandoc safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Pandoc with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Pandoc be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer, including msiexec for the MSI package.
Does Pandoc run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Pandoc?
The versions page lists all 69 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 30, 2021.
Can I use Pandoc without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to Pandoc?
HandBrake, scrcpy, File Converter, IrfanView and DevToys. The alternatives page compares them.
