diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/to-markdown.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/to-markdown.js.es6
index 2fd90c59e01..3a4ff590dc6 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/to-markdown.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/to-markdown.js.es6
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import parseHTML from 'discourse/helpers/parse-html';
 
 const trimLeft = text => text.replace(/^\s+/,"");
 const trimRight = text => text.replace(/\s+$/,"");
-const countPipes = text => text.replace(/\\\|/,"").match(/\|/g).length;
+const countPipes = text => (text.replace(/\\\|/,"").match(/\|/g) || []).length;
 
 class Tag {
   constructor(name, prefix = "", suffix = "", inline = false) {
@@ -189,8 +189,14 @@ class Tag {
       toMarkdown() {
         const text = this.element.innerMarkdown().trim();
 
-        if (text.includes("\n")) {
-          throw "Unsupported format inside Markdown table cells";
+        if(text.includes("\n")) {  // Unsupported format inside Markdown table cells
+          let e = this.element;
+          while(e = e.parent) {
+            if (e.name === "table") {
+              e.tag().invalid();
+              break;
+            }
+          }
         }
 
         return this.decorate(text);
@@ -242,21 +248,38 @@ class Tag {
 
   static table() {
     return class extends Tag.block("table") {
+      constructor() {
+        super();
+        this.isValid = true;
+      }
+
+      invalid() {
+        this.isValid = false;
+        if (this.element.parentNames.includes("table")) {
+          let e = this.element;
+          while(e = e.parent) {
+            if (e.name === "table") {
+              e.tag().invalid();
+              break;
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
       decorate(text) {
         text = super.decorate(text).replace(/\|\n{2,}\|/g, "|\n|");
         const rows = text.trim().split("\n");
         const pipeCount = countPipes(rows[0]);
-        const isValid = rows.length > 1 &&
-                        pipeCount > 2 &&
-                        rows.reduce((a, c) => a && countPipes(c) <= pipeCount);
+        this.isValid =  this.isValid && rows.length > 1 && pipeCount > 2 && rows.reduce((a, c) => a && countPipes(c) <= pipeCount);  // Unsupported table format for Markdown conversion
 
-        if (!isValid) {
-          throw "Unsupported table format for Markdown conversion";
+        if (this.isValid) {
+          const splitterRow = [...Array(pipeCount-1)].map(() => "| --- ").join("") + "|\n";
+          text = text.replace("|\n", "|\n" + splitterRow);
+        } else {
+          text = text.replace(/\|/g, " ");
+          this.invalid();
         }
 
-        const splitterRow = [...Array(pipeCount-1)].map(() => "| --- ").join("") + "|\n";
-        text = text.replace("|\n", "|\n" + splitterRow);
-
         return text;
       }
     };
diff --git a/test/javascripts/lib/to-markdown-test.js.es6 b/test/javascripts/lib/to-markdown-test.js.es6
index 3c2f04566b8..12e136ec264 100644
--- a/test/javascripts/lib/to-markdown-test.js.es6
+++ b/test/javascripts/lib/to-markdown-test.js.es6
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ QUnit.test("converts table tags", assert => {
   assert.equal(toMarkdown(html), markdown);
 });
 
-QUnit.test("returns empty string if table format not supported", assert => {
+QUnit.test("replace pipes with spaces if table format not supported", assert => {
   let html = `<table>
     <thead> <tr><th>Headi<br><br>ng 1</th><th>Head 2</th></tr> </thead>
       <tbody>
@@ -127,7 +127,8 @@ QUnit.test("returns empty string if table format not supported", assert => {
         <tr><td><a href="http://example.com"><img src="http://dolor.com/image.png" /></a></td> <td><i>sit amet</i></td></tr></tbody>
 </table>
   `;
-  assert.equal(toMarkdown(html), "");
+  let markdown = `Headi\n\nng 1 Head 2\nLorem ipsum\n[![](http://dolor.com/image.png)](http://example.com) *sit amet*`;
+  assert.equal(toMarkdown(html), markdown);
 
   html = `<table>
     <thead> <tr><th>Heading 1</th></tr> </thead>
@@ -136,10 +137,12 @@ QUnit.test("returns empty string if table format not supported", assert => {
         <tr><td><i>sit amet</i></td></tr></tbody>
 </table>
   `;
-  assert.equal(toMarkdown(html), "");
+  markdown = `Heading 1\nLorem\n*sit amet*`;
+  assert.equal(toMarkdown(html), markdown);
 
-  html = `<table><tr><td>Lorem</td><td><i>sit amet</i></td></tr></table>`;
-  assert.equal(toMarkdown(html), "");
+  html = `<table><tr><td>Lorem</td><td><strong>sit amet</strong></td></tr></table>`;
+  markdown = `Lorem **sit amet**`;
+  assert.equal(toMarkdown(html), markdown);
 });
 
 QUnit.test("converts img tag", assert => {