WhatsApp Text Formatting: Bold, Italic, Code and Lists
WhatsApp has real text formatting, and most people use one tenth of it. The syntax is a set of symbols wrapped around the text, it works in every chat on every platform WhatsApp runs on, and it has been there for years without ever appearing in a toolbar on some versions.
Here is the complete list, followed by the one place it does not work and what to do there instead.
WhatsApp formatting symbols
Type the symbols literally, with no spaces between them and the text.
| Format | Type this | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | *text* | text |
| Italic | _text_ | text |
| Strikethrough | ~text~ | |
| Monospace | ```text``` | fixed-width text |
| Inline code | `text` | text |
| Bulleted list | - text at line start | a bullet |
| Numbered list | 1. text at line start | a numbered item |
| Quote | > text at line start | an indented quote |
A few details that catch people out:
- Bold is one asterisk, not two. WhatsApp is not markdown, despite looking like it.
**text**gives you a bold word with visible asterisks around it. - They stack.
*_text_*is bold italic. Order does not matter. - The symbols disappear once sent โ the recipient sees only the formatted text.
- Formatting applies per message, not per chat, and it survives forwarding.
On recent versions you can also select text and use the formatting menu that appears, which is the same thing with fewer keystrokes.
Where WhatsApp formatting does not work
The formatting above is a feature of the message renderer. Everything else in WhatsApp is a plain text field:
- your profile name
- your About / status line
- group subjects
- group descriptions
- contact names on your own device
- channel names
Type *Aurora* as your profile name and your name becomes, literally, *Aurora*, asterisks included.
Styled names without formatting: how it is done
The workaround is not formatting. It is different characters.
Unicode โ the character standard underneath every modern messaging app โ includes whole alphabets that already look styled. The biggest group is the Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols block, encoded so mathematical notation could distinguish ๐ from ๐ from ๐ธ as separate symbols. Because each is its own character, it pastes into a name field the same way an ordinary letter does.
| Style | โAuroraโ in it | Unicode block |
|---|---|---|
| Bold sans | ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ | Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols |
| Cursive script | ๐๐๐โด๐๐ถ | Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols |
| Bold script | ๐๐พ๐ป๐ธ๐ป๐ช | Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols |
| Monospace | ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ | Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols |
| Small capitals | แดแดสแดสแด | Phonetic Extensions |
| Fullwidth | ๏ผก๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ | Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms |
Run your own text through the font generator to see the full set. For group subjects, the symbols page has dividers and ornaments that work in the same fields.
What it costs
Three things, and they apply to every platform, not just WhatsApp.
Contact search breaks. Searching your chat list for โAuroraโ will not find ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ, because the characters differ. In a long chat list this is a genuine daily nuisance.
Screen readers struggle. A styled name may be announced character by character as โmathematical bold small a, mathematical bold small uโ, or skipped. If anyone in a group uses a screen reader, a group subject in styled characters is a group subject they cannot read.
Older devices show boxes. A character appears only if the readerโs device has a font covering it. Recent phones handle the mathematical block well; some older Android builds and a lot of smartwatches do not, and show empty rectangles. Why Unicode fonts break covers the cause.
Formatting that is better than styling
For the things people usually want styled text for, WhatsApp already has better answers:
- Emphasis in a message: use
*bold*. It is real formatting, it reads correctly aloud, and it is searchable. - Structure in a long message: use
-bullets and>quotes. Both are native. - A recipe, an address, a code: use
``` ```monospace, which preserves alignment. - A pinned instruction in a group: put it in the group description in plain text so it is searchable, and pin the message.
Save the Unicode styling for the one line where decoration is the point โ a status, a name โ and leave the information in plain letters.
Quick answers
Why does **bold** not work on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp uses one asterisk, not two. Two gives you a bold word with asterisks visible.
Can I change the font in WhatsApp?
Not the interface font. WhatsApp offers monospace via ` , and beyond that you are pasting different characters, not changing a font.
Does formatting work on WhatsApp Web and Desktop?
Yes. Same symbols, same result, and the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I work there too.
Do the symbols show if the recipient has an old version?
Formatting has been supported for many years, so in practice yes. Very old clients would show the raw symbols.
Is there a character limit on the About line?
Yes, 139 characters โ and styled characters count the same as plain ones, though many of them take more bytes. The character counter will tell you where you stand.
Where to go next
- All font styles โ every alphabet on this site
- Symbols to copy and paste โ dividers and ornaments for group names
- Character counter โ check a status against the limit
- WhatsAppโs own formatting help โ the official article