Here's the quick answer: wrap your text in *asterisks* for bold, _underscores_ for italic, and ~tildes~ for strikethrough. Type the symbols directly around the words, with no spaces between the symbol and the text, and WhatsApp formats the message the moment you send it.
That covers 90% of cases. The rest of this guide covers monospace, inline code, quotes, bullet lists, the hidden select-text menu, combining formats, and what to do when the formatting refuses to apply.
WhatsApp formatting cheat sheet
| Format | What you type | What people see |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | *important* | important |
| Italic | _maybe_ | maybe |
| Strikethrough | ~old price~ | |
| Monospace | ```code``` | code (typewriter style) |
| Inline code | `ref number` | ref number |
| Quote | > their message | Indented quote block |
| Bullet list | - item or * item | • item |
| Numbered list | 1. item | 1. item |
Everything in this table works on Android, iPhone, WhatsApp Web, and the desktop apps. No settings to change, no third-party apps needed.
How to bold text in WhatsApp
Place one asterisk on each side of the text:
*Meeting moved to 3pm*
Send it and the receiver sees Meeting moved to 3pm.
Two rules trip people up:
- No spaces inside the asterisks.
* hello *stays plain.*hello*turns bold. - The symbols must sit on the same line. Bold can't wrap across a line break, so format each line separately in a multi-line message.
Bold is the workhorse of WhatsApp formatting. Use it for the one detail people must not miss: an address, a deadline, a price. If you bold the whole paragraph, you've bolded nothing.
How to italicize text in WhatsApp
Same idea, different symbol. Wrap the text in underscores:
_technically_ we never agreed to that
The word between the underscores comes out as technically. Italic works well for emphasis that's more tone than alarm: sarcasm, book titles, a word you'd stress out loud.
How to strikethrough text in WhatsApp
Wrap the text in tildes (the ~ symbol, usually behind the symbols key on your phone keyboard):
Dinner at ~7pm~ 8pm
That renders as "Dinner at 7pm 8pm". Strikethrough is great for corrections you want visible, price drops, and crossing items off a shared list without deleting them.
Monospace and inline code
WhatsApp has two "typewriter" formats that people rarely discover.
Monospace uses three backticks on each side:
```FLIGHT PK-301, GATE 14```
Every character gets equal width, which keeps codes, addresses, and anything column-like readable.
Inline code uses a single backtick on each side and formats just a fragment inside a normal sentence: the password is `Kb7-2291` keeps the code visually separate so nobody copies the surrounding words by mistake.
On most Android keyboards the backtick hides in the symbols panel, often behind a long-press on the apostrophe.
Quotes, bullet points, and numbered lists
WhatsApp added block formatting a while back and it works in every current version:
- Start a line with
>to quote something. Handy when you're replying to one point from a long message. - Start lines with
-or*followed by a space to get bullet points. - Start lines with
1.and2.for a numbered list. WhatsApp handles the indentation.
Lists turn a wall of text into something scannable. A grocery list, meeting steps, or trip plan reads far better as bullets than as one comma-packed sentence.
The easier way: select text and tap Format
If you'd rather not memorize symbols, WhatsApp has a built-in menu:
- Type your message.
- Long-press the word you want to format, then drag the handles to select more.
- Android: tap the three dots in the popup, then choose Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, or Monospace. iPhone: tap BIU in the popup, then pick the style.
Both methods insert the same symbols behind the scenes, so use whichever is faster for you. Symbol typing wins once it's muscle memory; the menu wins on precision when you're editing something already written.
Can you combine bold and italic?
Yes. Nest the symbols:
*_launch day_*
That gives you text that is both bold and italic. Order doesn't matter (_*launch day*_ works too), but the pairs must nest cleanly. *_launch day*_ with crossed symbols breaks the formatting.
You can stack strikethrough in there as well: *~cancelled~* gives a bold strikethrough. Past two styles it starts looking messy, so use restraint.
What about fancy fonts, big bold letters, and styled text?
Native formatting only changes the weight and slant of WhatsApp's standard font. Those decorative fonts you see in people's names and statuses (cursive, bubble letters, gothic style) are Unicode characters, not WhatsApp features.
You don't need a shady font app for that. Our free WhatsApp text formatter runs in the browser: paste your text, tap the style you want (including one-tap native bold, italic, strikethrough, and monospace), and copy the result straight into WhatsApp. It also generates Unicode styles that survive in places native formatting doesn't work, like your WhatsApp status and "About" line.
One caveat with Unicode fonts: screen readers struggle with them, and some older phones show blank boxes. For anything important, stick to native formatting.
Why isn't my WhatsApp formatting working?
The usual suspects, in order of likelihood:
- A space snuck in between the symbol and the text.
~ done ~fails,~done~works. - Autocorrect changed a symbol. Some keyboards convert straight quotes and tildes into "smart" versions WhatsApp doesn't recognize.
- The formatting spans a line break. Close the symbols before the break and reopen them after.
- You're formatting inside a longer word.
un*believ*ablewon't render; symbols need whitespace or punctuation on their outer side. - Ancient app version. Quotes, lists, and inline code need a reasonably current WhatsApp. Update from your app store.
If a message already went out unformatted, you can't edit formatting into it after WhatsApp's edit window closes. Copy, fix, resend.
Format faster while you type
Typing * and _ around words gets old when you write a lot of messages, and formatting won't fix a sentence that's rough to begin with. That's where an AI keyboard earns its place. With Synapse AI Keyboard for WhatsApp you type your draft, select it, and run a prompt like "fix grammar and bold the deadline". The keyboard rewrites the text right inside the chat box. It works in WhatsApp, Gmail, Instagram, and any other Android app, and regular typing never costs anything.
FAQ
How do I bold text in WhatsApp without symbols?
Type the message, long-press to select the text, then use the popup menu: three dots → Bold on Android, or BIU → Bold on iPhone.
Does formatting work in WhatsApp Status and my About line?
No. Native symbols only work in chat messages. For styled status text, use Unicode fonts from a text formatter tool and paste the result in.
Can I underline text in WhatsApp?
Not natively. WhatsApp has bold, italic, strikethrough, and monospace, but no underline. A Unicode underline style from a formatter tool is the only workaround, with the readability caveats mentioned above.
Will the person I message see the formatting if they're on iPhone and I'm on Android?
Yes. Formatting is part of the message itself, so it renders the same on Android, iPhone, Web, and desktop.
Do formatted messages work in group chats and broadcasts?
Yes, everywhere a normal chat message works, including groups, broadcast lists, and communities.
Type better messages, not just bolder ones
Formatting is the finish; the words still do the heavy lifting. If you want grammar fixes, translation, and reusable message templates inside WhatsApp itself, grab the free Synapse APK from our download section. It installs in about a minute on any Android 8+ phone and comes with 20,000 free AI credits, so you can test everything before spending anything.