Discord Text Formatting β Bold, Italic, Underline, Code Blocks & Spoilers
Type once and copy the exact Discord Markdown for bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, code blocks, spoilers, headers and quotes β plus Unicode fonts for the places Markdown does not work, like display names and channel names.
π 23 Styles β click Copy on any result
Bold (Markdown)
Bold (Markdown): Discord text
Italic (Markdown)
Italic (Markdown): Discord text
Bold Italic (Markdown)
Bold Italic (Markdown): Discord text
Underline (Markdown)
Underline (Markdown): Discord text
Underline Bold
Underline Bold: Discord text
Strikethrough (Markdown)
Strikethrough (Markdown): Discord text
Inline Code
Inline Code: Discord text
Code Block
Code Block: Discord text
Spoiler
Spoiler: Discord text
Header 1
Header 1: Discord text
Header 2
Header 2: Discord text
Header 3
Header 3: Discord text
Subtext (small)
Subtext (small): Discord text
Quote
Quote: Discord text
Bullet List
Bullet List: Discord text
Bold (Unicode β works in names)
Bold (Unicode β works in names): Discord text
Italic (Unicode β works in names)
Italic (Unicode β works in names): Discord text
Underline (Unicode)
Underline (Unicode): Discord text
Strikethrough (Unicode)
Strikethrough (Unicode): Discord text
Monospace (Unicode)
Monospace (Unicode): Discord text
Small Caps (Unicode)
Small Caps (Unicode): Discord text
Gothic (Unicode)
Gothic (Unicode): Discord text
Bold Header + Unicode
Bold Header + Unicode: Discord text
Styled letters are Unicode characters, not fonts β screen readers may read them letter by letter and search engines don't match them to plain words, so keep essential details in plain text. Unicode accessibility guide
Discord formats messages with a version of Markdown: asterisks make text bold or italic, underscores underline it, tildes strike it through, backticks turn it into code, double pipes hide it behind a spoiler, and a leading # makes a header. The markup is rendered inside messages, embeds, channel topics and About Me β but not in usernames, display names, server names, channel names or role names, which show the raw characters.
This page covers both halves. The Markdown rows above give you the exact markup to paste into a message. The Unicode rows give you styled characters that survive anywhere Markdown is ignored, which is how people get a bold display name or a small-caps channel name.
How to Use This Generator
- 1
Type the message, announcement, name or channel title you want to format.
- 2
Copy a Markdown row for messages, channel topics, embeds and About Me.
- 3
Copy a Unicode row for display names, nicknames, server, channel and role names.
- 4
Paste into Discord β Markdown renders on send; Unicode text shows exactly as copied.
Discord Markdown Cheat Sheet
Every formatting option Discord supports in messages, with the characters that trigger it. Markup can be combined, so ***text*** is bold italic and __***text***__ is underlined bold italic.
- **bold** β two asterisks on each side
- *italic* or _italic_ β one asterisk or one underscore
- ***bold italic*** β three asterisks
- __underline__ β two underscores; __**underline bold**__ combines them
- ~~strikethrough~~ β two tildes
- `inline code` β one backtick; ```code block``` β three backticks, optionally followed by a language name for colour
- ||spoiler|| β two pipes; readers click to reveal
- # Header 1, ## Header 2, ### Header 3 β at the start of a line
- -# subtext β smaller, muted text at the start of a line
- > quote β one line; >>> quote β everything after it
- - item or * item β bullet list; 1. item β numbered list
- [text](https://link) β masked link (server messages only, needs Embed Links)
- <t:1700000000:R> β timestamp that shows in each reader's time zone
Where Discord Formatting Does Not Work
Markdown is only rendered in message bodies, channel topics, the About Me field, embeds and forum posts. Display names, server nicknames, usernames, server names, channel and category names and role names all display the literal asterisks. To style those, use the Unicode rows on this page: the characters are real letters from the Unicode mathematical alphabets, so Discord shows them exactly as pasted. The @username itself is the one field that accepts neither β it allows only lowercase letters, numbers, periods and underscores.
- Messages, replies, threads, forum posts β Markdown works
- Channel topics, About Me, embeds, bot messages β Markdown works
- Display name, server nickname β Unicode fonts only
- Server name, channel names, category names, role names β Unicode fonts only
- @username β plain lowercase letters, numbers, periods and underscores only
Escaping and Mixing Markdown
To show an asterisk, underscore or backtick literally, put a backslash before it: \*not italic\*. Code blocks turn off all other formatting inside them, which is the easiest way to paste text that contains stray symbols. Headers, quotes and lists must start at the beginning of a line; a space before # or > turns it back into plain text.
Unicode and Markdown can be mixed in one message: a bold Unicode word inside an italic Markdown sentence renders both. Avoid wrapping Unicode combining marks (the underline and strikethrough rows) in Markdown underline or strikethrough β the doubled effect looks broken on some clients.
Formatting Tips for Servers
Announcement channels read best with a # header, one bold line for the key point, and a > quote for anything copied from elsewhere. Rules channels use numbered lists so members can reference "rule 3". Use -# subtext for the small print β times, credits, disclaimers. Spoilers hide plot points and answers; they also work on images and attachments. For channel names, small caps (Ι’α΄Ι΄α΄Κα΄Κ) or a symbol prefix (β¦-general) are the common styles because Discord lower-cases channel names and replaces spaces with dashes but keeps Unicode letters intact.
Accessibility and Readability
Markdown formatting is understood by screen readers and searchable in Discord's message search. Unicode fonts are not: a screen reader may read "mathematical bold capital D" for every letter, and search will not match the styled word. Keep Markdown as the default inside messages and reserve Unicode fonts for the places that give you no other option β names and titles β and keep those short.
Related Text Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I bold text in Discord?
Put two asterisks on each side: **like this**. In display names and channel names Markdown does not render, so use the Unicode bold row instead.
How do I make a code block on Discord?
Wrap the text in three backticks on their own lines. Add a language name right after the opening backticks (```js) for syntax colouring.
How do I hide text as a spoiler?
Wrap it in two pipes: ||spoiler||. Readers click to reveal it. Spoilers also work on attachments.
Why does my formatting show as asterisks?
You pasted Markdown into a field that does not render it β a display name, server name, channel name or role name. Use the Unicode font rows for those fields.
Can I change the font in my Discord username?
Not the @username β it only accepts lowercase letters, numbers, periods and underscores. Your display name and server nicknames accept Unicode fonts.
Does Discord support colored text?
Only inside code blocks with certain language names (for example ```diff with lines starting - or +, or ```ansi with escape codes on desktop). There is no colour markup for normal text.
How do I make a heading in Discord?
Start the line with # for a large header, ## for medium, ### for small. Use -# for small subtext.
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