How to Bold Text in Discord: A Complete Guide to Formatting Messages

Whether you are trying to make an important announcement in a busy server, emphasize a key rule, or simply add some stylistic flair to your chat messages, knowing how to format your text is an essential Discord skill.

While Discord features a handy pop-up formatting toolbar when you highlight text, typing markdown shortcuts manually is often much faster.

This guide covers everything you need to know about bolding text in Discord across all devices, along with some helpful advanced formatting tricks.

1. The Quick Answer: Markdown Shortcuts

To make your text bold in Discord, you simply need to wrap it in asterisks (*) or underscores (_).

• Using Asterisks: Type two asterisks on both sides of your text without any spaces.

  • Syntax: **Your text here**
  • Result: Your text here

• Using Underscores: Type two underscores on both sides of your text without any spaces.

  • Syntax: __Your text here__
  • Result: Your text here

Important Note: Make sure there are no spaces between the symbols and your text. If you type ** Hello ** with spaces inside the asterisks, Discord will treat it as regular text and won’t apply the formatting.

2. Step-by-Step Instructions by Device

Discord works similarly across platforms, but the exact workflow can vary slightly depending on whether you are using a keyboard or a mobile touchscreen.

On Desktop (Windows, Mac, & Linux)

1. Open Discord and go to any text channel or direct message.
2. Type your message using the markdown shortcuts (** or __).
3. Press Enter to send.

Alternative Visual Method:

1. Type your message normally.
2. Highlight the specific words you want to make bold using your mouse cursor.
3. A small formatting toolbar will pop up directly above your selection.
4. Click the B (Bold) icon, or press Ctrl + B (Windows) / Cmd + B (Mac).

On Mobile (iOS & Android)

1. Tap into the chat box and type your message.
2. Wrap your text using ** or __ on both ends.
3. Tap the send button.

Alternative Visual Method:

1. Type your text, then tap and hold to highlight the words you want to change.
2. A context menu will appear near your text selection (showing options like Cut, Copy, Paste).
3. Tap the formatting option for Bold (or select B depending on your phone’s operating system overlay).

3. Combining Bold with Other Text Styles

Want to take your messaging a step further? You can layer multiple markdown symbols to combine bold with italics, underlining, or strikethroughs.

| Formatting Style | Markdown Syntax | Example Output |
| :— | :— | :— |
| Bold & Italic | ***Your text here*** or ___Your text here___ | Your text here |
| Bold, Italic & Underline | __***Your text here***__ | Your text here |
| Bold & Strikethrough | ~~**Your text here**~~ | ~~Your text here~~ |
| Spoiler & Bold | ||**Your text here**|| | ||Your text here|| |

4. Troubleshooting Common Formatting Issues

If your text isn’t turning bold, check for these common mistakes:

• Accidental Spaces: As mentioned earlier, **bold ** will fail because of the space between the final asterisk and the letter ‘d’. Keep the symbols directly flush against your words.
• Special Characters: If you are trying to bold a word that contains special symbols or markdown triggers (like links or code blocks), it can sometimes break the formatting. Ensure your asterisks are on the very outside of the phrase.
• Escaping Markdown: If you actually want to type double asterisks without formatting text (for example, when talking about code or math), you can “escape” the markdown by placing a backslash () right in front of them: **not bold**.

Mastering these quick shortcuts will have you formatting clean, professional, and eye-catching messages in your favorite Discord communities in no time!