How to Bold Text in Discord: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Master the Art of Emphasis: How to Bold Text in Discord

Whether you are dropping critical rules in a community server, coordinating a raid with your guild, or just trying to make sure your friends read a specific punchline, knowing how to style your text is an essential Discord skill.

If you want to make your words stand out, bolding is your best friend. Here is everything you need to know to master bold text on Discord—across desktop, web, and mobile.

1. The Classic Method: Double Asterisks

The fastest way to bold text in Discord is by using markdown syntax. All you need to do is wrap your text in double asterisks (**) with no spaces between the markers and your letters.

• Type this: **This text will be bold**
• You get: This text will be bold

Quick tip: Make sure there are no spaces immediately following the opening asterisks or preceding the closing ones. Writing ** hello ** will often cause the asterisks to show up literally instead of triggering the format.

2. The Keyboard Shortcut (Desktop & Web)

If you prefer using your keyboard over typing out symbols, Discord features built-in shortcuts that wrap your text automatically:

1. Type your message or highlight text you have already written.
2. Press Ctrl + B (Windows / Linux) or Cmd + B (Mac).

Discord will instantly wrap your highlighted selection in double asterisks, making it bold before you even hit enter.

3. The Highlight Menu (Mobile & Desktop)

If you forget the syntax or prefer a visual approach, you don’t even have to memorize code:

• On Mobile (iOS & Android): Tap and hold your typed text to bring up the system selection menu. From the pop-up bubble, tap Bold (or select the formatting options).
• On Desktop/Web: Highlight a portion of text with your mouse cursor, and a floating toolbar will appear right above your selection with options for bold (B), italics (I), strikethrough (S), and code blocks (<>).

Leveling Up: Combining Bold with Other Styles

Discord allows you to stack formatting styles together by nesting symbols. If you want your text to look extra striking, you can combine bold with italics or underlines:

• Bold + Italic: Wrap your text in triple asterisks (***).
  • Syntax: ***This is bold and italic*** $rightarrow$ This is bold and italic
• Bold + Underline: Wrap your text in double underscores followed by double asterisks (__**).
  • Syntax: __**This is bold and underlined**__ $rightarrow$ This is bold and underlined

Troubleshooting: What to Do If It Isn’t Working

• Accidental Asterisks: If you are trying to write literal asterisks (like when talking about math or file paths) and Discord keeps bolding your text, put a backslash () right before the asterisks to “escape” the markdown. Typing **not bold** will display the literal symbols.
• Smart Quotes on Mobile: Mobile keyboards sometimes auto-correct straight quotes or symbols into “smart” curly variants. If your markdown isn’t rendering, try re-typing the asterisks directly from your keyboard’s symbols panel.