WhatsApp text formatter: bold, italic, strikethrough

Q: Why isn't my WhatsApp formatting working?

Usually a space between the marker and the text (`* hello*`), a marker in the middle of a word (`un*believ*able`), or a line break between the opening and closing markers. Paste the text here: the preview shows exactly which parts are formatted.

Q: Can I combine bold and italic?

Yes. Nest the markers: `*_bold italic_*` or `_*bold italic*_`. Strikethrough nests the same way. Monospace and inline code cannot contain other formatting.

Q: How do I write monospace or code in WhatsApp?

Three backticks on each side give monospace (```` ```text``` ````); one backtick on each side gives an inline code span (`` `text` ``). Lists and quotes are written at the start of a line with `* `, `1. ` or `> `.

Write or paste a message and use the buttons to add WhatsApp's text formatting: bold, italic, strikethrough, monospace, inline code, bulleted and numbered lists and quotes. A chat-bubble preview shows how the message will look as you type, with the character count. Copy the formatted text and paste it into the app, WhatsApp Web or your messaging platform.

Free · no sign-up · runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded

Your message

0 characters · 0 words · 0 lines

Preview

The message appears here as a chat bubble, formatted the way the app shows it.

A neutral preview of the formatting rules; fonts and colours differ by device.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type, paste or upload is sent to MobileValidate or anyone else, and nothing is stored. The page counts one anonymous "tool used" event per visit (no numbers, no text), and sends nothing at all when your browser asks not to be tracked.

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How it works

WhatsApp formats plain text with markers around words: *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~, three backticks for monospace and one backtick for inline code. Lines that start with * or - become a bulleted list, 1. a numbered list and > a quote.

Select text and click a button to add the markers; click again to remove them. With nothing selected, the button inserts a pair of markers and puts the cursor between them. Spaces at the edges of a selection stay outside the markers, because the app ignores * bold*.

A marker only works at the edge of a word: the opening one after a space, punctuation or the start of a line, the closing one before a space, punctuation or the end. Formatting never crosses a line break. You can nest styles, such as *_bold italic_*; nothing inside monospace or code is formatted.

The preview follows the same rules, so what you see is what the chat shows. The counter shows characters, words and lines. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Last updated 7 November 2026

Frequently asked questions

How do I make text bold in WhatsApp?

Put an asterisk on both sides of the words, with no space between the asterisks and the text: *hello* shows as bold. The same works with underscores for italic and tildes for strikethrough. On phones you can also select text and pick the style from the menu.

Why isn't my WhatsApp formatting working?

Usually a space between the marker and the text (* hello*), a marker in the middle of a word (un*believ*able), or a line break between the opening and closing markers. Paste the text here: the preview shows exactly which parts are formatted.

Can I combine bold and italic?

Yes. Nest the markers: *_bold italic_* or _*bold italic*_. Strikethrough nests the same way. Monospace and inline code cannot contain other formatting.

How do I write monospace or code in WhatsApp?

Three backticks on each side give monospace (```text```); one backtick on each side gives an inline code span (`text`). Lists and quotes are written at the start of a line with * , 1. or > .

Is there a length limit?

Messages sent through the WhatsApp Business Platform are limited to 4,096 characters of text, and a message template's body to 1,024. Personal chats allow much longer messages, but short messages are read more. The counter here shows characters, words and lines.

Is MobileValidate affiliated with WhatsApp?

No. MobileValidate is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by WhatsApp or Meta. WhatsApp is a trademark of its owner and is named here only to describe its text format.