WhatsApp Message Formatter

WhatsApp Text Formatting Guide

WhatsApp supports several built-in text formatting options that work across iOS, Android, and WhatsApp Web. You don't need any special apps — just wrap your text with the right characters and WhatsApp renders it beautifully.

How to Bold Text in WhatsApp

To make text bold in WhatsApp, place an asterisk (*) on each side of the word or phrase. For example, typing *important update* will display as important update.

Bold formatting is perfect for highlighting key information in group messages, making announcements stand out, or emphasising deadlines and action items. It works on all platforms — iOS, Android, WhatsApp Web, and the desktop app.

You can also combine bold with other formats. For instance, *_bold and italic_* renders as bold and italic text.

How to Make Italic Text in WhatsApp

To italicise text in WhatsApp, wrap it with underscores. Type _like this_ and WhatsApp will render it as like this.

Italic text is great for quotes, book or movie titles, foreign words, and adding subtle emphasis without the weight of bold. It works exactly the same on every WhatsApp platform.

Hidden WhatsApp Formatting Tricks

Beyond the basics, WhatsApp has a few lesser-known tricks:

• Bulleted lists — WhatsApp doesn't have a built-in bullet feature, but you can use the bullet character (•) at the start of each line to create clean lists. Our formatter adds these for you automatically.
• Numbered lists — Simply type 1., 2., 3. at the start of each line. WhatsApp preserves the numbers and line breaks.
• Quotes — Start a line with > followed by a space to create a quote block. This is great for replying to specific parts of a conversation.
• Combining formats — You can nest formatting characters. For example, *_~bold italic strikethrough~_* applies all three styles.