---
title: "How to bold in Discord"
description: "There are no visible formatting tools in Discord, but it's still possible to apply bold formatting. Here's how to bold text in Discord.  "
image: "https://images.ctfassets.net/lzny33ho1g45/1Kbnw2nq5dIGDKOhb9Uf63/b2d6e691345c50a561222483d0cdde18/discord-app-tips-hero.jpg"
---

# How to bold in Discord

There are no visible formatting tools in Discord, but it's still possible to apply bold formatting. Here's how to bold text in Discord.  

After wishing it into the ether for the past decade, there's finally a way to bold in Discord without using Markdown. Now, when you select text, you can choose a few formatting options from a hover menu. 

Take a moment to celebrate, and then we'll look at how to bold in Discord using Markdown or the hover menu.

**Table of contents:**

- [How to bold in Discord using Markdown](#markdown)
- [How to bold in Discord with the shortcut menu](#shortcut)
- [Other Discord text formatting](#other)

## How to bold in Discord using Markdown 

Discord uses a simplified version of [Markdown](https://zapier.com/blog/beginner-ultimate-guide-markdown/) for formatting. To bold text, put it between two pairs of asterisks. Like** **this****.

Do that, and press Enter or return. Your text will be bolded.

Easy, right?

## How to bold in Discord with the shortcut menu

Discord also recently added a much-needed shortcut (for web and desktop users only): a hover menu. 

Select the text you'd like to format, and a menu appears that lets you select bold, italics, strikethrough, quote, or inline code. You can even redact text so users will need to click on it to read it.

The hover menu doesn't have all the formatting options available in Discord, and it's not available on the mobile app yet. But if you're using Discord on desktop and typing four asterisks will push you over the edge, it's the quickest way to bold in Discord.

## Other Discord text formatting

Italics and other formatting work similarly. Here are the most common formatting options in Discord using Markdown:

- For _italics_, put text between a pair of single asterisks, as in `*italics*`.
- For **bold**, put text between two pairs of asterisks, as in `**bold**`.
- For _**bold italics**_, put text between two sets of three asterisks, as in `***bold italics***`.
- For underline, put text between two pairs of underscores, like `__underline__`.
- For strikethrough, put text between two pairs of tildes, as in `~~strikethrough~~`.
- For `inline code`, put text between backticks, as in ``code``**.**
- For a block quote, put a greater-than symbol at the beginning of each line, as in `> quote`.

Check out [Discord's formatting overview](https://support.discordapp.com/hc/en-us/articles/210298617-Markdown-Text-101-Chat-Formatting-Bold-Italic-Underline-) to learn more, including how to use code blocks when you need to avoid formatting entirely. 

**Related reading:**

- [How to automatically convert Markdown to HTML](https://zapier.com/blog/markdown-html-export/)
- [How to manage your Discord server with automation](https://zapier.com/blog/ways-to-manage-your-discord-server-with-automation/)
- [How to create Discord reaction roles with Zapier](https://zapier.com/blog/create-discord-reaction-roles/)
- [11 Discord features for better community building](https://zapier.com/blog/discord-features/)
- [How to build a Discord community for your brand](https://zapier.com/blog/build-a-discord-community/)
- [How to screen share on Discord](https://zapier.com/blog/how-to-screen-share-on-discord/)

_This article was originally published in May 2019 by Justin Pot. The most recent update was in June 2025._