WhatsApp Text Formatter (Bold, Italic, Strikethrough)
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How to make WhatsApp text bold, italic, or strikethrough
WhatsApp doesn't have a formatting toolbar in the chat window — instead,
it uses plain-text markup characters that get converted to real formatting
the instant you send a message. Wrap text in a single asterisk for
*bold*, a single underscore for _italic_, a single
tilde for ~strikethrough~, or triple backticks for
```monospace```. Get the placement wrong — a stray space right
after the opening marker, for example — and WhatsApp will show the
asterisks or underscores literally instead of applying the formatting,
which is the single most common reason "WhatsApp bold text" doesn't work
the first time someone tries it.
This tool removes the guesswork. Select any text in the box above and click Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, or Mono to wrap it correctly — or just type the markup characters directly if you already know them. Either way, the preview on the right updates instantly to show exactly how the message will look once it lands in a real WhatsApp chat, including bold text nested inside italic text, multiple paragraphs, and monospace blocks.
Where WhatsApp formatting is worth using
Bold is the most useful for business messages — bolding a product name, a price, an order number, or a call to action ("*Reply YES to confirm*") makes the important part of a message impossible to miss while skimming a busy chat thread. Strikethrough works well for showing a discounted price next to the original. Monospace is handy for order IDs, tracking numbers, or coupon codes where you want the exact characters to stand out clearly from the surrounding sentence, without them being auto-formatted or autocorrected.
Once your message looks right in the preview, use the Copy button to copy the raw markup (not the preview's formatting) and paste it straight into WhatsApp — the asterisks, underscores, and tildes travel with the text and WhatsApp applies the formatting on send. Pair this with our WhatsApp Link Generator to prefill a formatted message the moment a customer opens a chat with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wrap it in a single asterisk with no space right after it, like *bold text*. Select your text above and click the B button to do this automatically.
Yes — this tool's preview correctly handles nested formatting, such as *bold _and italic_ together*, and multiple paragraphs.
Yes — the Copy button always copies the raw WhatsApp markup (the asterisks, underscores, tildes, and backticks), which is exactly what WhatsApp needs to apply the formatting when you paste and send it.
The most common cause is a space immediately after the opening marker or before the closing marker — WhatsApp requires the marker to sit directly against the text with no gap.
No. Formatting and the live preview are generated entirely in your browser using JavaScript — nothing you type here is ever uploaded or stored.
