How to Bold Text in Discord: The Ultimate Guide

Whether you are trying to make an important announcement in your gaming guild, draw attention to a rule in a community server, or just add a little extra emphasis to your chat messages, knowing how to format your text in Discord is an essential skill.

Out of all the text formatting options available, bolding is easily the most popular and versatile. In this article, we’ll cover every way to bold text in Discord—from simple keyboard shortcuts to Markdown syntax and mobile tips.

Method 1: The Quickest Way (Markdown Asterisks)

Discord uses a lightweight markup language called Markdown. This means you don’t need any special menus or buttons to format your text; you can do it right from your keyboard using punctuation marks.

To bold your text, simply wrap it in two asterisks (**) on both sides with no spaces between the asterisks and the words.

• Syntax: **Your text here**
• Example: **Attention everyone!**
• Result: Attention everyone!

Can I bold just part of a sentence?

Yes! Markdown allows you-inline formatting. For example:

• Input: Please remember to bring your **potions** to the raid.
• Result: Please remember to bring your potions to the raid.

Method 2: The Alternative Symbol (Underscores)

If you already have a lot of asterisks in your message or prefer a different key, Discord also supports double underscores (__) to achieve the exact same bold effect.

• Syntax: __Your text here__
• Example: __Important Notice__
• Result: Important Notice

Note: Be careful with underscores! In Discord, a single underscore on each side (_text_) creates italics, while a double underscore (__text__) creates bold. If you accidentally use a single underscore instead of a double, your text will tilt instead of thickening.

Method 3: Using Discord’s In-App Toolbar (Desktop & Web)

If you don’t want to memorize symbols or syntax, Discord has a built-in floating formatting menu for desktop and web users.

1. Type your message into the chat box as normal.
2. Highlight or select the specific word or phrase you want to bold using your mouse.
3. A small, translucent floating toolbar will automatically pop up right above your highlighted text.
4. Click the B (Bold) icon in that menu. Discord will automatically wrap your selected text in double asterisks for you.
5. Press Enter to send!

Method 4: Bolding on Mobile (iOS & Android)

Just like on desktop, mobile users can type out the double asterisks (**) manually. However, if you prefer a tap-based menu:

• On iOS (iPhone/iPad): Highlight the text you want to format by double-tapping it. A contextual pop-up menu will appear with options like Cut, Copy, Paste. Tap the right arrow (>) or look for BIU (Bold/Italic/Underline) formatting options, then select B.
• On Android: Highlight the text by long-pressing the words and dragging the selection handles. A menu bar will appear directly above the selected text containing formatting options (or three dots expanding to them). Tap Bold.

Pro-Tip: Combining Bold with Other Styles

Want to make your text stand out even more? You can combine bolding with other Discord text styles like italics, strikethrough, or underlining by nesting the symbols.

When combining formatting, remember to wrap the inner style with the outer style properly:

• Bold + Italic (Triple Asterisks): ***This text is bold and italic*** becomes This text is bold and italic
• Bold + Strikethrough: ~~**This text is bold and crossed out**~~ becomes ~~This text is bold and crossed out~~

Now that you know all the tricks, go forth and format your Discord chats like a pro!