Do you want to write a message in bold or italics but can’t find the right function to do so? Don’t worry, by following the instructions in the next paragraphs you won’t have any problem formatting the text of WhatsApp messages either on Android or iPhone.
Hi, I’m Frankie Caruso and this is yet another guide on my blog messagingapplab.com on WhatsApp.
Today I would like to show you how to format the text of the messages and write in bold, italics, strikethrough, and monospacing.
There are two ways to do this:
- Manually – by inserting a special punctuation before the word you want to transform
- Built – in formatting menu – via keyboard settings
Let me show you everything.

Frankie’s Take:
You must have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your smartphone before moving on. Check it by clicking.
How to format your messages
The procedures are the same on both iPhone and Android devices. Make yourself comfy, take all the time you need to focus and let’s get started!
How to format messages in WhatsApp manually
To change the formatting of text manually, you need to add special characters before and after the text you want to edit. You can edit either a single word or an entire sentence.
Here’s how to do it:
- bold — insert an asterisk on either side of the text *Hello, nice to meet you*
- italics — insert an underscore on both sides of the text _Hello, I’m Frankie_
strikethrough— insert a tilde on both sides of the text ~My dude ~- monospace — insert three grave accents on both sides of the text ”’Welcome to NY”’
As you can see there is nothing really complex. However, it is not a very fast solution, especially if you are not familiar looking for these special characters in the keyboard of your smartphone (some of them are not very easy to find).
Luckily there is a faster and more convenient method, which is to use the built-in formatting menu.
Let me show it to you:
- Go to WhatsApp and open the chat of the person/group you want to send the message to
- Write the text of your message
- Before sending it, select a word and/or sentence
- Hold and scroll to BI
U(if you have an iPhone) click on three dots on the right side (if you have an Android) - Click on the option marked by the yellow arrow (check the image below) and format your text as you like!
Easy, isn’t it?
FAQ
Over the years I’ve been asked a lot of questions about how to change fonts on WhatsApp. So I decided to pick and answer the most frequently asked questions and collect them in this paragraph.
QUESTION NO. 1
You want to format the messages you send to WhatsApp from your computer?
Well, even if you can’t use the built-in formatting menu, you can still write in bold, italic, strikethrough, etc. using the symbols (*), (_), (~) and (`) before and after the word or sentence you want to send to one of your contacts. You can do this, whether you use WhatsApp Web your browser or the official client ufficiale di WhatsApp.
QUESTION NO. 2
Can I use multiple formats within the same message?
Absolutely, yes. However, be careful not to overdo it, you might get the opposite effect from the one you want. In fact, a message with a lot of formatting can be difficult to read.
QUESTION NO. 3
Can I change whatsapp font?
No, unfortunately you cannot change fonts on WhatsApp at the moment. However, you can change the font size. The good news is that it is very easy. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Font Size and choose between Small, Medium or Large.
Conclusion
That’s all for today. I hope the information provided in this guide has been helpful to you.
Helping people like you who are experiencing difficulties using WhatsApp or simply want to improve their skills is very rewarding.
Today you have learned how to change the formatting of text in WhatsApp messages, but know that this is just one small piece of WhatsApp’s hidden features.
Feel free to visit my blog again, I’ll be waiting for you to share some new tips.
If you have any doubts or questions, comment this post. I’ll be happy to help.
A hug,
PS – I’m sure you don’t even know half of WhatsApp’s secret features. Discover them all in this guide: WhatsApp, secret unraveled