WhatsApp Text Formatting: Bold, Italics, Lists and Line Breaks in Chats and Templates

To format text on WhatsApp, wrap it in symbols: *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~ and three backticks for monospace. Start a line with - or * for a bullet, 1. for a numbered list or > for a quote, and wrap words in single backticks for inline code. There’s no underline code.

Most of the same codes work in the body of a WhatsApp Business API template, which is where formatting does the most work: a bold order number or a short list is easier to read on a phone than a block of text. This guide covers every code, the menus that add them for you, the rules that stop formatting from showing, and how to format templates without tripping Meta’s rules.

Every WhatsApp formatting code

These are the styles in WhatsApp’s Help Center. Type the symbols yourself, or use the menu described in the next section.

Lists and quotes need a space after the symbol, and each item goes on its own line. WhatsApp’s Help Center also notes that formatting can’t be switched off, so a stray pair of asterisks in a message will turn the words between them bold.

Formatting without typing the symbols

WhatsApp on Android, iPhone, the web and Mac has a menu that adds the codes for you. These steps follow WhatsApp’s Help Center:

Select only the words you want styled. If you select a trailing space as well, the closing symbol can end up after the space and the formatting won’t show.

Rules that make formatting work (or not)

Most “formatting not working” problems come down to where the symbols sit. These rules are how Automate AI’s preview reads formatting, and following them keeps your messages safe on every phone:

• Symbols hug the words. *Free delivery* works. * Free delivery *, with spaces inside, shows the asterisks as they are.
• One line at a time. A style doesn’t carry over a line break. To make two lines bold, wrap each line separately.
• Styles can be combined. *_Last day_* is bold and italic. Keep the symbols in matching pairs, opening and closing in reverse order.

Underline, colours, fonts and “fancy” symbols

WhatsApp’s formatting list has no underline, coloured text, highlight or larger font. If you type <u> tags or other Markdown, the customer sees the raw characters.

Online “WhatsApp font generators” get around this by swapping your letters for look-alike Unicode symbols, such as letters with a line beneath them. They aren’t real formatting. The words can’t be searched in the chat, they may look broken on some phones, and screen readers can read them out as strange symbols or skip them. For a business message, stick to the eight built-in styles and use plain text for anything a customer may need to copy, such as a code or a phone number.

Emojis are fine as markers, for example a tick before each confirmed item, as long as the message still makes sense without them.

Line breaks and lists in chats

Short paragraphs separated by a blank line are the easiest way to make a long reply readable. On a phone, the return key on the WhatsApp keyboard adds a new line. In the Automate AI inbox, Enter sends the message and Shift+Enter starts a new line.

A free-form text message on the API can be up to 4,096 characters, but nobody wants to read that much in a chat. A reply with a bold heading line, three bullets and one question at the end works for most support answers:

• *Your order #EX-2041* (bold, on its own line)
• - Shipped today from our Pune warehouse
• - Arrives by Thursday
• - Track it at example.com/track
• Anything else I can help with?

Free-form messages like this can only be sent inside the 24-hour customer service window. Outside it, you need an approved template; see the 24-hour window explained.

Formatting in WhatsApp templates

Templates follow the same codes, but each part of a template has its own rules. Meta’s component docs say a text header must not use Markdown special characters. The body is where formatting belongs.

A few more habits help templates through review and keep them readable:

• Format the fixed words. Your order *{{1}}* has shipped is common, but if you bold a variable, send yourself a test first to see how a real value looks.
• Put line breaks in the template text, not inside the values you fill into variables.
• Leave at most one blank line between paragraphs. Large gaps look broken on a small screen.
• Keep strikethrough honest. A crossed-out price must be a price you really charged.

Character limits for each part, and the rules for variables, are in our guide to WhatsApp templates.

Two formatted samples

Utility (sample data): Hi {{1}}, your appointment is confirmed. then a blank line, *{{2}} at {{3}}*, - Example Clinic, Andheri West, - Please arrive 10 minutes early, and finally Need to change it? Reply here.

Marketing (sample data): Hi {{1}}, our winter sale starts today. then *20% off all jackets until Sunday*, - Free delivery over ₹999, - Easy 7-day exchanges, with the footer Reply STOP to opt out.

Want more? Our WhatsApp template library has original samples you can copy and adapt.

Formatting in Automate AI

You don’t need to remember the codes in Automate AI. The chat box in the team inbox and the body of the template editor both have a formatting bar: select some words and click a button, or click it again to take the style off.

In the inbox, open the bar with the T (Formatting) button next to the emoji picker. In Templates › Create Template, the bar sits above the body, and the live preview shows the message the way WhatsApp will draw it, bold and lists included, before you submit it to Meta. You can then send the template in WhatsApp campaigns or reply with it from the team inbox.

Common formatting mistakes and fixes