To make text bold in WhatsApp, put one asterisk immediately before and after the word or phrase, like this: *important*. When you send the message, the asterisks disappear and the enclosed text appears in bold. The same method works on Android, iPhone, WhatsApp Web, and WhatsApp Desktop, in one-to-one chats, group chats, broadcast lists, and text statuses.
If you have ever sent a long WhatsApp message only to realise nobody noticed the deadline buried in the middle of it, bold text is the fix. One bold word pulls the eye to the detail that matters, whether it is a meeting time, a price, or a name in a group announcement. At Zyrro, this guide shows you the asterisk method, the formatting menu on each device, and the combinations and fixes that make your messages clearer.
Table of Contents
- How do you make text bold in WhatsApp?
- How do you bold text in WhatsApp on Android?
- How do you bold text in WhatsApp on iPhone?
- How do you bold text in WhatsApp Web and Desktop?
- How do you make text bold in WhatsApp status?
- How do you combine bold with italic and strikethrough?
- What other text formats does WhatsApp support?
- Can you bold text in a WhatsApp group name or profile name?
- Why is your bold text not working in WhatsApp?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make text bold in WhatsApp?
You make text bold in WhatsApp by wrapping it in asterisks. Type an asterisk, then the word or phrase, then another asterisk, with no spaces between the asterisks and the text. For example, *Meeting at 3 PM* sends a message in which Meeting at 3 PM appears in bold.
Follow these steps:
- Open any chat. Bold works in one-to-one chats, group chats, and broadcast lists.
- Type your message. When you reach the word to emphasise, type an asterisk
*first. - Close with another asterisk. For example:
Please bring *your passport* tomorrow. - Check the preview. On mobile, WhatsApp shows the bold formatting in the compose box before you send.
- Send the message. The asterisks disappear and only the bold text remains.
You can bold a single word, a whole sentence, or several separate phrases in one message. There is no limit on bold sections, but bold works best when used sparingly: bold the deadline, the price, or the action, and leave the rest plain so the bold part stands out.
Tip: To send a literal asterisk, break the pair: an asterisk on its own, or followed by a space, will not trigger bold.
How do you bold text in WhatsApp on Android?
On Android, you can bold text in WhatsApp two ways: with asterisks, or with the built-in formatting menu. The asterisk method works on every Android phone, including Samsung and Pixel, because it depends on WhatsApp, not on the keyboard you use.
To use the formatting menu on Android:
- Type your message in the chat box.
- Long-press the word to select it. Drag the handles to cover a longer phrase.
- Tap Bold in the pop-up menu. If Bold is not visible, tap the three-dot menu in the pop-up for more options.
- Send the message. WhatsApp inserts the asterisks for you.
The menu method is handy when you cannot remember the symbols, but the asterisk method is faster once it becomes habit. Both methods produce exactly the same result for the reader.
How do you bold text in WhatsApp on iPhone?
On iPhone, bold text in WhatsApp works the same way: wrap the text in asterisks, or use the built-in formatting menu. The asterisk method is identical on iOS and Android, so a message formatted on an iPhone looks bold on an Android phone, and the other way round.
To use the formatting menu on iPhone:
- Type your message in the chat box.
- Double-tap a word to select it, then drag the handles for a longer phrase.
- Tap BIU in the pop-up menu, then tap Bold.
- Send the message.
On iPhone, the preview appears as you type the closing asterisk. If you do not see it, check for a space between the asterisk and the first or last letter.
How do you bold text in WhatsApp Web and Desktop?
On WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop, the asterisk method is the most reliable way to bold text. Type *word* exactly as you would on your phone. The same applies to the other formatting codes in this guide.
You can also use the formatting toolbar on WhatsApp Web: select the text in the message box and click the bold B button in the toolbar that appears. Unlike a word processor, WhatsApp Web does not give you a reliable Ctrl+B shortcut for bold, so asterisks remain the fastest method at a keyboard.
On computers, you may not see the bold effect in the compose box until after you send. As long as the asterisks wrap the text with no spaces inside, the sent message will show bold.
How do you make text bold in WhatsApp status?
You can make text bold in a WhatsApp text status the same way as in a chat: wrap the words in asterisks. Open Status, tap the pencil icon to create a text status, type your update with asterisks around the words you want to emphasise, and post it. The same method works for captions on photo and video statuses.
How do you combine bold with italic and strikethrough?
You can combine bold with other WhatsApp formats by nesting the symbols around the same text. Just make sure every symbol is properly closed.
| Effect you want | What to type | What the reader sees |
|---|---|---|
| Bold only | *text* | text |
| Bold and italic | *_text_* | text |
| Bold and strikethrough | *~text~* | |
| Bold, italic, and strikethrough | *_~text~_* |
For example, *_Please read_* gives you a bold italic heading that is hard to miss. If a combination does not render, the usual cause is a missing closing symbol, so count the symbols on each side before you resend.
What other text formats does WhatsApp support?
Bold is only one of the built-in text formats in WhatsApp. The app also supports italic, strikethrough, monospace, quote blocks, bullet lists, and numbered lists, all typed with simple symbols.
| Format | Symbol to type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Asterisks: *text* | text |
| Italic | Underscores: _text_ | text |
| Strikethrough | Tildes: ~text~ | |
| Monospace | Three backticks: ```text``` | text |
| Quote block | Greater-than sign: > text | A quoted line |
| Bullet list | Hyphen or asterisk plus space: - item | A bulleted item |
| Numbered list | Number, dot, space: 1. item | A numbered item |
Monospace is worth a special mention: it uses a fixed-width font, ideal for sharing code or aligning prices in columns. A single backtick on each side gives inline code, while three backticks give a monospace block. For a deeper look at crossing out text, see our guide to strikethrough formatting, and for a similar symbol system elsewhere, see our guide to formatting text in Telegram.
Can you bold text in a WhatsApp group name or profile name?
No, you cannot bold text in a WhatsApp profile name or group name using asterisks. WhatsApp strips chat formatting from display names, so typing *My Group* as a group name will simply show the asterisks as literal characters.
Group descriptions are different: on current versions, the same codes work in a group description, so an admin can bold the rules or the meeting link there. Your personal About field behaves the same way. If asterisks ever show up literally in a field, that field does not support chat formatting.
For a name that looks bold, the workaround is Unicode styled text: characters that are bold by design, rather than formatted by WhatsApp. You can generate those characters with the Fancy Text Generator, then paste the styled text into the name field. Use them for short names only: Unicode bold can be harder for screen readers to read, and may display differently on older phones.
Why is your bold text not working in WhatsApp?
If bold is not working, work through these checks in order:
- A space after the opening asterisk.
* word*will not bold. Use*word*, with the asterisk touching the first letter. - A space before the closing asterisk.
*word *will not bold either. The closing asterisk must touch the last letter. - A missing closing asterisk.
*This is importantwith no second asterisk stays plain. - Double asterisks. Some apps use
**bold**, but WhatsApp uses a single asterisk on each side. - The wrong symbol. Make sure you typed an asterisk
*, not a multiplication sign, a bullet point, or a similar-looking character. - An unsupported field. Profile names and some settings fields do not support chat formatting, so asterisks there show literally.
- An outdated app. Formatting has been part of WhatsApp for years, but a very old app version can behave inconsistently. Updating WhatsApp fixes most remaining cases.
If you have checked every item and bold still fails, try the formatting menu instead of symbols: select the text and tap Bold. If the menu works but symbols do not, your keyboard may be inserting a lookalike character.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make text bold in WhatsApp?
Put one asterisk immediately before and after the text you want to bold, like this: *important*. There must be no space between the asterisk and the text on either side. When you send the message, the asterisks disappear and the enclosed text appears in bold on every device.
Does bold text work on WhatsApp Web?
Yes, bold text works on WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop. Type *word* exactly as you would on your phone, or select text in the message box and use the formatting toolbar. WhatsApp Web has no reliable Ctrl+B shortcut for bold, so asterisks are the fastest method on a computer keyboard.
Why is my bold text not working in WhatsApp?
The most common reasons are a space after the opening asterisk, a space before the closing asterisk, or a missing closing asterisk. Other causes include using double asterisks instead of single ones, typing a lookalike symbol instead of a real asterisk, formatting text in an unsupported field such as a profile name, or running a very old version of WhatsApp.
Can I make text bold in a WhatsApp status?
Yes, you can make text bold in a WhatsApp text status by wrapping words in asterisks, exactly as in a chat. The same method works for captions on photo and video statuses. Bold formatting does not work in profile names, where you would need Unicode styled text instead.
Can I bold text in a WhatsApp group name?
No, WhatsApp does not support chat formatting in group names or profile names, so asterisks there show literally or are ignored. Group descriptions do support the same formatting codes on current versions. For a bold-looking name, generate Unicode bold characters with a fancy text tool and paste them into the name field instead.
Can I color text in WhatsApp?
No, WhatsApp has no built-in way to color message text. You can change a chat theme or wallpaper, and pick a background color for a text status, but the letters in a message stay the default color. Colored text in screenshots usually comes from a styled-text app or an image editor, not from WhatsApp formatting.
How do I make text bold and italic at the same time in WhatsApp?
Nest the symbols around the same text: type *_text_* for bold italic. The asterisk creates bold and the underscore creates italic, and WhatsApp applies both when the symbols are properly closed. You can add a tilde as well, *_~text~_*, for bold italic strikethrough in a single phrase.
Bold text in WhatsApp is a small skill with an outsized payoff. Once the asterisk habit is in your fingers, every announcement, deadline, and price you send becomes easier to read. For more ways to make your messages stand out, Zyrro covers the full set of messaging formats, from bold and italic to strikethrough and monospace.