How to highlight text in WhatsApp on Android: secret symbols and settings

Modern instant messengers have long ceased to be just a means for sending short notifications, turning into full-fledged platforms for business correspondence and communication. However, many users Android still do not know that the standard interface for sending messages to WhatsApp hides a powerful tool for controlling the appearance of text. You've probably noticed that some contacts send messages with words in bold, italics, or even strikethrough, and wondered how to do this.

In fact, you don't need to download third-party keyboards or install plugins to change the style of letters. The developers have implemented a special markup system directly into the application code, which works at the level of parsing input characters. This allows format messages instantly, using only special separator characters that surround the desired piece of text. Understanding these rules will help you structure information, highlight the main points and make correspondence more expressive without extra effort.

In this article we will look in detail at all the available ways to change the style of text, from basic commands to advanced tricks with lists and quotes. You'll learn which characters you need to press on your smartphone's keyboard to activate a particular effect, and how to avoid common mistakes that cause formatting to fail.

Basic symbols for changing font style

The basic principle of formatting in WhatsApp on Android is to use paired symbols. To apply style to a word or phrase, you need to place special characters before the beginning of the text and after the end. The system automatically recognizes this combination when sending a message and converts it into a visual design, hiding the marker characters themselves from the recipient.

The most popular and frequently used effect is bold font. To activate it you need to use an asterisk. If you want to highlight an important clause in a contract or a key point in a conversation, simply wrap the text with this symbol. For example, the design urgent will turn into urgent immediately after clicking the submit button. This is an ideal way to draw the other person's attention to critical information.

Italics is used to highlight quotes or add a slight emphasis to the text. Unlike many text editors, there is no need to look for the "I" button on the toolbar. It is enough to use the underscore character. The command _text_ is converted to text. This is useful for conveying intonation, indicating the titles of books, films, or simply to soften the tone of the message.

• ⭐ Bold text: Use an asterisk on both sides of the word (for example, hello).
• 📝 Italics: Wrap the phrase in underscores (for example, _important_).
• ❌ Strikethrough text: Apply a tilde to create a correction effect (for example, ~error~).
• 🖥️ Monospace font: Use a backtick to simulate code (for example, `code`).

Another useful but lesser-known format is strikethrough. It is applied using the tilde sign, which is usually found in the symbols section of the keyboard. The design ~wrong~ will be displayed as wrong. This is a great way to show that previous information is outdated or was said in jest without resorting to deleting the message.

⚠️ Attention: Format characters should fit tightly within the text. If you put a space between the asterisk and the first letter of the word (for example text ), WhatsApp will not recognize the command and the message will go away as usual with asterisks.

How to create monospace text and lists

In addition to standard styles, the user's arsenal Android has the ability to use a monospace font. This style makes all letters the same width, visually reminiscent of text typed on an old typewriter or in a developer's terminal. To activate this mode, the backtick symbol is used, which is often lost among other characters on the virtual keyboard.

To find the desired character, go to the numbers and punctuation section on your keyboard. Usually it looks like a small stroke tilted to the left `. By wrapping a phrase in three such characters in a row, you get a block of code. For example, ```data``` will be displayed in a special rectangular block with a fixed font width. This is indispensable if you send fragments of app code, error logs, or simply want to highlight technical information.

In addition WhatsApp supports automatic creation of bulleted and numbered lists. This turns a chaotic flow of messages into a structured instruction or list of tasks. The system itself will recognize the beginning of the list if you start the line with a certain character followed by a space.

To create a bulleted list, use a hyphen, asterisk or plus at the beginning of the line. A numbered list is created by entering a number, a period, and a space. It is important to maintain the sequence: if you started the list with the number 1, the next message must begin with 2 to continue the numbering, although often the application itself picks up the sequence.

1. First item of the list
2. Second item on the list
3. Third item on the list

The use of lists significantly increases the readability of long messages. Instead of a continuous canvas of text, the interlocutor sees a clear structure, which makes it easier to perceive information. This is especially true when drawing up instructions, shopping lists or plans for the day.

Table of all available formatting commands

For your convenience, we have systematized all known commands into a single table. This is a cheat sheet that you can use if you have forgotten which symbol is responsible for the desired effect. It is not necessary to memorize everything by heart, it is enough to know the principle of operation and, if necessary, look at this help.

Please note that some effects require the use of three characters in a row (as is the case with a monospace font), while for others one is enough. It is also critical that there is a space after the opening character in the case of lists, otherwise the magic will not work.

This table covers the main functionality available on current versions of the application for Android. Developers periodically update functionality, so the set of tools can expand. However, the basic principles described above have remained the same for several years and work on all devices.

Advanced techniques: combining styles

Many users do not realize that formatting characters can be combined with each other. This allows you to create complex visual designs, such as text that is both bold and italic. To do this, you simply need to nest one set of characters inside another, following the correct sequence of closing tags.

To make text bold and italic simultaneous, you need to use a combination of an asterisk and an underscore. The syntax will look like this: _text_. Please note that the order of the characters at the beginning and end must be reversed. If you start with an asterisk and an underline, then you need to end with an underline and then an asterisk.

Settings → Chats → Font size