WhatsApp Bold and Italic: The Formatting Shortcuts You Already Have

Over 8,000 people search Google each month for "bold text on WhatsApp", with many visiting third-party font websites just to copy and paste a single bold word.

Here is the secret: you don't need any website to bold text inside a WhatsApp chat. WhatsApp has had built-in formatting symbols for years.

Here is how to use the native shortcuts you already have, and the one place where Unicode fonts are actually required.

The 4 Built-In WhatsApp Shortcuts (For Chat Messages)

When typing a message to a friend or inside a group chat, simply wrap your words with these punctuation marks:

The Mobile Context Menu Shortcut

If you don't want to type symbols manually on your iPhone or Android:

1. Double-tap and highlight the word you want to style.
2. Tap Format (or the BIU menu button on iOS).
3. Select Bold, Italic, or Strikethrough.

WhatsApp will automatically insert the asterisks or underscores for you!

The One Place WhatsApp Shortcuts Fail: Profile "About"

While native formatting works inside private chats and group conversations, WhatsApp strictly disables Markdown in two places:

1. Your Display Name
2. Your Profile "About" / Bio status

If you type *Available* into your WhatsApp About status, it literally shows the asterisks *Available*.

To style your WhatsApp About section, you need Unicode character styling:

• Small Caps: ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ
• Elegant Cursive: 𝒞𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇
• Bold Serif: 𝐀𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤

How to Style Your WhatsApp Bio:

1. Open our free Unicode Font Generator.
2. Type your status quote or title.
3. Tap Copy on your preferred style.
4. Open WhatsApp → Settings → Your Profile → About, paste the characters, and tap Save.