How to Bold Text in Markdown

The quick answer: Wrap text with double asterisks — bold text — to make it bold.

Basic Syntax

There are two ways to bold text in markdown:

• bold text — double asterisks (recommended)
• __bold text__ — double underscores (less compatible)

Both produce the same result visually, but double asterisks work more reliably across all platforms.

Bold + Italic Together

To combine bold and italic, use three asterisks: bold and italic

This renders as bold italic text — useful for critical warnings or strong emphasis.

Platform Differences

Most markdown platforms (GitHub, Notion, Obsidian, Discord) support bold. The exception is Slack, which uses single asterisks bold instead of double asterisks. If you're formatting for Slack, use text not text.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake is adding spaces inside the asterisks: bold will not render as bold. The asterisks must touch the text directly.

Also watch for mismatched markers: *bold (one asterisk on one side, two on the other) won't render correctly.

When to Use Bold

Reserve bold for genuinely important words — key terms, warnings, and critical phrases. If you bold everything, nothing stands out. A good rule: one or two bolded phrases per paragraph maximum.

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For the full reference including all syntax variants and platform support, see the Markdown Bold reference guide.

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