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Slack Markdown Guide

Every Slack mrkdwn formatting trick in one place. 20+ features with copy-paste syntax and live previews.

20+ featuresmrkdwn syntaxUpdated 2026Free forever

Quick Reference

All Slack formatting syntax at a glance. Note: Slack uses mrkdwn, not standard markdown.

Feature	Syntax	Notes
Bold	`text`	Single asterisks (not double!)
Italic	`_text_`	Single underscores
Strikethrough	`~text~`	Single tildes (not double!)
Inline Code	`code`	Single backticks
Code Block	```\ncode\n```	Triple backticks, no highlighting
Bold Italic	`_text_`	Asterisks wrapping underscores
Link	`<url\|label>`	Angle brackets with pipe
User Mention	`<@UXXXX_MEMBER_ID>`	Get ID from profile → ⋮ → Copy member ID
Channel Mention	`<#CXXXX_CHANNEL_ID>`	Get ID from channel details → bottom of panel
@here	`<!here>`	Notifies online members in channel
@channel	`<!channel>`	Notifies all channel members (incl. offline)
@everyone	`<!everyone>`	Notifies all workspace members
Blockquote	`> text`	Greater-than sign
Ordered List	`1. item`	Number + period
Unordered List	`- item`	Dash or bullet point
Emoji	`:emoji_name:`	Colon-wrapped names
Date	`<!date^UNIX_TS^format\|fallback>`	Replace UNIX_TS with epoch seconds

Text Formatting

Slack supports 5 inline text styles. Note: bold and strikethrough use single markers, not double.

Bold

Single asterisks — not double like standard markdown

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

bold text

👍 2✅ 1

Italic

Single underscores for emphasis

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

italic text

👍 2✅ 1

Strikethrough

Single tildes — not double like GitHub/Discord

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

strikethrough text

👍 2✅ 1

Inline Code

Monospace text within a sentence

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

inline code

👍 2✅ 1

Bold Italic

Combine bold and italic

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

bold italic text

👍 2✅ 1

Links & Mentions

Slack auto-links URLs. For custom text, use angle bracket syntax with a pipe separator.

Auto-linked URL

Paste any URL and Slack links it automatically

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

https://example.com

👍 2✅ 1

Labeled Link

Custom display text with angle brackets and pipe

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

Click here

👍 2✅ 1

User Mention

Mention a user by their member ID. Find it in Slack: click their profile → ⋮ → Copy member ID.

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

@username

👍 2✅ 1

Channel Mention

Mention a channel by its channel ID. Find it in Slack: right-click channel name → View channel details → copy ID at the bottom.

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

#marketing

👍 2✅ 1

@here Mention

Notify all currently online members in the channel. Less disruptive than @channel.

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

@here

👍 2✅ 1

@channel Mention

Notify all members in the channel — including those who are offline. Use sparingly.

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

@channel

👍 2✅ 1

Code

Inline code and code blocks. Slack does not support syntax highlighting — use /snippet for colored code.

Inline Code

Highlight a short code snippet in a sentence

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

Run npm install to start

👍 2✅ 1

Code Block

Multi-line code with triple backticks (no syntax highlighting)

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

function greet(name) {\n  return `Hello, ${name}!`\n}

👍 2✅ 1

Lists

Ordered and unordered lists. Press Shift+Enter to add lines without sending the message.

Unordered List

Bullet points with dashes

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

• First item
• Second item
• Third item

👍 2✅ 1

Ordered List

Numbered items

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

👍 2✅ 1

Blockquotes

Quote messages with > at the start of a line. Only single-level quoting is supported.

Blockquote

Quote a single line

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

This is a quoted message

👍 2✅ 1

Multi-line Blockquote

Quote multiple lines with > on each

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

First quoted line
Second quoted line
Third quoted line

👍 2✅ 1

Emoji & Dates

Slack's emoji shortcodes and dynamic date formatting for bot messages.

Emoji Shortcodes

Type colon-wrapped names for standard and custom emoji

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

👍 🎉 🚀 👀

👍 2✅ 1

Skin Tone Modifier

Append skin tone to supported emoji

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

👋🏽

👍 2✅ 1

Date Formatting

Dynamic dates in bot/workflow messages. Replace UNIX_TIMESTAMP with seconds since epoch (e.g., 1672531200). Slack auto-localizes to each viewer's timezone.

# general

MarkdownUser11:30 AM

January 1, 2023 at 12:00 AM

👍 2✅ 1

Unsupported in Slack

Standard markdown features that Slack does not support.

Headings

Slack has no heading syntax — use bold text for visual hierarchy instead

Tables

No table support — use code blocks with aligned columns or a snippet instead

Inline Images

Images must be uploaded or shared via URL — no ![alt](url) syntax

Task Lists

No - [ ] checkbox syntax — use Slack's Workflow Builder or emoji voting instead

Underline

No underline formatting — Slack doesn't support __text__ or <u> tags

Footnotes

No footnote syntax — add references inline or in a thread reply

Nested Blockquotes

Only one level of > quoting is supported in Slack messages

Syntax Highlighting

Code blocks render in monospace but without language-specific coloring

Pro Tips

1Slack Uses "mrkdwn" Not Markdown

Slack's formatting system is called mrkdwn — it looks similar to markdown but has key differences. Bold uses *single* asterisks, strikethrough uses ~single~ tildes, and [text](url) links don't work.

2Bold Is Single Asterisks

Unlike standard markdown where **double asterisks** = bold, Slack uses *single asterisks* for bold. This is the most common mistake when switching from GitHub or Discord.

*bold in Slack*
**this does NOT work in Slack**

3Format with the Toolbar

Slack's message composer has a rich-text formatting toolbar with buttons for bold, italic, strike, code, link, lists, and blockquotes. Click the Aa icon at the bottom of the message box to show or hide it.

4Keyboard Shortcuts

Cmd/Ctrl+B for bold, Cmd/Ctrl+I for italic, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+X for strikethrough, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+C for code block. These insert the mrkdwn characters automatically.

5Snippets for Long Code

For long code blocks, use /snippet (or the + button → Code or text snippet) instead of triple backticks. Snippets support syntax highlighting, titles, and can be collapsed in the chat.

6Escape Formatting Characters

Slack doesn't support backslash escaping like standard markdown. To show literal asterisks or tildes, wrap them in inline code backticks or use the rich text editor.

`*not bold*` shows as literal *not bold*

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know.

Does Slack support markdown?

Slack uses its own formatting system called "mrkdwn" which is inspired by markdown but not identical. It supports bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code, code blocks, links, blockquotes, and lists. However, the syntax differs — bold uses single asterisks (*text*), not double, and links use <url|text> format instead of [text](url).

Does Slack support markdown?

How do I bold text in Slack?

Wrap text with single asterisks: *bold text*. This is different from standard markdown which uses **double asterisks**. You can also press Cmd/Ctrl+B with text selected in the message composer.

Why does double asterisk not work in Slack?

Slack's mrkdwn format uses single asterisks (*text*) for bold, not double. Double asterisks (**text**) will show the literal asterisks. This is the #1 formatting mistake people make in Slack — it's the opposite of GitHub, Discord, and standard markdown.

How do I make a code block in Slack?

For inline code, wrap with single backticks: `code`. For multi-line code blocks, use triple backticks on separate lines. Slack does not support syntax highlighting in code blocks — all code renders in plain monospace. For highlighted code, use the /snippet command or paste a Code Snippet.

How do I mention someone in Slack?

In messages, type @ followed by their name and select from autocomplete. In bots/workflows, use <@UXXXX_MEMBER_ID> — find the member ID by clicking their profile → ⋮ → Copy member ID. For group notifications, use <!everyone> (all members), <!channel> (active members), or <!here> (online members).

How do I create a link in Slack?

Paste a URL and Slack auto-links it. For custom link text, use the format <https://example.com|Click here> with a pipe separator. The standard [text](url) markdown link syntax does not work in Slack. You can also use Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U or the toolbar link button.

Can I use markdown in Slack on mobile?

Yes. All mrkdwn formatting works the same on iOS and Android. Type *bold*, _italic_, ~strike~, `code`, and other formatting directly. The mobile app also has a formatting toolbar (tap the Aa button) for bold, italic, strike, code, and links.

How do I make a list in Slack?

For ordered lists, start lines with 1. 2. 3. etc. For unordered lists, use a dash or bullet character at the start of each line. Press Shift+Enter to add new lines within the same message without sending it. Lists work in both messages and canvas documents.

How do I format text in Slack workflows and bots?

Slack bots and Workflow Builder use the same mrkdwn syntax in message blocks. Bold with *text*, italic with _text_, links with <url|text>. For Block Kit messages, use mrkdwn in section and context blocks. Canvas and Posts support richer formatting than messages.

What's the difference between Slack mrkdwn and standard markdown?

Key differences: Slack bold = *single asterisk* (markdown = **double**), Slack strikethrough = ~single tilde~ (markdown = ~~double~~), Slack links = <url|text> (markdown = [text](url)). Slack lacks headings, tables, images, task lists, footnotes, and syntax highlighting. They share backtick code, > blockquotes, and list syntax.

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