Fancy Text on Discord: When to Use Markdown or Unicode

Discord is one of the few apps where you may not need a text generator at all. Its chat understands Markdown, a simple way of marking up text with symbols, so formatting a message is a matter of typing a few asterisks. Unicode styles still have a job on Discord, just a different one: the places where Markdown doesn’t work.

In messages, use Markdown

Type these around your words in a chat message:

• **bold** for bold
• *italic* or _italic_ for italic
• ~~strike~~ for strikethrough
• __underline__ for underline
• ***bold italic*** to combine bold and italic
• ||spoiler|| to hide text until someone clicks it

Markdown is real formatting. The words underneath stay ordinary letters, so Discord search still finds them and screen readers read them normally. Unicode bold in a message gives you none of that, so stick with Markdown wherever it renders.

Where Markdown doesn’t reach

Some text on Discord is shown exactly as typed, with no formatting. That’s where Unicode styles come in. Typical spots:

• Your display name and your nickname in a server
• Server names and channel names, if you run a server
• Your custom status
• Your About Me, if Markdown doesn’t show there in your app

A quick test: type **test** and save or send it. If the asterisks are still visible, that spot doesn’t render Markdown, and a Unicode style is the way to go.

If you run a server, think about readability before styling its name. The server name is what new members see first, and a name they can read at a glance is easier to remember, recommend and search for. Styling one word of it, or adding a symbol, is often enough.

Change your server nickname, step by step

1. Type your name into the box on our generator.
2. Pick a style that stays readable at a small size. Small caps (Nɪɢʜᴛ Oᴡʟ), gothic (𝔑𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔒𝔴𝔩) and double-struck (ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕆𝕨𝕝) are popular choices.
3. Press Copy.
4. In Discord, open the settings for your server profile or nickname and paste it in place of your current nickname.
5. Save, then check the member list and one of your messages to make sure every letter shows.

Mind the side effects

• Mentions: people usually type @ and the first letters of your name. A styled nickname may not come up when they type plain letters, though your username still works.
• Moderation: very decorative names are harder for moderators to read, and some servers have rules about them.
• Channel names: Discord tidies up text channel names automatically, for example turning spaces into dashes, so paste the name and check what it becomes.
• Accessibility: screen readers may spell styled names letter by letter. One styled word next to a plain one is kinder than a fully styled name.

Decorative symbols like ★ or ➤ are another way to dress up channel names without touching the letters. You’ll find them on the symbols page, where you can collect several in a tray and copy them together.

Gothic and small caps add the most personality for the least confusion. For more options, the gothic text page has bold and alternating versions.