Slack formats text using markup characters typed directly into the message box. Surround a word or phrase with asterisks for bold, underscores for italic, tildes for strikethrough, or backticks for inline code. These shortcuts work on desktop, mobile, and the web app, and your formatting appears the moment you send the message.
Quick-reference table
| Format | Syntax | Example typed | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bold | *text* | *deadline* | deadline |
| Italic | _text_ | _please review_ | please review |
| Strikethrough | ~text~ | ~old price~ | |
| Inline code | `text` | `console.log()` | console.log() |
| Code block | ```text``` | ```function init()``` | (formatted block) |
| Block quote | > text | > noted | (indented quote) |
| Ordered list | 1. item | 1. First step | 1. First step |
| Bullet list | * item or - item | * Buy milk | (bulleted item) |
You can also toggle bold, italic, and strikethrough from the formatting toolbar above the message input. Click the Aa button to reveal it if it is hidden.
Bold text
Wrap your text in single asterisks: *like this*. The asterisks disappear after you send, leaving the text visually heavier.
Bold works well for deadlines, action items, or names you want a reader to notice quickly in a long thread. For a deeper look at bold formatting across platforms, see our guide on how to format bold text.
Italic text
Use underscores: _like this_. Italics are useful for titles of documents, light emphasis, or side comments where bold would feel too strong.
One thing to watch: if your text already contains underscores (common in file names or URLs), Slack may misinterpret them. In those cases, highlight the text and use the toolbar italic button instead.
Strikethrough
Surround text with tildes: ~like this~. Strikethrough shows that something has been removed or completed without deleting the original text. It is common in channels where people update task lists inline.
Inline code
Use single backticks: `like this`. The text renders in a monospace font with a subtle background highlight. Helpful for variable names, terminal commands, file paths, or any short snippet you want visually distinct from regular prose.
Code blocks
For multi-line code, use triple backticks on their own lines. The entire block renders in a monospace font with a scrollable container. Slack does not support language-specific syntax highlighting in messages, so all code blocks look the same regardless of language.
Block quotes
Start a line with > followed by a space. Everything on that line appears indented with a vertical bar on the left. This is handy for quoting someone else's message or highlighting a key sentence from a document.
To quote multiple lines, start each line with >. Slack treats consecutive quoted lines as one block.
Ordered and unordered lists
Type 1. followed by a space to start a numbered list. Each subsequent line starting with the next number continues the sequence. For bullet points, use * or - at the start of a line followed by a space.
Slack added native list support in 2023. On older mobile app versions, you may need to type the numbers or bullets manually rather than relying on auto-formatting.
Links
Slack auto-links any URL you paste. You do not need special syntax. If you paste https://example.com, it becomes a clickable link automatically.
To create a hyperlink with custom display text, highlight the text you want to link, then press Cmd+Shift+U (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+U (Windows/Linux) and paste the URL. There is no inline Markdown-style link syntax in Slack messages.
Mentions and notifications
Type @ followed by a username to mention someone directly. Slack also supports channel-wide mentions:
@herenotifies only members currently online in the channel@channelnotifies every member of the channel, regardless of status@everyoneworks in some workspaces and notifies all members
