How to Bold on YouTube: Comments, Titles, Descriptions

To bold text in a YouTube comment, put an asterisk on each side of the words: type *like this* and post. Use underscores for italic (_like this_) and hyphens for strikethrough (-like this-). There is no bold button, and YouTube does not preview the styling while you type, so you see the result after you post.

That covers comments, which is what most people searching this want. Titles, channel names and (in most cases) descriptions are different: typed symbols do not format them. For those places there is a workaround with bold Unicode letters, and it comes with trade-offs, both covered below. You can make the letters with the YouTube bold text generator.

YouTube comment formatting cheat sheet

Style	What you type	Result
Bold	*bold*	bold
Italic	_italic_	italic
Strikethrough	-struck-	~~struck~~
Bold and italic	*_both_*	bold italic

The same symbols work in the website and in the YouTube app on iPhone and Android, because YouTube reads them after you post, not in the app. Neither has a formatting toolbar or a Ctrl+B shortcut.

How to bold text in YouTube comments, step by step

1. Open the video and click or tap the comment box.
2. Type an asterisk, then the word or words you want bold, then another asterisk. Do not leave a space between an asterisk and the text.
3. Keep writing. Format only the words you want; the rest of the comment stays normal.
4. Post the comment.
5. Look at the posted comment. If the asterisks are still there, check the tips below.

Example: This part was *really* helpful, thanks for the clear _step-by-step_ walkthrough. shows "really" in bold and "step-by-step" in italic.

How to italicise and strike through YouTube comments

Italic uses underscores on each side: _this_. Strikethrough uses a hyphen on each side: -this-.

Combine styles by nesting the symbols, such as *_bold and italic_*. Each style needs its own pair. Test unusual combinations in a short comment first.

If a hyphen sits next to a number, YouTube can read it as a minus sign. A comment like -50- often fails to strike through, but -was $50- works because it has a word in it.

Why isn't my YouTube bold text working?

• Spaces inside the symbols. * bold * does nothing. Write *bold*.
• Punctuation touching the closing symbol. Put punctuation after the closing mark: _Thanks_! rather than _Thanks!_.
• An unmatched symbol. Every opening symbol needs a closing one.
• Formatting is turned off. A channel owner can disable comment formatting for their video, and in that case the symbols show as plain characters.

Because YouTube has not published a long help page on this, edge cases such as live chat can behave differently. If it matters, test it in a short comment on your own video first.

Why are my YouTube comments in italics?

Almost always because you typed a pair of underscores without meaning to. A username, file name or phrase like my_cool_video contains two underscores, and the text between them turns italic. To avoid it, remove one underscore, put a space around them, or write the words differently. The same thing happens with asterisks (bold) and hyphens (strikethrough) when a pair of them wraps text by accident.

Can you bold titles, descriptions and channel names?

Not with the symbols above. Titles, channel names and playlist names are plain text, so *bold* appears exactly as typed with the asterisks.

Video descriptions are less clear. Some guides report the same symbols work there. YouTube does not appear to document it, and plain-text behaviour is what many creators see. Test it by pasting your formatted description into a private or unlisted video before you publish, and do not rely on it.

How to type bold or a different font on YouTube

If you need bold look-alikes in a title, description or channel name, you can paste Unicode characters. These are not real bold, they are separate letters from the mathematical alphabet that happen to look bold. The YouTube bold text generator converts what you type into those characters, which you copy and paste, and they show the same on any device that has a font for them.

Before you use them in a title, know the trade-offs:

• Search. YouTube search does not reliably match styled letters to normal words. A title in bold Unicode can lose the keywords you want to rank for. Keep the keywords in plain letters and style at most one word elsewhere.
• Accessibility. Screen readers may skip these characters or read each letter by its full mathematical name.
• Display. On older phones or in some apps, the characters can appear as empty boxes.
• Looks. A whole title in styled text can read as spam, so most channels use it for one accent word.

For a stylised look beyond bold, the same approach covers other alphabets, and our guide to Reddit text formatting and Discord text formatting show how other platforms handle real markdown. If your goal is to credit a video, the post on how to cite a YouTube video is the right one.

Tips for using bold in comments well

• Use it for one or two key words. A comment where everything is bold is harder to read.
• Bold a timestamp or the main point so skimmers find it.
• Use strikethrough for corrections, such as -wrong date- correct date.
• Keep a plain comment readable: if the formatting fails, the symbols should not make the sentence confusing.

SociaHive does not format YouTube comments, but it can schedule your videos and Shorts to YouTube alongside your other channels, which is useful once you are publishing regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn on bold text on YouTube?

There is nothing to turn on. In a comment, type an asterisk on each side of the words, like *this*, and post. YouTube applies the bold after you post. If you want bold letters in a title or channel name, paste them from a Unicode generator.

How do you bold in YouTube comments on Android and iPhone?

The same way as on a computer. Type *word* with the asterisks touching the text, then post. The YouTube app on Android and iOS reads the same symbols as the website, though there is no button or live preview.

How do I make text italic in YouTube comments or descriptions?

In a comment, put an underscore on each side: _italic_. For descriptions, the same symbols are reported to work by some guides but are not clearly documented by YouTube, so test them on a private video before relying on them.

How do I put a line through text on YouTube?

Wrap the text in hyphens, with no spaces inside: -like this-. Avoid wrapping a bare number, because the hyphens can be read as minus signs. Add a word, for example -was $50-.

Can I use a different font on YouTube?

Not through settings. YouTube gives you one font. What people call a different font is Unicode text pasted from a generator, which changes the look in titles and descriptions but is not matched well by search and may not display everywhere.

Why don't my asterisks turn into bold?

The usual causes are a space inside the asterisks, a missing closing asterisk, or a channel that has turned off comment formatting. Check that each asterisk touches the word and that the pair is closed.