Markdown Bold: Syntax, Examples & Common Mistakes

Basic Bold Syntax

Wrap text in double asterisks ** or double underscores __ to make it bold. Asterisks are the preferred convention because they work in more contexts, including mid-word emphasis.

**This text is bold**

__Also bold with underscores__

Why prefer asterisks? They handle mid-word bold correctly. For example, un**frigging**believable renders as unfriggingbelievable, while un__frigging__believable stays as literal text in most Markdown processors.

Bold and Italic Combined

Triple asterisks apply both bold and italic at once. You can also nest the markers if you want only part of a phrase styled differently.

***Bold and italic***
**_Also bold and italic_**
This is ***really*** important

Bold in Different Contexts

Bold syntax works inside headings, lists, tables, and blockquotes. Here are practical examples of each.

Bold in headings

## Setup: **Required** Steps

Bold in lists

- **Name:** Your full name
- **Email:** A valid address
- **Role:** Admin or editor

Bold in tables

| Feature   | Status           |
|-----------|------------------|
| Dark mode | **Supported**    |
| Export    | **Coming soon**  |

Bold in blockquotes

> **Note:** This step cannot be undone.

Common Mistakes

Spaces inside the markers

Adding a space between the asterisks and the text breaks bold formatting. The markers must touch the text on both sides.

**works**
** broken **

Mixing * and _ in the same word

Opening with ** and closing with __ (or vice versa) does not render as bold. Always use matching markers.

**this works**      <-- matching markers
**this fails__      <-- mismatched, renders as literal text

Forgetting the closing markers

If you open with ** but forget to close, the rest of your paragraph (or even the entire document) may render as bold or as literal asterisks. Always double-check that every ** has a matching pair.

Platform Support

Bold text with ** is part of the original Markdown specification. It works on every major platform: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Discord, Reddit, Stack Overflow, VS Code, Obsidian, Bear, iA Writer, Typora, and MDViewer. Of all Markdown syntax elements, bold is the most universally supported — if a platform renders any Markdown at all, it renders bold.

FAQ

How do I bold text in Markdown?

Wrap the text in double asterisks: **your text**. This produces your text. Double asterisks are the standard bold syntax supported by every Markdown processor.

What is the difference between ** and __ for bold?

Both produce bold text, but ** is preferred. Asterisks work mid-word (un**frigging**believable renders correctly), while underscores do not in most processors. The CommonMark spec treats underscores as word-boundary delimiters, so they only trigger emphasis at the edges of a word.

Can I bold and italicize at the same time?

Yes. Use triple asterisks: ***text***. You can also nest them — **_text_** or *__text__* both work. Triple asterisks are the cleanest option and the most portable across platforms.

Preview Your Markdown with MDViewer

MDViewer is a native macOS app for reading and previewing Markdown files. Double-click any .md file in Finder and see it rendered instantly — bold, italic, tables, code blocks, and more. Lite is free; Pro adds editing, Git history, and PDF export.

Requires macOS 13.0 or later. Intel and Apple Silicon.