How to Highlight in WhatsApp: Words, Text, and Colour (2026)

Overview: WhatsApp does not have a built-in highlight tool. There is no button that lets you select text and apply a yellow or coloured background to it the way a highlighter pen works. What WhatsApp does have is a set of formatting options -- bold, italic, monospace, and bold-italic combined -- that create strong visual emphasis on specific words or phrases. This guide covers every method to highlight words and text in WhatsApp, what the closest alternative to colour highlighting looks like, and exactly how to apply each method on Android and iPhone.

If you searched for how to highlight in WhatsApp expecting to find a colour picker or a highlight brush, that feature does not exist in the app. WhatsApp's formatting toolkit is intentionally minimal. But the methods that do exist -- particularly bold, bold-italic, and monospace -- achieve the same practical goal: making a specific word or phrase stand out from the rest of the message so the reader cannot miss it. For businesses using WhatsApp to communicate with clients at scale, a WhatsApp bulk message sender free tool like Roklo supports formatted templates including bold and italic in campaigns. But first, the full breakdown of every highlighting method available inside WhatsApp.

No. WhatsApp does not include a highlight function anywhere in the app. There is no toolbar, no formatting menu option, and no keyboard shortcut that applies a coloured background to selected text the way word processors or note-taking apps do.

What WhatsApp does offer is text emphasis through formatting characters. These are:

• Bold -- makes text heavier and darker
• Italic -- slants text to visually separate it
• Strikethrough -- crosses text out
• Monospace -- displays text in a fixed-width font that looks distinct from standard message text
• Bold and italic combined -- the strongest native emphasis available

None of these apply a colour background to text. But bold and bold-italic are the closest WhatsApp gets to highlighting -- they make specific words visually dominant in a way that draws the reader's eye immediately.

If you need actual colour-highlighted text visible inside a WhatsApp message, the only path is to create it outside WhatsApp (in a note app, a document, or an image editor), screenshot it, and send the screenshot as an image. This is covered in the colour highlight section below.

Bold is the primary way to highlight words in WhatsApp. It applies a heavier font weight to selected text, making it visually heavier than the surrounding message. In a sentence of regular text, a bold word immediately pulls the eye because it looks fundamentally different from everything around it.

This is the most effective native highlighting method for single words or short phrases -- a deadline, a price, a product name, or a call to action.

Method 1: Using formatting characters (fastest)

Type an asterisk directly before and directly after the word or phrase you want to bold. No spaces between the asterisk and the text.

Format:

Type *word* and it sends as: word (bold)

Examples:

• Important becomes: Important
• *Meeting at 3pm* becomes: Meeting at 3pm 
• *Reply by Friday* becomes: Reply by Friday 

Method 2: Using the formatting menu on Android

1. Type your message in the text field.

2. Long-press on the word or phrase you want to bold. The text selection handles appear.

3. Drag the handles to select exactly the text you want.

4. Tap Bold from the formatting bar that appears above the selection. On some Android versions, tap the three-dot icon to reveal Bold if it is not immediately visible.

5. The selected text now appears bold in your message draft.

6. Send as normal.

Method 3: Using the formatting menu on iPhone

1. Type your message in the text field.

2. Tap and hold on the word or phrase to trigger text selection.

3. Drag the selection handles to cover the exact text you want.

4. Tap BIU in the pop-up toolbar (short for Bold, Italic, Underline).

5. Tap Bold from the expanded options.

6. Send as normal.

Italic applies a slanted style to text, visually separating it from the surrounding message without the full visual weight of bold. It is a softer form of emphasis -- appropriate for secondary information, a name, a product title, a short disclaimer, or a personal note within a longer message.

Italic alone is a lighter highlight than bold. It works best when you want to draw attention to something without making it feel urgent or alarming.

Method 1: Using formatting characters

Type an underscore directly before and directly after the word or phrase. No spaces between the underscore and the text.

Format:

Type _word_ and it sends as: word (italic)

Examples:

• _Note_ becomes: Note
• _Please read before responding_ becomes: Please read before responding
• _Offer valid until Sunday_ becomes: Offer valid until Sunday

Method 2: Using the formatting menu

The same process as bold applies. Select your text, then tap Italic from the formatting bar on Android or from the BIU menu on iPhone.

Combining bold and italic gives the strongest native text emphasis WhatsApp supports. The text appears heavier and slanted simultaneously, making it stand out more than either style alone. This is the closest WhatsApp gets to a built-in highlight for critical information.

Use bold-italic for the single most important phrase in a message -- a deadline that cannot be missed, a price that defines the offer, or a call to action that must be acted on immediately.

Method: Using formatting characters

Wrap the text in both an asterisk and an underscore on each side. The order must be consistent: open with asterisk-underscore, close with underscore-asterisk.

Format:

Type *_word_* and it sends as: word (bold and italic combined)

Examples:

• *_Expires tonight_* becomes: Expires tonight
• *_Register now_* becomes: Register now
• *_Limited seats available_* becomes: Limited seats available

Method: Using the formatting menu

Select your text, then apply Bold first from the menu, then apply Italic to the same selection. Both styles will stack on the selected text.

Bold-italic is the maximum emphasis available inside WhatsApp natively. If a word or phrase must not be missed, this is the formatting to use.

Also Read: How to Change WhatsApp Keyboard Theme (Android and iPhone) 2026

This is the section most people looking for how to colour highlight text in WhatsApp are actually searching for. The direct answer is: WhatsApp does not support coloured text or coloured text backgrounds inside the chat interface. There is no yellow highlight, no red text, no coloured underline.

The three methods below are the closest alternatives available for creating colour-highlighted text that can be sent through WhatsApp.

Method 1: Screenshot from a notes or document app

This is the most reliable method for sending visually colour-highlighted text through WhatsApp.

1. Open any app that supports text highlighting -- Google Keep, Apple Notes, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or any note-taking app on your phone.

2. Type your text in that app.

3. Apply colour highlighting to the specific words using the app's built-in highlight tool.

4. Take a screenshot of the highlighted text.

5. Open WhatsApp and send the screenshot as an image in the relevant chat.

The recipient sees the image with the colour-highlighted text exactly as it appeared on your screen. This method works on both Android and iPhone and requires no third-party WhatsApp tools.

Method 2: Use an image editor to create a highlighted text graphic

Tools like Canva, Adobe Express, or even the built-in photo editors on Android and iPhone allow you to create a graphic with text on a coloured background. This achieves the visual effect of a colour highlight without relying on WhatsApp's formatting at all.

1. Open Canva or any image creation tool.

2. Create a simple graphic with your key text on a coloured block or with a coloured text highlight effect applied.

3. Export or save as an image.

4. Send as a photo in WhatsApp.

This method gives the most control over the visual appearance. It is appropriate for marketing messages, event announcements, and promotional content where the visual impact matters.

Method 3: Use emoji brackets as a visual attention marker

This is a text-only workaround that does not require any external app. Place attention-grabbing characters or emoji directly around the words you want to stand out. While this is not colour highlighting, it creates a visual marker that serves a similar function -- drawing the reader's eye to a specific phrase.

Examples of emoji bracket patterns:

>> Important << or ** Key point ** or [[ Act now ]] or the use of arrow emoji pointing at the word

This approach works in any WhatsApp chat and requires no external tools. The characters appear in the message and frame the key word visually without applying colour. It is the simplest workaround when you want in-text emphasis beyond bold.

Monospace is an underused formatting option in WhatsApp that achieves a different kind of visual highlight. It applies a fixed-width font -- the kind used in code editors and typewriters -- to the selected text. In a standard WhatsApp message, monospace text immediately looks different from everything around it because the character spacing and weight are visually distinct.

It is not a highlight in the colour sense. But it draws the eye because it looks like something that was deliberately set apart -- a code, a reference number, a specific instruction, or a keyword that needs to be read exactly as written.

Method: Using formatting characters

Wrap the text in three backtick characters on each side. A backtick is the ` character, usually found in the top-left of a keyboard or in the symbols section of a mobile keyboard.

Format:

Type ```word``` and it sends as: word (monospace block)

Examples where monospace highlighting is appropriate:

• Coupon codes -- so the reader knows to copy the exact string
• Reference numbers or order IDs
• A specific password, link, or access code
• A technical term or product model number that must be read precisely

The formatting menu on Android appears when you select text in the WhatsApp message input field. The exact appearance depends on your Android version and device, but the process is the same across devices.

1. Tap once in the message input field to place the cursor.

2. Long-press on the word you want to format. A selection with handles appears.

3. Drag the handles to select exactly the text you want to highlight.

4. Look at the toolbar that appears above the selected text. On most Android devices, you will see: Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, and Monospace options directly. On some devices, these are under a three-dot icon or a More button.

5. Tap your chosen format. The text updates immediately in the draft.

6. You can apply multiple formats to the same selection. Tap Bold, then tap Italic on the same selected text to apply both.

7. When the message looks correct, tap Send.

On iPhone, the formatting options appear in the standard iOS text selection pop-up with an additional BIU (Bold, Italic, Underline) shortcut.

1. Tap once in the message input field.

2. Tap and hold on the word you want to format until the selection handles appear.

3. Drag the handles to select the exact phrase.

4. In the pop-up toolbar that appears, tap BIU. (If you do not see BIU immediately, tap the arrow on the right side of the toolbar to reveal more options.)

5. Choose Bold, Italic, or both (apply one and then the other to the same selection).

6. For monospace on iPhone, the formatting characters method is easier: type ``` before and after the text directly.

7. Tap Send when the formatting is correct.

WhatsApp Web and the WhatsApp desktop app support all the same formatting options as the mobile apps. On desktop, the formatting characters method is the most efficient because a full keyboard makes it easy to type asterisks and underscores quickly.

Formatting characters on WhatsApp Web

• Bold: *word*
• Italic: _word_
• Bold italic: *_word_*
• Monospace: ```word```

Formatting menu on WhatsApp Web

1. Type your message in the input field.

2. Select the text you want to format by clicking and dragging.

3. Right-click on the selected text to open the context menu.

4. Look for formatting options (Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, Monospace) in the context menu or in a formatting toolbar that appears above the selection.

5. Apply the desired format and send.

On WhatsApp Web, you can also use the keyboard shortcut approach for efficiency -- type the message with formatting characters directly rather than selecting and applying through the menu.

Also Read: Top 10 WhatsApp Group Names: Best WhatsApp Group Names (2026)

The right method depends on what you are highlighting and why.

Use bold to highlight

• A deadline -- Reply by 5pm today
• A price or discount -- 40% off
• A call to action -- Confirm your seat
• A product name or event name
• Any single fact the reader must not miss

Use italic to highlight

• A secondary detail that supports the main point
• A product title or proper noun
• A personal note or friendly aside within a formal message
• Terms or phrases in a language other than the main message language

Use bold-italic to highlight

• The single most critical piece of information in the message
• A phrase where missing it would cause a problem for the reader
• Time-sensitive information where the urgency must be visible at a glance

Use monospace to highlight

• Coupon codes, access codes, or passwords
• Reference numbers or order IDs
• Any text that must be read and copied exactly as written

Use the screenshot or image method for colour highlighting

• Visual announcements where colour draws attention across a busy group chat
• Instructional content where the highlight shows the reader where to look
• Marketing messages where the visual design matters as much as the text

Mistake 1: Spaces between the formatting character and the text

*  word  * will not apply bold. The asterisk must touch the text directly: *word*

Mistake 2: Trying to combine monospace with bold or italic

```*word*``` will show the asterisks literally. Monospace does not stack with other formats.

Mistake 3: Applying formatting to an entire long message

If everything is bold, nothing stands out. Bold works as a highlight only when the surrounding text is not bold. Use it on 2 to 5 words at most per message.

Mistake 4: Expecting WhatsApp to support coloured text

WhatsApp does not support red text, yellow text, or any coloured text inside the chat interface. Any tool or app that claims to add colour text to WhatsApp chat messages is either sending an image or using a third-party modified WhatsApp that violates the platform's terms of service.

For businesses sending formatted messages to large contact lists, Roklo supports bold and italic in templates used for bulk WhatsApp campaigns. The step-by-step process for setting up templates and running campaigns to groups is covered in the guide on how to send bulk WhatsApp messages, which walks through contact imports, template creation, and campaign scheduling as a free bulk message sender. Formatting that highlights your key offer or call to action applies in bulk sends exactly as it does in individual chats.

Also Read: WhatsApp Business API: Complete Beginner's Guide + Pricing 2026