How to Format Text in Character.AI with Bold Italic and Strikethrough

When I first started using Character.AI, I spent a good ten minutes trying to get strikethrough to work on my laptop. I typed ~~text~~, hit enter, and nothing happened. Just raw tildes.

Turns out the issue wasn’t my typing — it was the platform. That’s the kind of frustration I want to save you from.

In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to format text in Character.AI: the commands that work everywhere, the ones that only work on mobile, and how to get your characters to use formatting too.

The Markdown Commands That Work

Character.AI uses a simple markup language called Markdown. You don’t need any special buttons — just type the right symbols around your text. Here’s the cheat sheet I keep on my own desktop.

Pro tip: always pair your symbols — two asterisks for bold, one for italic. A missing space or extra symbol will break the formatting and show raw text instead.

Quick Test to Confirm It Works

Before you dive into roleplay, send a test message in any chat. Type each command and check the result. If you see plain **bold** and not actual bold text, the platform isn’t rendering it.

That leads us to the biggest gotcha in Character.AI.

The Mobile vs Web Problem

Here’s the honest truth: strikethrough works reliably only on the mobile app. On the web browser — whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, or Safari — strikethrough often fails.

Bold, italic, and highlight work fine on both. I learned this the hard way when I kept getting ~~text~~ displayed on my desktop.

Why does this happen? The mobile app’s rendering engine is newer. The web version lags behind. For now, if you need strikethrough, use the app.

If you’re stuck on web, try the single tilde ~text~ as a fallback — it sometimes works. Or just use highlight with backticks for a similar ‘crossed-out’ effect.

For example, `this is crossed out in my headcanon` looks different but still signals deletion or correction.

If you copy a formatted message from web to app (or the other way), the raw markdown copies but the rendering doesn’t. Just paste the raw text and let the new client format it.

Teaching Your Character to Use Formatting

Getting the AI to use bold, italic, or strikethrough in its replies is a whole different challenge. You can’t just tell the bot “use bold” and expect it to obey.

The AI reads the raw syntax but doesn’t understand a command to apply formatting. Instead, you have to teach it by example.

Format the Character’s Greeting

Open your character’s settings and edit the Greeting message. Write it with intentional markdown. For instance:

*The knight looks you up and down.* "You look lost."

The AI will mimic that pattern. It learns that actions go in italics, emphasized words go in bold. After a few messages, your character will start using the same formatting style naturally.

I did this for a fantasy roleplay bot and within five messages it was writing action descriptions and shouted words on its own.

Don’t Put Formatting Commands in the Definition

The “Definition” field is where you train the AI with example dialogues. If you write **bold** there as a standalone line, the bot might try to output the raw asterisks.

Instead, write complete example exchanges where the formatting is used naturally. For example:

User: "What do you see?"
Character: I peer into the fog. "I see nothing."

This teaches the bot the right way to use formatting without breaking the model.

Rate the Responses

When the AI uses formatting well, give it a thumbs up. When it ignores your formatting or outputs raw markers, give it a thumbs down and rate one star. Over time, the model adjusts to your preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my character ignore my formatting requests?

The AI understands the content of your message, not the visual styling.

If you type “use **bold** here,” the bot sees the words “use” and “bold” — it doesn’t treat the markers as a formatting instruction.

The only reliable way is to demonstrate formatting in your own messages, as described above.

Can I use colored text or different fonts?

No. Character.AI supports only the markdown styles listed in the table. HTML tags like <span> or CSS will not render. The platform strips them out.

Why do I see raw asterisks instead of bold?

Check for a missing space or an extra symbol. For example, **text ** (space inside) or **text** (three asterisks) will break.

Also try refreshing the page or clearing the browser cache — sometimes the rendering engine gets stuck.

Does formatting work in group chats or rooms?

Yes, for your own messages. But getting multiple AI characters to use consistent formatting is harder. You’ll need to train each bot individually using the greeting method.

Group chats tend to default to plain text unless you explicitly set examples for each character.

How do I get the AI to stop using formatting?

Edit your character’s greeting and definition to remove any markdown. In your own messages, use only plain text. Also rate down any AI replies that use formatting you don’t want.

After a few corrections, the bot will shift back to plain text.

That should cover everything I wish someone had told me when I started. The key takeaway: memorise the syntax, remember the mobile-strikethrough limitation, and teach your characters by example.

Once you nail those three things, you’ll have full control over how your conversations look and feel.