Your formatted text appears here.
On new Reddit and in the apps a single Enter breaks the line. Nothing is uploaded.
Reddit formatting cheat-sheet
Every construct Reddit renders, with the Markdown to type and the result.
| Format | You type | Reddit shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bold | **bold text** |
Two asterisks (or two underscores) on each side. | |
| Italics | *italic text* |
One asterisk or underscore on each side. Underscores inside a word stay literal. | |
| Strikethrough | ~~crossed out~~ |
Two tildes on each side. | |
| Spoiler tag | >!hidden until clicked!< |
No spaces inside the markers. Works in posts and comments, old and new Reddit, and the apps. Click the black box to reveal. | |
| Superscript | E = mc^2 and ^(a whole phrase) |
A caret raises one word; ^(parentheses) raise a phrase. Not available in the Fancy Pants editor. | |
| Inline code | Type `git status` in the terminal |
Backticks. Nothing inside is formatted. | |
| Code block | ```
function hi() {
return 'hi';
}
``` |
Three backticks on their own lines (new Reddit and the apps). Four leading spaces per line works everywhere, old Reddit included. | |
| Quote | > Quoted text > > A reply inside the quote |
A greater-than sign at the start of each line; stack them to nest. | |
| Link | [Keywords Everywhere](https://keywordseverywhere.com/) |
Text in square brackets, URL in parentheses. A bare URL becomes a link on its own. | |
| User and subreddit links | Ask u/spez or visit r/SEO |
u/name and r/name link automatically; a leading slash is optional. | |
| Lists | - First point - Second point - Indented sub-point 1. Step one 2. Step two |
A dash, asterisk, or number and a space. Indent two or more spaces for a sub-list. Leave a blank line before the first item. | |
| Heading | # Big heading ## Smaller heading |
One to six hashes and a space at the start of the line. Without the space it stays plain text. | |
| Table | | Tool | Price | |:--|--:| | Editor | Free | | Checker | Free | |
Pipes between cells, a dashes row under the header; colons in that row set the alignment. Tables need Markdown mode on mobile. | |
| Line break | First line second line New paragraph |
A blank line starts a new paragraph everywhere. Inside a paragraph, new Reddit and the apps break on a single Enter; old Reddit needs two spaces at the end of the line (the preview switch shows both). | |
| Divider line | Above the line --- Below the line |
Three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores on a line of their own, with a blank line above. | |
| Show a symbol literally | \*not italic\* and 2 \^ 3 |
A backslash before *, _, ~, ^, #, >, [, or ` prints the character instead of formatting. | |
| Empty line that stays | Paragraph one ​ Paragraph after a bigger gap |
Reddit collapses stacked blank lines; the entity ​ (an invisible character) keeps one as a visible gap. |
How it works
Reddit formats posts and comments with its own flavour of Markdown: a handful of symbols around your text stand for bold, italics, spoilers, quotes, links, lists, code, tables, and superscript. The Reddit Markdown Editor renders those symbols the way Reddit does, live, so you can see the result before you post, and its toolbar inserts each one around whatever you have selected.
- Type or paste on the left, read the preview on the right. The preview is styled like a Reddit comment, spoilers included (click one to reveal it).
- Preview as New Reddit or Old Reddit. The two disagree on one thing. A single Enter inside a paragraph is a line break on new Reddit and in the apps. Old Reddit ignores it unless the line ends with two spaces. The switch shows both; the Line break button inserts the version that works on every one.
- Counters against Reddit's limits: 300 characters for a title, 40,000 for a text post (80,000 with Premium), 10,000 for a comment.
- Copy Markdown to paste into Reddit in Markdown mode; Copy as plain text gives the rendered words without the symbols.
- Nothing is uploaded. Everything runs in your browser; your draft is remembered only there.
Paste into the Reddit app or new Reddit in Markdown mode (the switch under the text box); the default rich-text editor treats the symbols as plain text. Old Reddit is Markdown-only. Titles take no formatting anywhere. HTML tags are never rendered.
What you will see
- Markdown
- Your text with Reddit's formatting symbols. This is what you copy and paste into Reddit.
- Preview
- The same text rendered as Reddit will show it: bold, italics, strikethrough, spoiler boxes, superscript, quotes, lists, links, code, tables, and dividers.
- New Reddit and apps / Old Reddit
- Which line-break rule the preview follows. Everything else renders the same on both.
- Text post and comment characters
- Characters in your Markdown, symbols included, against the 40,000-character post limit and the 10,000-character comment limit. Amber near the limit, red over it.
- Post title
- An optional plain-text title with its own 300-character meter; Reddit never formats titles.
- Cheat-sheet
- Every construct with the Markdown to type, the rendered result, and where it fails.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a spoiler tag on Reddit?
Wrap the hidden text in >! and !< with no spaces inside the markers: >!the butler did it!<. Readers see a black box and click it to reveal the text. It works in posts and comments on old Reddit, new Reddit, and the apps; the Spoiler button here inserts the markers around whatever you have selected. Marking a whole post as a spoiler is a separate switch when you submit it.
How do I make a line break on Reddit?
A blank line between two paragraphs works everywhere. Inside a paragraph it depends on where the reader is. New Reddit and the official apps break the line wherever you pressed Enter. Old Reddit joins the lines unless you end the first one with two spaces. The "Preview as" switch above the editor shows both, and the Line break button inserts the two-space version, which renders correctly on every version.
How do I strikethrough, bold, or italicize text on Reddit?
Two tildes for strikethrough (~~like this~~), two asterisks for bold (**bold**), one asterisk or underscore for italics (*italic*). Reddit ignores underscores inside a word, so snake_case_names stay as typed. Select the text and press the toolbar button, or use Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I (Cmd on a Mac).
How do I do superscript on Reddit?
Put a caret before the word: x^2 renders as x2. For a phrase, wrap it in parentheses after the caret: ^(this whole phrase). Carets can nest for stacked text. Superscript is only available in Markdown mode; the Fancy Pants editor has no button for it.
How do I make a table on Reddit?
Write the header cells separated by pipes, then a row of dashes under it, then one line per row: | Tool | Price |, |---|---|, | Editor | Free |. A colon on the left, right, or both sides of the dashes sets the column alignment. The Table button inserts a starter table you can edit; tables need Markdown mode in the apps.
Why does my formatting not work in the Reddit app?
The default editor on new Reddit and the apps is the rich-text "Fancy Pants" editor, which treats Markdown symbols as ordinary text. Switch to Markdown mode (the "Markdown Editor" or "Switch to Markdown" link under the text box) before pasting, and the formatting renders. Superscript, tables, and some spoiler versions are Markdown-only. Titles never take formatting on any version.
How do I quote someone on Reddit?
Start the line with a greater-than sign and a space: > the text you are quoting. Each quoted paragraph needs its own marker, and a second sign (> >) nests a quote inside a quote, which is how threads show who said what. The Quote button adds the marker to every selected line.
Is this Reddit formatter free, and is my text private?
Completely free, no signup, and nothing connects to your Reddit account. Everything renders in your browser, so your draft is never uploaded; it is remembered only in your own browser storage so you can come back to it. Copy the Markdown, paste it into Reddit in Markdown mode, and post.