How to Change Font on WhatsApp: Styles, Symbols and Size

Last checked October 2026.

People usually ask about WhatsApp fonts for one of two reasons. Either they want a message to stand out, with a bold heading or a crossed-out word, or the text in their chats is too small (or too big) to read comfortably. WhatsApp handles both, just in different places. I've pulled the steps together from WhatsApp's own help centre so you can change the look of a message in seconds and set a reading size that suits your eyes.

For anyone using WhatsApp for business, formatting is worth learning. A bold opening line, a short numbered list and a quote from the customer's last message make a reply far easier to scan on a small screen.

Can you change the font style on WhatsApp?

Not to a completely different typeface. WhatsApp's help centre says custom fonts aren't supported, so you can't switch your chats to a handwriting font or a fancy script inside the app. What you can do is style the text you send, using built-in formatting: bold, italic, strikethrough and monospace, plus lists, quotes and inline code. You can also change the size of chat text on Android, and on iPhone through your phone's own text size setting.

WhatsApp text formatting symbols for bold, italic and more

WhatsApp's help page on formatting messages lists these symbols. Type them around your words and the formatting appears once the message is sent.

Style	What to type	Example
Bold	An asterisk on both sides	*Opening hours*
Italic	An underscore on both sides	_see you soon_
Strikethrough	A tilde on both sides	~Friday~ Saturday
Monospace	Three backticks on both sides	```booking ref```
Inline code	One backtick on both sides	`code`
Bulleted list	An asterisk or hyphen and a space at the start of each line	- Tea
Numbered list	A number, a full stop and a space at the start of each line	1. Tea
Quote	An angle bracket and a space at the start of the line	> text

Don't leave a space between the symbol and the first or last word, or the formatting won't apply.

Formatting WhatsApp messages from the menu instead of symbols

If you'd rather not remember symbols, you can select the text and pick a style. WhatsApp's help centre describes double-clicking the text you've typed and choosing Bold, Italic, Strikethrough or Inline code from the menu that appears. On phones it works the same way with a long press:

1. Type your message in the text box.
2. Press and hold (or double-tap) the word you want to style, and drag the handles to select more text.
3. On Android, tap the three dots in the menu that pops up. On iPhone, look for the BIU or Format option.
4. Choose the style you want.
5. Send the message as normal.

WhatsApp's help page notes that some of the newer formatting options appeared first on WhatsApp Web and the Mac desktop app, so the exact menu can vary by device and app version. If you can't see an option in the menu, the symbols still work.

Changing the WhatsApp chat font size on Android

WhatsApp's Android help page puts the setting inside the app:

1. Open WhatsApp and tap the three dots in the top corner.
2. Tap Settings, then Chats.
3. Tap Font size.
4. Choose Small, Medium or Large and tap OK if asked.

This changes the text inside your chats. For the rest of the app's screens, WhatsApp follows your phone's own font size, which you'll find in your device settings under Accessibility or Display, then Font size. Exact names vary between phone makers.

Changing the WhatsApp text size on iPhone

On iPhone, WhatsApp's help centre says you change the font size through your device settings rather than inside WhatsApp:

1. Open the iPhone Settings app.
2. Tap Display and Brightness.
3. Tap Text Size.
4. Drag the slider to make text larger or smaller.
5. Go back to WhatsApp and check a chat.

For even bigger text, iPhone also has a Larger Text option in Accessibility. WhatsApp's help page warns that turning on larger dynamic text can hide profile and group photos in the app, so if pictures vanish after you change it, that's why.

Third-party WhatsApp font apps and keyboards: a privacy warning

Search an app store for WhatsApp fonts and you'll find plenty of keyboards and font generators. Most of them don't change WhatsApp at all. They swap your letters for lookalike symbols from other alphabets, which you then paste into a chat. That brings a few problems:

• Keyboards can see what you type. A third-party keyboard has access to everything you type through it, including passwords and private messages, so only install one you trust.
• Screen readers struggle. Lookalike symbols can be read out as gibberish, which makes your message hard to follow for anyone using accessibility tools.
• Search breaks. You won't find those messages later by searching for the words.
• It may not display everywhere. Older phones can show empty boxes instead of letters.

If you like the idea of decorative text for a bio or caption elsewhere, my Instagram font generator explains how those characters work and when to use them. For WhatsApp chats, the built-in formatting is the safer choice.

Making WhatsApp business messages easy to read

Formatting isn't decoration; it helps a busy customer find the bit they need. A few habits that work well:

• Put the key detail in bold, such as a date, a time or an order reference.
• Use a numbered list for steps, like how to book or what to bring.
• Quote the customer's question before you answer it in a group chat, so it's clear what you're replying to.
• Use strikethrough sparingly, for example to show a changed time.
• Keep emojis purposeful; my guide to what WhatsApp emojis mean helps you avoid the ones that land wrongly.

The same thinking applies on other platforms. If you also post on LinkedIn, where there's no built-in bold, my walkthrough on bolding text in a LinkedIn post covers the workarounds.

When WhatsApp formatting doesn't show up

• Symbols appear as typed: check there's no space between the symbol and the word, and that you've used the symbol on both sides.
• Formatting looks different for the other person: they may be on an older app version. Ask them to update WhatsApp.
• Menu option missing: update the app, or use the symbols instead.
• Text size didn't change: on iPhone, the setting lives in your phone settings, not WhatsApp; on Android, check both the WhatsApp Chats setting and the phone's font size.

Frequently asked questions

Can I turn off text formatting in WhatsApp?

WhatsApp's help page says there's no option to disable formatting. If you want a symbol to show as itself, add a space after it or avoid placing it on both sides of a word.

Does the other person see my font size change?

No. Font size settings only change how text looks on your own phone. The person you're chatting with sees their own chosen size.

Can I use bold text in WhatsApp status updates?

WhatsApp's formatting help page covers messages and doesn't say whether text statuses support it, so try it on a test status before you post something important.

Why does my WhatsApp text look tiny on a tablet?

WhatsApp follows the device's own text size for most screens. Raise the font size in your device settings, then check the Chats setting if you're on Android.

Can I change the colour of text in WhatsApp?

No. WhatsApp's formatting options cover bold, italic, strikethrough, monospace, lists, quotes and inline code, but not text colour.