Reddit Formatting Guide for Desktop and Mobile

Reddit formatting starts with the editor. On desktop Reddit, use the rich text toolbar or switch to the Markdown editor to type formatting syntax. On the native iOS and Android apps, use the rich text controls available in your composer. Reddit began retiring the old app Markdown composer for posts on May 4, 2026, and its current help also describes the transition for comments. In the native app, raw Markdown syntax no longer automatically converts.

If you opened Reddit in a phone browser, check the web composer you actually see. Reddit’s app changelog applies to the native app. Reddit also documents rendering differences between current Reddit and Old Reddit.

In rich text, select the words you want to change, then choose Bold or Italic. For a link, select descriptive words such as Setup guide, choose the hyperlink control, and enter the URL. Choose a bulleted list for related items or a numbered list for steps that readers should follow in sequence. On mobile, check the toolbar for the control you need.

In desktop Markdown mode, put emphasis markers directly around the words. Put each list item on its own line and leave a blank line before the list. These examples show the literal text to enter.

Use a quote to show which sentence you are answering, then leave a blank line before your reply. Use inline code for a filename or a literal setting. For several lines of code on current desktop Reddit, put matching fences of three backticks on separate lines before and after the code. Reddit’s formatting guide documents indented blocks as an option for Old Reddit compatibility.

Use a table when people need to compare the same fields across several items. In Markdown, start with a header such as | Option | Use |, follow it with | --- | --- |, then enter a row on each subsequent line. For a short list of features, bullets take less space on a phone.

In desktop Markdown, place the spoiler markers right against the hidden text, as in >!Hidden detail!<. In rich text, select the relevant words and use the spoiler control where available. Keep enough context visible that readers can decide whether to reveal the text. A spoiler treatment in the body leaves the title separate, so keep revealing details out of the title too.

If Markdown turns a leading hyphen into a bullet when you meant it as punctuation, place a backslash before it. Use a blank line between paragraphs to keep the structure easy to read across clients.

Suppose you built a calendar tool and want feedback from a community that permits product discussion. Give the post a title that states the question, such as How do you handle rescheduled meetings across time zones? Open with one sentence of disclosure and context.

Illustrative draft: I built a small calendar tool after two teammates missed a rescheduled call. It shows the original and updated time side by side.

Follow with a short list of what you tried, then end with one question. Would showing both times prevent confusion, or would you rather see only the new time? In Markdown, use **What I tried** to label the list. In rich text, apply bold to those words with the toolbar.

If the preview or draft shows raw asterisks, confirm which editor you are in. In rich text, apply formatting with its controls. In Markdown, check matching markers, spaces, and the blank lines around lists and code blocks. If pasted text behaves unexpectedly, try pasting as plain text before adding formatting.

Check that the link opens the intended page and that the draft still reads clearly in a narrow column. If a table is hard to scan or a section needs three levels of nesting, shorten it. After posting, open the post or comment and check the displayed result.