---
title: "Formatting Chat Message Text in 8x8 Work for Desktop"
slug: "formatting-chat-message-text-in-8x8-work-for-desktop"
updated: 2026-04-16T13:36:14Z
published: 2026-05-21T21:27:32Z
canonical: "help.8x8.com/formatting-chat-message-text-in-8x8-work-for-desktop"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.8x8.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Formatting Chat Message Text in 8x8 Work for Desktop

## Objective

Apply text formatting such as bolding and italics to text in your 8x8 chat and Team Messaging conversations.

> [!NOTE]
> Note:
> 
> Message text sent via SMS to phone numbers outside of your 8x8 system contacts will not appear formatted to message recipients.

## Applies To

- 8x8 Work for Desktop
- Chat Messages
- Team Messaging

## Procedure

Wrap the target text with any of the following to apply formatting.

| Format Option | Wrapper/Format | Wrap Example | Output Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Bold** | * (asterisk) | *bold* | **bold** |
| **Italic** | _ (underscore) | _italics_ | *italics* |
| **Strikeout/Strike through** | ~ (tilde) | ~strikeout~ | ~~strikeout~~ |
| **Fixed Width font** | ` (back quote) | `fixed width` | ```plaintext fixed width ``` |
| **Multi-line Fixed Width font** | ``` (back quote) | ``` fixed width ``` | ```plaintext fixed width ``` |
| **Hyperlink** | [target text](url) | [click here](https://urltolinkto.com) | [click here](https://urltolinkto.com) |

> [!NOTE]
> Note:
> 
> You cannot apply more than one formatting option to a single set of target text. (E.g., you cannot make a word or phrase both bold and italic.)