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How to bold text on LinkedIn
Write the post in the formatter, select the words, press Bold, then copy the post into LinkedIn. Step by step:
- Write or paste your post in the box above.
- Select the words: drag across them or double-click one. On a phone, press and hold a word, then drag the handles.
- Press Bold and press it again to undo it. On a computer, Ctrl+B (Cmd+B on a Mac) works too and Ctrl+I gives italic.
- For a list, select the lines and press Bullets, Arrows or Numbers.
- Press Copy text. On LinkedIn, click Start a post at the top of your homepage or in the app tap Post in the navigation bar and paste.
Articles and newsletters are the exception: their editor has its own bold and italic buttons, as AuthoredUp's guide to bold text (updated July 2026) notes, so there you can format without this.
The styles and when to use each
| Style | Looks like | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | A sample in bold letters | The opening line, a label at the start of a line, the one number that matters. |
| Italic | A sample in italic letters | A quote, a book's title, a word you would stress out loud. |
| Bold italic | A sample in bold italic letters | Rarely: one phrase that must stand out from bold already there. |
| Monospace | A sample in typewriter letters | A prompt or a code that readers should copy exactly. |
| Strikethrough | A sample with a line through it | A before and after: the old way, the old price, the first draft. |
| Bullets, arrows, numbers | A dot, an arrow and a number at the start of each line | Steps and short lists, one idea to a line. |
Each style is a set of Unicode characters, so it pastes like any other text. Plain turns them back into ordinary letters, including styled letters pasted from other formatters.
What a well-formatted LinkedIn post looks like
- A few styled words, not paragraphs. Bold stands out because the rest is plain. If half the post is bold, nothing does.
- The point before the fold. The feed shows only the start of a post, so the line that earns a click on "...see more" goes first.
- Plain letters where search and links matter. AuthoredUp reports that LinkedIn's search treats styled letters as different characters from plain ones, so keep names, keywords and hashtags plain. The formatter leaves hashtags, @mentions and links alone.
- Short lines. One idea a line, a blank line between blocks and a list for three or more parts.
The limits it works with
| What | The figure | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| A post's length | Up to 3,000 characters | LinkedIn Help, "Post and share updates" |
| Where "...see more" falls | About 210 characters on a computer, about 140 on a phone | AuthoredUp's guide to LinkedIn character limits, updated August 2026. LinkedIn doesn't publish it. |
| Screen readers | Styled letters can be read as symbols, spelled out letter by letter or skipped | AuthoredUp's guide to bold text, updated July 2026 |
The formatter counts each styled letter as two characters, since each is stored as two units of text, so a post it passes stays inside 3,000 whichever way LinkedIn counts.
Tips for formatting a LinkedIn post
- Write it plain first, then style it. To change a styled word later, select it, press Plain, edit it and style it again.
- Read the first 140 characters on their own. That is about what a phone shows, so the hook has to work there.
- One style per post is plenty. Bold for the opening and a list for the middle covers most posts.
- Check it on your phone once it's up. A device without a font for these letters shows empty boxes.
- Keep your name and your company's name plain, so people searching for either can find you.
Questions
How do I make text bold on LinkedIn?
Write it in the formatter, select the words, press Bold and copy the post into LinkedIn. Posts have no bold button of their own, so the bold look comes from Unicode letters.
Can I use styled text in comments and on my profile?
Yes. The styled letters are characters, not formatting, so they paste into comments and your About section like any other text. Use them just as sparingly there.
Can screen readers read styled text?
Not reliably. Depending on the screen reader, a styled word can be spelled out letter by letter, read as symbols or skipped. Keep styling to a few words and never put the only mention of a key fact in styled letters.
Why does the formatter count more characters than I see?
Each styled letter is stored as two units of text and the formatter counts it as two. Counted that way, a post it passes fits LinkedIn's 3,000 characters whichever way LinkedIn counts.
Does the formatter send my text anywhere?
No. It runs in your browser and nothing you type leaves this page.
Related tools
Where FOUND fits
Formatting helps the people who already see your post read it. FOUND, an AI SDR for LinkedIn, goes looking for the people who should see it. It watches for buying signals every day, such as someone posting about the problem you solve or engaging with a competitor's posts, checks each person against your buyer and writes the connection note (on a Premium account), the messages and the emails from what that person did. Review mode holds every invitation, message and email until you approve it.
Watch it work in the demo or see the pricing: $69 a month for two agents, one LinkedIn account, one mailbox and 100 credits.
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