Reddit Formatting
Reddit formatting is mostly Markdown, but rendering differs between new Reddit, old Reddit, mobile apps, and the Fancy Pants editor. This page gives the quick version and links to the complete guide.
Short answer
Use double asterisks for bold, single asterisks for italic, greater-than for quotes, hyphen-space for bullets, numbered lines for ordered lists, backticks for code, and standard Markdown links for URLs.
Most common formatting needs are handled with a small set of Markdown patterns. Always preview before posting because Reddit clients can render edge cases differently.
List formatting fails most often because there is no blank line before the list. Put an empty line before bullets or numbered steps, then use a hyphen or number at the start of each line.
Readable Reddit posts usually use short paragraphs, plain language, useful headings, and limited links. Overformatted promotional posts often look less native.
| Bold | **text** | Emphasize a phrase |
| Italic | *text* | Light emphasis |
| Quote | > text | Reply to a specific point |
| Inline code | `code` | Show commands or syntax |
| Link | [text](https://example.com) | Add a clean URL |
FAQ
These answers are structured for search and AI citation, while still giving buyers a useful summary before they click into the deeper guides.
Use Markdown syntax: double asterisks for bold, single asterisks for italic, hyphen-space for bullets, greater-than for quotes, and backticks for code.
The most common causes are missing blank lines before lists, switching between Fancy Pants and Markdown mode, mobile app differences, or hidden formatting from pasted text.