How to make underlined text in Telegram

Underlined text in Telegram is created using the built-in formatting menu on mobile and desktop, or by wrapping text with __double underscores__ in Telegram Desktop and Bot API. This formatting option was added in 2019 and works across all Telegram platforms, though the method varies depending on your device and app version.

How Underline Formatting Works in Telegram

Telegram supports rich text formatting that goes beyond basic bold and italic. Underline is one of several advanced formatting options available to users, channel admins, and bot developers. Unlike platforms that reserve underline exclusively for hyperlinks, Telegram treats it as a standalone text style you can apply to any word or phrase.

Underlined text renders as a thin line beneath the characters, making it visually distinct from surrounding content. It works in personal chats, group messages, channel posts, and bot messages alike.

Platform Availability

Platform Underline Support Method Telegram iOS Yes Select text → Format menu Telegram Android Yes Select text → Format menu Telegram Desktop Yes Format menu or __text__ syntax Telegram Web (K/A) Yes Format menu Telegram Bot API Yes HTML <u> tag or MarkdownV2 __text__

How to Underline Text on Mobile (iOS & Android)

Step 1: Type Your Message

Write the text you want to format in the message input field. Do not send it yet.

Step 2: Select the Text

Tap and hold on the word you want to underline. Drag the selection handles to highlight the exact portion of text you need formatted.

Step 3: Open the Formatting Menu

  • On iOS: Tap the BIU option in the context menu that appears above the selection. If you do not see it, tap the right arrow (▸) to reveal additional options.
  • On Android: Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the context menu, then select Formatting. On some Android versions, you may see a formatting icon directly in the toolbar.

Step 4: Choose Underline

From the formatting options, tap Underline. The selected text will immediately display with an underline in the input field, confirming the format was applied.

Step 5: Send the Message

Tap the send button. The recipient will see the underlined text rendered correctly.

How to Underline Text on Telegram Desktop

Telegram Desktop offers two methods for underlining text.

Method A: Keyboard Shortcut

  1. Type your message in the input field.
  2. Select the text you want to underline.
  3. Press Ctrl + U on Windows/Linux or Cmd + U on macOS.

This is the fastest method and works identically to underline shortcuts in word processors.

Method B: Right-Click Context Menu

  1. Select the text you want to format.
  2. Right-click the selection.
  3. Navigate to Formatting → Underline.

Method C: Markdown-Style Syntax

In Telegram Desktop and the Bot API, you can type double underscores around your text:

__this text will be underlined__

After sending, it renders as underlined text. Note that this syntax only works in Telegram Desktop's message input — it does not work on mobile apps.

Underline in Telegram Bots and Bot API

If you manage a Telegram channel or build bots, you can send underlined text programmatically using two parsing modes.

HTML Mode

<u>This text is underlined</u>

You can also use the <ins> tag as an alternative:

<ins>This text is also underlined</ins>

MarkdownV2 Mode

__This text is underlined__

Important: In MarkdownV2, you must escape special characters like ., !, (, ), -, and others with a backslash. For example: __Price\: \$9\.99__

Combining Formats

Telegram allows nesting of formatting styles. You can combine underline with bold, italic, or strikethrough:

HTML examples:

<b><u>Bold and underlined</u></b>
<i><u>Italic and underlined</u></i>
<s><u>Strikethrough and underlined</u></s>

MarkdownV2 examples:

*__bold and underlined__*
___italic and underlined___
~__strikethrough and underlined__~

Using Underline in Channel Posts

When creating content for your Telegram channel, underline serves as a powerful visual tool for drawing attention to key phrases without resorting to bold or all-caps text. It is especially effective for:

  • Highlighting key terms in educational content
  • Emphasizing deadlines such as "Registration closes March 15"
  • Marking important names or titles within longer posts
  • Drawing attention to calls-to-action in promotional content

If you publish your Telegram channel content to the web through services like tgchannel.space, underlined text is preserved in the HTML output as <u> tags, maintaining your formatting across both platforms.

Tips & Best Practices

  • Use underline sparingly. Readers often associate underlined text with hyperlinks on the web. Overusing it can create confusion, especially when your posts contain actual links.
  • Combine with other formats strategically. Bold-underline (<b><u>text</u></b>) creates strong visual emphasis for critical information like prices, dates, or warnings.
  • Test on multiple devices. Before publishing a channel post with complex formatting, send a test message to a private chat or your Saved Messages to verify it renders correctly on both mobile and desktop.
  • Use the Bot API for consistent results. If you automate channel posts through a bot, HTML parsing mode gives you the most reliable and readable formatting control compared to MarkdownV2.
  • Keep paragraphs readable. Even with underline formatting available, the most readable Telegram posts use short paragraphs, line breaks, and emoji as visual separators — underline should complement these, not replace them.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using single underscores instead of double
Why it's wrong: In Telegram's MarkdownV2, single underscores (_text_) create italic text, not underline. You need double underscores (__text__) for underline.
How to avoid: Remember the rule — one underscore for italic, two for underline.

Mistake 2: Trying markdown syntax on mobile
Why it's wrong: The __text__ syntax does not automatically convert to underlined text on Telegram iOS or Android. It will be sent as plain text with literal underscores.
How to avoid: On mobile, always use the selection-based formatting menu (tap and hold → Format → Underline).

Mistake 3: Not escaping special characters in MarkdownV2
Why it's wrong: When using the Bot API with MarkdownV2 parse mode, unescaped characters like ., -, (, ) cause parsing errors and the message fails to send.
How to avoid: Use HTML parse mode instead, which requires far less escaping, or carefully escape every special character in MarkdownV2.

Mistake 4: Overusing underline for emphasis
Why it's wrong: When everything is underlined, nothing stands out. Readers scan past uniformly formatted text without registering the emphasis.
How to avoid: Reserve underline for one or two key phrases per post. Use bold for primary emphasis and underline as a secondary tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you underline text in Telegram stories?
No, Telegram Stories currently support only basic text styling through the built-in story editor. Rich formatting options like underline, bold, and italic are not available in the Stories text tool.

Does underlined text appear in Telegram search results?
Yes, the underlying text content is fully searchable regardless of formatting. When you search for a word in a chat, Telegram finds it whether it is plain, bold, italic, or underlined.

Can I underline text in Telegram polls or quiz options?
No, poll and quiz answer options in Telegram do not support any text formatting. They accept plain text only.

Is there a way to underline text in Telegram captions for photos and videos?
Yes, media captions support the same formatting as regular messages. You can select text in a caption and apply underline through the formatting menu on any platform.

Will underline formatting be preserved if I forward a message?
Yes, when you forward a message in Telegram, all text formatting — including underline — is preserved in the forwarded copy. The recipient sees the exact same formatting as the original.