How to Use Monospace Font in WhatsApp

Guide 3 min read February 25, 2026

Monospace fonts -- where every character takes up the same width -- are not just for programmers. On WhatsApp, monospace text stands out from the default proportional font and has some surprisingly creative uses. Whether you are sharing a snippet of code with a colleague or just want your message to look a little different, monospace is one of the most underused formatting tools available.

How to Type Monospace

The syntax is straightforward. Wrap your text in three backticks on each side. The backtick character is usually located near the top-left of your keyboard, sharing a key with the tilde (~).

```your text here```

Once you send the message, WhatsApp strips the backticks and displays your text in a fixed-width monospace font. Here are a few examples to show what it looks like in practice.

```print("Hello, World!")```

```Item Qty Price```
```Apples 3 $2.50```
```Bread 1 $3.00```

On mobile, finding the backtick key can be a bit tricky. On most Android keyboards, long-press the single quote key to reveal it. On iOS, switch to the numbers and symbols keyboard, then look for it on the second symbol page.

Why Use Monospace?

Monospace text serves several practical purposes that go beyond looking cool.

Sharing code snippets: If you work in tech, monospace is the natural choice for sending code. It preserves the visual structure and makes your snippet instantly recognizable as code rather than casual text.
Creating aligned tables and lists: Because every character occupies the same width, you can line up columns neatly. This is useful for sharing simple data, scores, or schedules.
Making text look technical or official: Monospace has a certain authority to it. It signals "this is important" or "this is precise" in a way that the default font does not.
Visual contrast: In a long conversation, monospace text breaks up the monotony. It draws the eye and makes specific messages easier to find when scrolling back.

Monospace vs Other Formatting

WhatsApp offers four native formatting options: bold, italic, strikethrough, and monospace. The first three change the style of the text -- they make it heavier, slanted, or crossed out. But monospace is unique. It is the only formatting option that changes the actual typeface.

*bold* → bold
_italic_ → italic
~strikethrough~ → ~~strikethrough~~
```monospace``` → a completely different font

This makes monospace especially effective when you want to visually separate one piece of text from everything else in the conversation. For a full breakdown of all native formatting options, see our guide to bold, italic, and strikethrough in WhatsApp.

Creative Uses

Beyond the practical applications, monospace opens up some fun possibilities.

ASCII art: Because characters align perfectly, you can create simple pictures and patterns using text characters. A smiley face, a box, a divider line -- monospace makes them all look clean.
Formatted receipts and data: Need to share a quick breakdown of expenses or a mock invoice? Monospace lets you create columns that actually line up.
Poetry with specific spacing: Some poems rely on precise character placement for their visual effect. Monospace preserves that spacing exactly as intended.
Distinguishing "code" in tech discussions: When helping someone troubleshoot, you can use monospace for commands and regular text for explanations. It makes the conversation much easier to follow.

```+----------+```
```| RECEIPT |```
```+----------+```
```| Coffee $4 |```
```| Bagel $3 |```
```| Total $7 |```
```+----------+```

Using Our Text Formatter

Remembering to type three backticks on each side gets old fast, especially on mobile where finding the backtick key requires several taps. That is exactly why we built the monospace button into our Text Formatter.

Look for the { } button in the toolbar. Select your text, tap the button, and the backticks are added automatically. You get a live preview of how the message will look, and you can copy the formatted text with a single click. No more fumbling for backticks on a tiny keyboard.

For even more text styling options beyond WhatsApp's built-in formatting, check out our 10 WhatsApp text tricks you probably did not know about.

Skip the backtick hunt -- format monospace text instantly.

Open the Text Formatter →