Confluence Text Formatting: Toolbar, Shortcuts, and Drafts

Confluence formatting starts with selecting text and using the toolbar. This guide covers strikethrough, headings, colors, code, tables, and lists, plus a preview-and-copy workflow for existing Markdown or plain-text drafts.

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See formatted text become a polished Confluence page in seconds.A polished page with headings, tables, and formatted text ready for Confluence.

Which text formatting method should you use?

Start with a short sample. These workflows produce editable content, but pasted drafts still need a destination check for native mentions, tasks, and macros.

Method 1: Format text with the Confluence toolbar

Open the page in edit mode, select the text, and apply a format from the toolbar. Use paragraph styles for headings and the insert menu for elements such as tables.

For a short edit, work directly in Confluence. If you already have a document written in Markdown, start with the Markdown to Confluence converter. For unformatted notes, use the plain-text Confluence editor to organize the draft before copying it into your page.

Text selection can reveal a floating toolbar. Atlassian’s toolbar guide also explains how to pin it to the top. Controls may look different as editor updates roll out.

  • Bold draws attention to a decision or key term; avoid bolding a whole paragraph.
  • Italic works for a short aside or a document title.
  • Underline can look like a link, so use it selectively.
  • Strikethrough keeps superseded text visible. Pair it with the replacement or an explanation.

How to add strikethrough in Confluence

Select the words, open the toolbar’s more formatting menu (…), and choose Strikethrough. While typing, the Markdown shortcut is ~~text~~.

Use the toolbar for existing text

  1. Edit the page and select only the words you want to cross out.
  2. Open more formatting (…) and select Strikethrough.
  3. Check the selection. To remove the effect, select the text and toggle Strikethrough again.

This menu location is documented in Atlassian’s text formatting guide. If you cannot see the option, first confirm that you are editing the page rather than viewing it.

Type strikethrough with Markdown

In a normal text paragraph, type two tildes before and after the words. For example:

Release date: ~~10 September~~ 17 September

Intended result: Release date: 10 September 17 September.

Atlassian lists ~~Strikethrough~~ as a Cloud editor shortcut. A single hyphen on each side is not this Markdown syntax. Keep the text outside inline code or a code block if you want the formatting applied.

What if the tildes or shortcut do not work?

Try a short sample by typing in a normal paragraph. If you pasted a larger document, literal tildes do not necessarily mean the syntax is wrong: whole-document paste and typing shortcuts are different paths. Apply Strikethrough through the toolbar, or preview your source in the Markdown converter and inspect the rich-text paste result.

For a keyboard combination, check the editor’s Keyboard shortcuts help for your operating system. Do not rely on one combination working in every browser or editor context.

Keep the meaning clear: crossed-out words remain readable. In a decision record, follow the old value with the new value and explain why it changed. Use an action item when you need an actual completion checkbox.

Headings and page structure

Use the paragraph-style menu to apply a heading level. Typing ## followed by a space starts a level-two heading; ### followed by a space starts level three.

Give the page a descriptive title, then organize its body into sections such as Problem, Scope, Requirements, and Decisions. Use a consistent hierarchy and avoid turning ordinary bold text into a substitute for headings.

  • Keep section names specific: “Import validation” is easier to find than “Details.”
  • Use one level for peer sections and the next level for their subsections.
  • For a long document, check the table of contents against the structure you intended.

Text colors and highlighting

Select text and open the Text and highlight color control to choose a text or highlight color. These controls are covered in the official formatting reference.

Use color to reinforce a written label, such as “Blocked,” rather than making color the only signal. Check that the foreground remains readable against the background. For step-by-step examples, see how to highlight text in Confluence.

Inline code and code blocks

Use inline code for a field name such as customer_id and a code block for a multi-line example. Backticks around a short value create an inline-code shortcut; three backticks followed by a space are listed as a code-snippet shortcut in Atlassian’s Markdown reference.

Alternatively, open the insert menu with / and find the code element. Paste your sample there, choose an appropriate language if offered, and check indentation. Do not place an entire prose document inside a code block if you want headings, links, or strikethrough to render.

Tables for requirements and comparisons

Use the table control or the / insert menu to add a table. Select its cells to find table-specific editing options. Atlassian documents row, column, header, and cell controls in Simplify data with tables.

Start with a small set of columns, such as Requirement, Owner, and Status. Put long explanations below the table and link to them if necessary. Check narrow-screen readability before publishing.

If a pasted Markdown table stays as rows of pipes, the editor may not have converted the pasted source. Preview it in the Markdown to Confluence tool, verify its separator row and column counts, then copy the rendered rich text.

Lists and action items

Use bullets for parallel points, numbered lists for steps, and action items for work someone needs to complete. Confluence offers these through its toolbar or insert menu. The typed shortcuts include * plus a space for bullets, 1. plus a space for numbering, and [] plus a space for an action item.

Keep nesting shallow. If a list needs several levels to explain a decision, give that topic its own heading instead. For assignments, add the actual person mention inside Confluence; text that merely looks like a name is not a confirmed assignment. See Atlassian’s action item and mention instructions.

Method 2: Format while typing with Markdown shortcuts

  1. Click inside a normal editable paragraph, outside a code block.
  2. Type ## followed by a space to start a heading, then enter “Release checklist”.
  3. Start a new paragraph and type * followed by a space for a bullet. Enter “Review the draft”.
  4. For crossed-out text, try ~~Old deadline~~ and inspect the result.

Use these shortcuts for new writing. Pasting a complete document is a different operation; if its syntax stays visible, use the toolbar or the draft workflow below. See the official shortcut list.

Where to find the right formatting shortcuts

While editing, open shortcut help with Ctrl + / on Windows or Command + / on Mac, or use the Help menu. The list shown in the application is specific to your operating system, as described in Atlassian’s keyboard shortcut reference.

Look under Formatting for the action you need. If the browser intercepts a combination, use the toolbar and confirm that focus is inside the editor. Typing Markdown is another option for repeated formatting, but it does not replace every native Confluence element.

Method 3: Format an existing draft before pasting

Typing Markdown shortcuts into Confluence is different from pasting a complete Markdown file. Do not assume that all headings, tables, and nested lists will convert automatically on paste.

  1. For Markdown source, open Markdown to Confluence. For unformatted notes, start with the plain-text editor.
  2. Paste your draft and check the preview, especially tables, code, and crossed-out text.
  3. Copy the formatted rich text, then paste it into your Confluence draft in edit mode.
  4. Add native mentions, action items, or other macros where required, and review the destination page before publishing.

This workflow prepares document content for copying. It does not publish to your workspace or create Jira issues. Editor and clipboard differences can still require adjustments after pasting.

Example: turn a release note into a readable page

Start with “Release notes: export is ready; the old deadline was Friday; review before publishing.” Give “Release notes” a heading style, put the review step in a list, and cross out Friday only if you need to preserve the old decision. Add the new deadline in ordinary text.

Check the result as a reader: the section is easy to find, the action is separate, and the revision remains understandable without color. For background emphasis, follow the dedicated Confluence highlight text guide.

Common Confluence formatting issues

Pasted content has the wrong spacing or styles

Compare a small sample first. If you only need its words, paste without formatting and apply the desired structure. If you need existing headings and tables, copy the rendered rich text and inspect the result before moving the rest of the document.

Strikethrough appears as literal ~~characters~~

Check whether the content is inside code, was pasted as plain text, or has only one tilde on each side. Select the words and use the Strikethrough toolbar option to test the native format.

A heading is missing from the contents list

Check whether it is a real paragraph heading rather than bold normal text. Also inspect the table-of-contents settings for excluded heading levels.

Code loses its line breaks

Use a multi-line code element rather than inline code. Compare the pasted sample with the source, particularly leading spaces and blank lines.

Reviewed against Atlassian’s Confluence Cloud documentation. This guide is maintained by Text to Confluence Editor and is independent of Atlassian.

Want to spend less time formatting in Confluence?

Formatting headings, tables, lists, and emphasis by hand works for a few edits. For a formatted draft, Markdown, or a Word document, use Text to Confluence Editor to prepare the content, inspect the preview, and copy rich text into Confluence with less manual reformatting.

  1. Bring your content: paste Markdown, or open your .doc/.docx document in Word or Google Docs and copy its body into the document tool.
  2. Check the preview: review heading levels, tables, lists, and emphasis, then adjust the draft as needed.
  3. Copy and paste: copy the formatted rich text, paste normally into Confluence in edit mode, and review the result before publishing.
Convert Markdown for free →Prepare Word / Doc content →Open the text editor →

No account needed. The Word workflow uses copied document content, not direct file upload. Formatting support depends on the source and destination editor; check background highlights, mentions, and macros after pasting, and add them in Confluence where needed.