How to Add and Format Text in Notion?

Text in Notion is much more than simple words on a page. With Notion’s flexible text-editing and formatting tools, you can create engaging, organized content that’s easy to read and visually appealing. Whether you’re writing notes, outlining ideas, or preparing reports, knowing how to add and format text effectively in Notion helps bring clarity to your workspace.

In this guide, we’ll explore the basics of adding text, essential formatting options, and advanced tips to make your content look polished. From basic text blocks to headings, highlights, and lists, Notion provides everything you need to make your text dynamic and organized.

Also Read: How to Create Tables in Notion?

Adding Text Blocks

Text blocks are the foundation of Notion’s content structure. Each piece of text you add on a page begins as a block, which can then be customized, moved, or grouped to suit your layout. Adding text blocks is intuitive, allowing you to type freely or organize sections for specific purposes.

Steps to add a text block:

1. Go to the page where you want to add text.
2. Click in any empty space or press Enter if you’re already in a text block. You’ll see a blinking cursor ready for your input.
3. Start typing, and Notion will automatically create a new text block.
4. To add another block, simply press Enter again.

Text blocks allow you to type without interruption while still giving you the flexibility to move and arrange content as your page evolves.

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Basic Text Formatting

Once your text is in place, you can format it to enhance readability and emphasize key points. Notion provides standard formatting options like bold, italics, and underline to make your text stand out.

Steps for basic text formatting:

1. Bold: Select the text you want to bold, then press Cmd+B (Mac) or Ctrl+B (Windows), or click B in the formatting toolbar.
2. Italics: Select the text, press Cmd+I (Mac) or Ctrl+I (Windows), or click I in the toolbar.
3. Underline: While Notion doesn’t have a direct underline option, you can use bold or italics to create emphasis. Alternatively, highlight important text with color (more on that below).

These options help create a text hierarchy, drawing attention to important information within your content.

Also Read: How to Create and Organize Sections in Notion?

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Using Headings for Structure

Headings are essential for organizing content into clear sections. Notion offers three levels of headings, each with distinct font sizes, allowing you to create a logical flow on any page.

Steps to add headings:

1. Type /heading and select Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3 based on the importance of the section.
2. Type your heading text and press Enter to continue with the standard text below.
3. Use Heading 1 for main sections, Heading 2 for subsections, and Heading 3 for smaller divisions within a section.

Headings guide the reader’s eye and help structure your page, making long documents or detailed notes easy to scan.

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Creating Lists (Bulleted, Numbered, and Checklists)

Lists in Notion are versatile tools for organizing information. They can help you break down tasks, categorize ideas, or present information in a logical order.

Steps to create lists:

1. Bulleted List: Type /bulleted list or – followed by a space. Each new item will automatically be a bullet.
2. Numbered List: Type /numbered list or 1. followed by a space. Each item will automatically update its number.
3. Checklist: Type /to-do to create a checklist with clickable checkboxes. This is useful for task lists where you can check off completed items.

Lists bring order to your ideas and are especially helpful for task management, brainstorming, or making notes clear and actionable.

Also Read: How to Create a Page in Notion?

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Highlighting and Changing Text Colors

Notion allows you to add color to text and backgrounds, making important points stand out. Use color thoughtfully to draw attention to specific sections or emphasize key information.

Steps to highlight text or change text color:

1. Select the text you want to color.
2. Click on the six-dot icon to the left of the block, choose Color, and select a color for either text or background.
3. For highlighting, choose a background color that contrasts well with the text.

Using color selectively enhances readability and brings focus to important content.

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Creating Columns for Side-by-Side Text Layouts

Columns allow you to create multi-column layouts, which are ideal for comparisons or organizing information side-by-side.

Steps to create columns:

1. Create two or more text blocks.
2. Click and drag a block to the right of another block until you see a vertical blue line. Release to drop it next to the first block.
3. Adjust column width by dragging the borders between blocks.

Columns are great for dashboards, quick summaries, or any content where side-by-side organization enhances clarity.

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Aligning and Moving Text Blocks

Notion’s drag-and-drop feature makes it easy to reorder text blocks or align them based on your preferred layout. You can also duplicate, delete, or turn blocks into different formats to refine your page.

Steps to rearrange and format text blocks:

1. Hover over the left side of any text block to reveal the six-dot icon, then drag the block up or down to reorder it.
2. Click on the six-dot icon for options like Duplicate, Turn into, or Delete.
3. Experiment with different block formats to find the layout that works best for your content.

With these options, you can organize text blocks to create a cohesive, engaging layout that suits your goals.

Also Read: What is Notion?

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Wrapping up: Adding and Formatting Text in Notion

Mastering text formatting in Notion unlocks new ways to organize and present your ideas, whether you’re creating simple notes, detailed reports, or structured task lists. By combining text blocks, headings, lists, colors, and columns, you can turn basic text into a cohesive, visually engaging workspace.

Explore more guides and tips on Notion Yelp to continue building your Notion skills and make the most of this versatile platform.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)