Markdown Underline: How to Underline Text

Underline text in Markdown

Text

Markdown syntax

Needs HTML

<ins>underlined</ins>

The form GitHub documents for underline.

Standard Markdown has no underline, because underlined text reads as a link on the web. If you need it, use an HTML tag. Double underscores are bold in Markdown, not underline, except in Discord.

All ways to write it

```
<ins>underlined</ins>
```
The form GitHub documents for underline.Needs HTML
```
<u>underlined</u>
```
Works in most editors that allow inline HTML.Needs HTML
```
__underlined__
```
Underline in Discord only. Everywhere else this is bold.Some tools only

Example

You type

Read the <ins>whole</ins> checklist before you deploy.

You get

Read the whole checklist before you deploy.

Questions

Why doesn't Markdown have underline?

Markdown was designed for the web, where underlined text means a link. Emphasis is written with italic or bold instead.

Does <u> work on GitHub?

GitHub documents <ins> for underline. If a tag is stripped, the text still shows, just without the line.

Underline in Confluence

The Confluence editor has its own underline button (Ctrl+U or Cmd+U), so on a normal page you don't need Markdown for it. When you export pages with Markdown Exporter, underlined text has no Markdown form to land in.