In a message, wrap your text in double underscores — or press Ctrl/Cmd+U. In a username, display name, or channel — where markdown does nothing — paste Unicode underline instead. Here's both, and when to use each.
To underline a message, wrap the text in two underscores on each side: type __underline__ and it sends as underlined. On desktop and web you can instead highlight the text and press Ctrl+U (⌘+U on Mac). This is Discord's built-in markdown — free, no Nitro, works on desktop, web, and mobile. But markdown only styles the inside of messages. For a username, display name, nickname, channel name, or status, Discord ignores the underscores and prints them literally, so you paste Unicode underline characters instead — the line is baked into each character, so it stays underlined anywhere.
__double underscores__ (or Ctrl/Cmd+U) · names, channels, status → paste Unicode underline.
Discord uses a lightweight Markdown in every message box. Underline is two underscores on each side of the text — and unlike some editors, a single underscore does something different.
__underline__ → underlined (two underscores)_italic_ → italic (one underscore — the common mix-up)__*underline italic*__ → underlined italic__**underline bold**__ → underlined bold__***all three***__ → underlined, bold, and italicOn the desktop and web apps you can skip the syntax: select the text and press Ctrl+U (⌘+U on Mac). If the shortcut does nothing, just type the underscores manually — that always works. The underscores vanish once the message posts; readers only see the line. Keep the text tight against the underscores — __ spaced __ won't render — and note that underline inside a code block (between backticks) is shown verbatim, not styled.
Markdown is only interpreted inside message and post content. Everywhere else Discord treats the field as plain text and prints your underscores exactly as typed — so __general__ as a channel name literally shows the underscores. The fields where markdown does nothing include:
To get an underlined look in any of these, use Unicode underline: ordinary letters with a combining underline mark on each character, so the underline lives in the text itself rather than in markup. Because it isn't markdown, it survives being pasted into a plain-text field. Generate it, copy it, and paste it as the name or status — no Nitro, it's just characters. The same trick gives you a bold, italic, or fancy name where ** and __ can't reach.
Type your text, copy an underlined or styled version, and paste it into your display name, a channel, or your status — free, no sign-up, no Nitro.
Open the Discord Font Generator →Related: for the full set of Discord markdown (bold, headers, colored text, spoilers, lists) see Discord text formatting explained. Also handy: how to make bold text in Discord and how to make big text in Discord. Wondering if you have to pay? See do you need Nitro for Discord fonts. To build underlined and styled names, use the Discord Fonts generator.