# Format text and use styles

> Format text in PlexiiDocs with fonts, sizes, colours, alignment, spacing and lists, apply paragraph styles, and restyle every heading of a level at once.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-format-text-and-styles
Section: Office > PlexiiDocs
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

PlexiiDocs gives you the formatting you would expect from a word processor, in the toolbar, the **Format** menu and a small bar that appears over selected text. Paragraph styles keep a document consistent: change how one heading level looks, and every heading of that level follows.

## Before you start

- **Plans.** Formatting is on every plan.
- **Select first.** Most formatting applies to the text you have selected, or to the paragraph the cursor is in.

## Format characters

Select the text, then use the toolbar:

| Button | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Bold**, **Italic**, **Underline**, **Strikethrough** | The usual text styles. `⌘` `B`, `⌘` `I` and `⌘` `U` on a Mac, `Ctrl` `B`, `Ctrl` `I` and `Ctrl` `U` on Windows. |
| **Inline code** | Sets the text in a typewriter-style font, for code or file names. |
| **Subscript**, **Superscript** | Lowers or raises the text, as in H₂O or 10². |
| **Text color** | Opens a colour picker for the text. |
| **Highlight** | Opens a colour picker for a highlight behind the text. |
| **Clear formatting** | Removes character formatting and turns the paragraph back into normal text. |

### Font and size

- **Font:** click the font box (it says **Default** to begin with). Choose **Default**, **Sans**, **Serif** or **Mono**, or type in **Search Google Fonts…** and pick from the list. Each font is shown in its own typeface.
- **Size:** choose a size from 12 to 36 in the **Size** list. Choose **Size** itself to go back to the default.

### The bar over selected text

When you select text, a small dark bar appears just below it with **Bold**, **Italic**, **Underline**, **Highlight** and **Link**, plus two more:

- **Apply this style across the whole document** (the paint roller) copies the selection's character formatting, such as its font, size, colour and bold, to all the text in the document. A window lists exactly what will change; click **Apply to whole document** to go ahead, or **Cancel**. You can undo it with `⌘` `Z` or `Ctrl` `Z`.
- **AI** rewrites the selection. See [Draft and rewrite with AI in PlexiiDocs](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-ai-writing).

## Format paragraphs

Put the cursor in the paragraph, or select several, then:

- **Alignment:** **Align left**, **Align center**, **Align right** or **Justify** in the toolbar, or **Format** > **Align**.
- **Line spacing:** choose **Single**, **1.15**, **1.5** or **Double** from the **Spacing** list in the toolbar.
- **Lists:** **Bullet list**, **Numbered list** or **Checklist** in the toolbar, or **Format** > **Bullets & numbering**. A checklist has a box to tick beside each item, and items can be nested.

## Apply a paragraph style

1. Put the cursor in the paragraph.
2. Click **Styles** in the toolbar. It shows the style the cursor is in, such as **Normal** or **Heading 1**.
3. Click a style:
   - **Normal text**
   - **Title**, then **Heading 1** to **Heading 5**
   - **Bulleted list**, **Numbered list**, **Checklist**, **Quote** and **Code block**
   - **Hyperlink**, which opens the link box for the selected text

A **Code block** sets text in a fixed-width font with colours for the code's syntax.

> **Note:**
> The **Styles** list and the **Format** menu name heading levels differently. In **Styles**, the top level is **Title** and the next is **Heading 1**. In **Format** > **Paragraph styles**, the / menu and the command palette, the top level is **Heading 1** and the next is **Heading 2**. They are the same levels with different names.

**Format** > **Paragraph styles** offers **Normal text** and the first three heading levels.

## Restyle every heading of a level

Each heading level has a named style that you can change for the whole document.

1. Click **Styles** in the toolbar.
2. Find the level's row, such as **Heading 1**. Beside its name are four controls:
   - **B** for bold and **I** for italic.
   - A size box, from 10 to 96.
   - A colour swatch.
3. Change any of them. Every heading of that level in the document changes straight away.

Click a level's name to apply it to the paragraph the cursor is in. The heading styles are saved with the document, so they come with it wherever it opens.

> **Tip:**
> If your organisation has a brand kit, new documents start with heading styles in the brand's look. See [Brand kit, Brandify and your logo](https://plexiidesk.com/help/design-brand-kit).

## Commands from the keyboard

Press `⌘` `K` on a Mac (`Ctrl` `K` on Windows) in a document and type the name of a format, such as **Highlight**, **Quote block**, **Code block**, **Align centre** or **Heading 2**. See [The command palette](https://plexiidesk.com/help/command-palette).

## Common questions

**Clear formatting turned my heading into normal text.**
Clear formatting removes the text formatting and resets the paragraph to normal text. Press `⌘` `Z` or `Ctrl` `Z` to undo, then select only the words whose formatting you want to remove, or change the text colour or font directly.

**How do I change the default font for the whole document?**
Select all the text with `⌘` `A` or `Ctrl` `A`, then choose the font. Or format one passage as you like it, select it, and use **Apply this style across the whole document**.

**My headings are out of order for a screen reader.**
Use the levels in order, starting with the top one. **Tools** > **Check accessibility** finds skipped levels. See [Check a file for accessibility](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-accessibility-check).

## Related tasks

- [PlexiiDocs overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-overview)
- [Insert with / and link with @](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-slash-menu-and-mentions)
- [Table of contents and footnotes](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-contents-and-footnotes)
- [Check a file for accessibility](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-accessibility-check)
- [Find and replace in a document](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-find-and-replace)