# Anyone else having trouble making Italics and Paragraph Breaks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [January 25, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630 "2024-01-25T16:17:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/1 "2024-01-25T16:17:11Z")
For the last few days, all the words that I’ve italicized have the asterisk on each side of the word, but show up as plain text in the preview pane and when I post it (except bolding, for some reason). And the only way to get a paragraph break is to RETURN, then I insert a blurred period, then another RETURN. The beginning of this line was a double return, so there should be space between these paragrphs. And this _ITALIC_ should have been italic… Just me? Or can I blame Discourse? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/2 "2024-01-25T16:19:11Z")
> [@digs](#): > > For the last few days, all the words that I’ve italicized have the asterisk on each side of the word, but show up as plain text in the preview pane and when I post it There can’t be a space between the end of the italicized text and the asterisk, as sometimes happens when autocorrect occurs. _Word_ \*Word \* with space between end of word and asterisk. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/3 "2024-01-25T16:22:27Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And the only way to get a paragraph break is to RETURN, then I insert a blurred period, then another RETURN. The beginning of this line was a double return, so there should be space between these paragrphs. Text 123 321 text _ital test_ Looks ok to me. Just use two returns/enters for a paragraph break. Enterenter ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/4 "2024-01-25T18:11:20Z")
Since this is about Discourse’s software, let’s move this to Site Feedback (from ATMB). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/5 "2024-01-25T19:20:31Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And this _ITALIC_ should have been italic… It looks _italic_ to me! Do you have a link to a post of yours where the italicizing doesn’t occur? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/6 "2024-01-26T04:33:16Z")
That IS my example. And it’s NOT italicized to me! No posts in the past few days have had italics (or paragraph breaks, so I’m seeing a lot of Walls o’ Text). This is weird… . And… maybe it’s related?.. the thread titles at the top of the page are now a Light font to me, instead of the usual Helvetica(sp?) Bold. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/7 "2024-01-26T04:38:27Z")
What browser are you using? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/8 "2024-01-26T04:42:36Z")
Chrome. On a MacBook Air with an M2 chip. I’ve always used Chrome, and The Dope has done just fine (except for those hamsters back in the pre-Discourse days). I just now updated Chrome, but no change: > Chrome is up to date > > Version 121.0.6167.85 (Official Build) (arm64) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/9 "2024-01-26T14:22:59Z")
Check your Chrome settings, perhaps even reset them if you think you can restore your current settings. I forget off hand but isn’t there a way to save your current settings? I don’t know what else might be a factor on a MacBook. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/10 "2024-01-26T16:13:11Z")
Nothing’s worked. But it’s been very helpful to know that others are seeing italics even if I don’t. So I’m adding them where crucial (_crucial,_ I tell you!), and it’s okay if I can’t see them. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/11 "2024-01-26T16:21:16Z")
You might consider changing themes and see if that makes a difference. Discourse is always updating, and the functionality of the different themes changes, too. I’m using Straight Dope Light and both Firefox and Edge under Windows. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/12 "2024-01-26T16:57:27Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > You might consider changing themes and see if that makes a difference. Yeah, if I were in the OP’s position, that’s probably the first thing I’d try. And then see if I have the same issue with a different browser, or a different device. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/13 "2024-01-26T23:56:51Z")
Even the main Straight Dope Light theme is being weird right now, showing a bunch of pointless text links. One of them is even labeled “External Link.” Every last bit of it should be inside one of the dropdown menus. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-having-trouble-making-italics-and-paragraph-breaks/996630/14 "2024-01-30T15:58:20Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > You might consider changing themes and see if that makes a difference. > > Yeah, if I were in the OP’s position, that’s probably the first thing I’d try. And then see if I have the same issue with a different browser, or a different device. I changed users in Chrome, and that fixed it. But my Other User doesn’t have access to my saved passwords, etc. So not sure what I’ll do now. And I found out it’s NOT just the SDMB! This is the only social media I’m on, so I didn’t notice, but I tried inputting text on other sites, and SOME text formatting doesn’t show up. I can see Bolded type, but not Italicized, Indenting but NOT Numbered Lists. And the most annoying, still no paragraph breaks.