How to Paste ASCII Art into Discord Without Breaking It
Wrap the art in a code block (```) so Discord shows it in a monospaced font.
ASCII art pasted straight into Discord comes out distorted. Normal messages use a font where each character has a different width. Wrap the art in a code block and Discord switches to a monospaced font, so the rows line up again.
Wrap it in a code block
Put three backticks (`) before and after the art. The backtick key is to the left of the 1 key on most keyboards.
```
_ _ ___ _ _ ___
| || | __| | | | / _ \
| __ | _|| |__| |_| (_) |
|_||_|___|____|____\___/
```
Press Shift + Enter to start a new line in the message box. Enter alone sends the message.
Common problems
The first line disappears
If text follows the opening backticks on the same line, Discord may read the first word as the name of a programming language. Always start a new line after the opening backticks, then paste the art.
The code block ends in the middle of the art
Three backticks in a row inside the art close the code block. A single backtick is fine. For art like that, pick a different font or save it as a PNG.
The message will not send
A Discord message can hold 2,000 characters (more with Nitro). Spaces and line breaks count. Large art goes over the limit sooner than you might expect.
| Art size | Characters |
|---|---|
| 40 columns × 6 rows (text banner) | about 240 |
| 60 columns × 30 rows (converted image) | about 1,800 |
| 90 columns × 40 rows (converted image) | about 3,600 |
Keep converted images at 60 columns or fewer so they fit in one message. A tall photo produces more rows, so make it narrower still. If you want it larger, save it as a PNG and upload the image.
Lines wrap on a phone
Even inside a code block, a line longer than the screen wraps to the next line. A phone held upright fits far fewer characters per line than a desktop. The exact number depends on the device and the text size setting, but for a server with many mobile users, about 30 columns is a safe width.
Each font card on lab.ascii shows how many columns the result takes. Narrow fonts such as Small, Mini, Small Slant, and Calvin S produce the same text in less width.
Inline code and code blocks
- One backtick (
`like this`) makes inline code inside a sentence. It works well for one-line art such asʕ•ᴥ•ʔ. - Three backticks make a multi-line code block. Use this for any art with two or more rows.
One-line kaomoji rarely break, even without a code block.
Nicknames and channel names
Nicknames and channel names cannot contain line breaks, so multi-line art is not an option. You can use Unicode letters such as 𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸 or 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 made with the fancy text tool. Some devices show these as empty boxes (□), and screen readers cannot read them properly, so avoid them in names that people need to read.
Summary
- Wrap the art in three backticks (```).
- Start a new line after the opening backticks.
- One message holds 2,000 characters. Keep converted images at 60 columns or fewer.
- For mobile users, aim for about 30 columns.
- If it still breaks, save it as a PNG and upload that.
Results on lab.ascii copy with one click. When you paste into Discord, add ``` before and after.