The quickest way to add a spoiler
To hide text behind a spoiler on Discord, wrap your message in two vertical bars on each side: ||your text here||. When you send it, the text appears blurred and covered. Anyone reading your message has to click or tap the blurred area to reveal what you wrote.
This works in direct messages, group chats, and server channels. The spoiler tag hides the content until someone chooses to see it — useful when you're discussing plot twists, game endings, or anything else you don't want to accidentally spoil for people scrolling past.
Discord also lets you add a spoiler tag to image and video files, which covers the thumbnail until someone clicks to view it. That process is different from text spoilers and is covered in its own section below.
Key Takeaways
- Text spoilers use two vertical bars on each side: ||text|| — this works on desktop, mobile, and web versions of Discord.
- The spoiler appears as a blurred, clickable block; the reader must tap or click it to see the hidden content.
- You can combine spoiler tags with other formatting like bold or italics, though the spoiler tag must be on the outside.
- To mark an image or video as a spoiler, right-click the file before sending and check the "Mark as spoiler" box.
- Spoilers work the same way across all Discord platforms — desktop app, web browser, and mobile — so everyone sees them consistently.
How to format text spoilers correctly
The vertical bar character (|) appears on most keyboards as Shift + Backslash. Type two of them, then your text, then two more: ||spoiler text||. There should be no space between the bars and your text — ||text|| works, but || text || does not.
If you're on mobile and can't find the vertical bar, copy and paste it from another message or use a keyboard app that shows special characters. Some mobile keyboards let you long-press the backslash key to access the vertical bar.
You can use spoiler tags in the middle of a longer message. For example: "I loved the movie, but ||the ending was sad||" hides only the ending part. The rest of your message shows normally.
Combining spoilers with bold, italics, and other formatting
If you want text that is both bold and a spoiler, put the spoiler tags on the outside: ||**bold spoiler text**||. The order matters — Discord reads from the outside in, so the spoiler tag needs to wrap around the other formatting.
The same rule applies to italics, underline, and strikethrough. Put the spoiler bars on the outside, and the other formatting inside: ||__underlined spoiler__|| or ||~~strikethrough spoiler~~||. If you reverse the order, the formatting may not work as expected.
You cannot nest multiple spoiler tags inside each other. ||outer ||inner|| text|| does not work — Discord will treat it as regular text with bars in it. Stick to one spoiler tag per section of text.
Adding spoiler tags to images and videos
To mark an image or video file as a spoiler before sending it, right-click the file in your message box and select "Mark as spoiler" from the menu. On mobile, tap and hold the file thumbnail until a menu appears, then choose the spoiler option. The thumbnail will blur, and viewers must tap it to see the full image or video.
If you already sent an image without marking it as a spoiler, you cannot edit the message to add the spoiler tag afterward. You have to delete the message and send it again with the spoiler marking applied.
Spoiler-marked images still show the filename at the bottom of the blurred thumbnail, so choose filenames that do not give away the content. A file named "ending_spoiler.jpg" defeats the purpose even if the image itself is blurred.
What happens when someone views your spoiler
When a reader clicks or taps a spoiler, the text or image reveals itself and stays visible for the rest of that conversation. They do not have to click it again to see it in the same chat window. If they close Discord and come back, the spoiler is still revealed on their screen — the reveal is permanent for that user.
Other people in the chat see their own separate view. If one person clicks your spoiler, it does not automatically reveal it for everyone else. Each reader chooses whether and when to click.
On mobile, tapping a text spoiler shows the hidden content in a small popup or inline. On desktop, clicking it usually reveals the text in place. The experience is slightly different depending on your device, but the spoiler itself works the same way.
Common mistakes when using spoiler tags
The most common error is adding spaces inside the bars: || text || instead of ||text||. Discord will not recognize this as a spoiler and will display the bars as regular text characters. Check that there is no space between the opening bars and your first letter, and no space between your last letter and the closing bars.
Another mistake is using the wrong character. A hyphen (-) or dash (–) looks similar to a vertical bar (|) on some screens, but Discord only recognizes the vertical bar. If your spoiler is not working, copy the bars from a message you know works, or use Shift + Backslash to type it fresh.
Some users try to spoiler an entire paragraph by putting bars at the start and end, but forget that each line break can reset the formatting. If you need to hide multiple paragraphs, put spoiler tags around each paragraph separately, or write it as one long paragraph without line breaks.
Spoilers in different Discord contexts
Spoiler tags work identically in direct messages, group chats, and server channels. The syntax is the same, and the reveal behavior is the same. A server moderator cannot disable spoilers or change how they work — they are a built-in Discord feature available everywhere.
Some servers have rules about spoiler use in certain channels. For example, a gaming server might require spoilers in a general chat but allow unmarked spoilers in a dedicated spoiler channel. Check the server's pinned messages or rules before posting to see if there are any expectations about when to use spoilers.
Spoilers do not prevent someone from quoting your message. If another user quotes your spoilered text in their own message, the quote shows the hidden content in plain text. If you want to keep something truly private, spoiler tags are not a substitute for direct messages or private channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit a message after sending it to add spoiler tags?
Yes. Click or tap the three dots next to your message, select "Edit", and add the spoiler bars around the text you want to hide. Save the edit, and the spoiler will appear. This works for text spoilers but not for images — you cannot add a spoiler tag to an image after sending it.
What if the vertical bar key does not work on my keyboard?
Copy the vertical bar from another Discord message or from online, and paste it into your message. On mobile, use a keyboard app that shows special characters, or copy and paste from a web search for "vertical bar character". Once you have it, you can save it somewhere for future use.
Do spoilers work the same way on mobile as on desktop?
Yes, the spoiler tag syntax is identical, and spoilers reveal the same way. The visual appearance might differ slightly — mobile might show a popup instead of inline text — but the functionality is the same across all Discord platforms.
Can I spoiler just part of an image?
No. When you mark an image as a spoiler, the entire image is blurred. You cannot hide only a portion of it. If you need to hide part of an image, you have to edit the image file itself before uploading it to Discord.
What happens if someone screenshots my spoilered message?
A screenshot captures what is on the screen at that moment. If the spoiler is still hidden when they take the screenshot, the blurred version appears in the screenshot. If they clicked it first, the revealed text appears in the screenshot. Spoiler tags do not prevent screenshots.