Online BBCode Editor

How to Use the Online BBCode Editor

1. 1

   Enter your BBCode

   Type or paste BBCode into the syntax-highlighted editor on the left, e.g. [b]Bold text[/b] or [url=https://example.com]link[/url], or open a local .txt file.

2. 2

   Watch the live preview

   The panel on the right updates in real time, showing exactly how your formatted text will render on a forum. Hit the flask icon to load sample markup.

3. 3

   Insert and verify tags

   Select text and click a toolbar button, or press a shortcut such as Ctrl+B or Ctrl+Shift+8, to wrap it in a tag; keep adjusting until the preview matches what you want.

4. 4

   Copy or export the result

   Copy the BBCode source for your forum post, switch the preview to HTML view to copy or download the HTML, or save the markup as a .txt file.

References

• Wikipedia — BBCode

  Overview of BBCode, its 1998 origin in Ultimate Bulletin Board, and how tag support differs between forum engines.

• Wikipedia — Lightweight markup language

  Compares BBCode with Markdown, Textile and wiki syntax, and explains why each compiles down to HTML.

• Godot Docs — BBCode in RichTextLabel

  Godot's own BBCode dialect, including animation tags such as [wave], [shake] and [pulse] that forums do not have.

• Steam Community — Text Formatting help

  Steam's official list of the BBCode tags allowed in reviews, comments and discussions, including [spoiler], [noparse], [olist] and the table options.

Related Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BBCode?

BBCode (Bulletin Board Code) is a lightweight markup language used on forums and message boards to format posts. Tags sit in square brackets, such as [b]bold[/b] or [url]links[/url], and the forum converts them to safe HTML on display. It first appeared in Ultimate Bulletin Board in 1998 and is still supported by phpBB, SMF, MyBB, vBulletin and XenForo.

Which BBCode tags does this editor support?

Thirty-four. Styling: [b] [i] [u] [s] [strike]. Headings: [h1] through [h6]. Layout: [color] [size] [center] [right] [hr]. Links and media: [url] [link] [email] [img]. Blocks: [quote] [code] [pre] [spoiler] [noparse]. Lists: [list] [olist] [*]. Tables: [table] [thead] [tbody] [tr] [th] [td]. Every tag on Steam's Text Formatting help page renders as well, including [quote=author], [table noborder=1] and [url=store.steampowered.com] written without https://. [youtube], [font] and [align] are not supported — they stay visible as literal text rather than being silently dropped.

How do I write [color], [size], [img] and [url] tags?

Color is [color=red]text[/color] or [color=#ff6600]text[/color]. Font size is [size=20]text[/size], where the number is a pixel value. Images are [img]https://example.com/a.png[/img]. Links are [url]https://example.com[/url], or [url=https://example.com]click here[/url] for custom link text. Email addresses use [email]name@example.com[/email].

Can this tool convert BBCode to HTML source?

Yes. In the preview pane, switch from the preview to HTML view to see the generated source, then copy it in one click or download it as an .html file. The HTML comes from the same allow-list renderer as the preview: only http and https links pass ([email] becomes a mailto: link), scripts and on* event attributes are never emitted, and an unsafe link or image address falls back to plain text.

How is Godot's BBCode different from forum BBCode?

Godot's RichTextLabel borrows BBCode's square-bracket syntax but defines its own dialect. Alongside familiar tags like [b], [i], [color] and [img] it adds animation and font tags that no forum has — [wave], [shake], [pulse], [font_size] and more. This editor renders forum BBCode, so Godot-only tags will not take effect and appear as literal text.

How does BBCode compare with Markdown and HTML?

All three format text. BBCode uses bracketed tags, was designed for forums and blocks raw HTML, which makes it the safest for untrusted posts. Markdown uses punctuation shorthand and dominates docs, blogs and READMEs. HTML is the lowest level and most capable, but forums usually forbid it from users. BBCode and Markdown are both compiled to HTML before display.

Is my BBCode sent to a server?

No. All parsing and rendering happen entirely in your browser, so your text never leaves your device and nothing is uploaded. That makes it safe to paste unpublished drafts or posts containing private details; closing the tab discards the input.

Which forums still use BBCode?

BBCode remains the common formatting syntax across forum software: phpBB, Simple Machines Forum (SMF), MyBB, vBulletin, XenForo and Discuz all support it, and it also shows up in game communities and Steam profile pages. Tag sets differ slightly between engines, so previewing before you post is the safest habit.