Confluence Page Formatting Basics
Good formatting makes a page easy to scan, understand, and use. A wall of plain text takes longer to read and forces teammates to hunt for the information they need. This topic covers the formatting tools that make the biggest difference.
Text Formatting Tools
The toolbar at the top of the editor holds all the basic text formatting options. Select any text to apply formatting.
Text Formatting Options
FORMAT SHORTCUT WHEN TO USE ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Bold Ctrl+B Key terms, important warnings Italic Ctrl+I Book titles, foreign words, emphasis Underline Ctrl+U Rarely — readers confuse it with links Strikethrough — Show outdated or removed information Inline code Ctrl+Shift+M File names, commands, variable names Colour Toolbar only Use sparingly — avoid decorating
Bold draws the eye. Use it for the most critical information on a page, not to highlight every other sentence. Overusing bold makes all text look equally important, which helps nobody.
Headings Create Structure
Headings divide your page into labelled sections. A reader who opens a long page looks at the headings first. If a heading answers their question, they read that section. If not, they skip to the next heading. Headings also help Confluence's search engine understand what each section is about.
Heading Impact Diagram
WITHOUT HEADINGS (hard to scan) WITH HEADINGS (easy to scan) ────────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── The onboarding process starts H2: Onboarding Overview on the employee's first day... Onboarding starts on day one... Three documents need signing H2: Documents to Sign before work begins. The first Sign three documents: NDA, is the NDA, then the contract, contract, and equipment form. then the equipment agreement...
Bullet Lists vs Numbered Lists
Lists split grouped information into items that readers process individually. Choose the right list type for the content.
List Type Selector
USE BULLET LIST (•) WHEN USE NUMBERED LIST (1.) WHEN ───────────────────────────────────── ───────────────────────────────────── Order does not matter Order matters (steps, rankings) Items have equal importance Each step follows the previous one Listing features, tools, or options Writing instructions or procedures
Example — Bullet List:
Documents to bring on day one:
- Passport or photo ID
- Bank account details
- Signed contract
Example — Numbered List:
Steps to access the HR portal:
- Go to hr.company.com
- Click "First-time login"
- Enter your employee ID
- Set your password
Tables Organise Comparisons
Use a table when you compare items across the same set of attributes. Tables make patterns visible at a glance. Type /table to insert one and press Tab to move between cells.
When Tables Help
USE A TABLE FOR AVOID TABLES FOR ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Comparing features across products Simple lists with one column Showing schedules or timetables Prose explanation of a process Mapping roles to responsibilities Content with long paragraphs Displaying specifications Content that changes often
Info Panels and Callout Boxes
Callout boxes highlight information that stands out from the main text. Type /info, /warning, /note, or /tip to insert one.
Panel Types and Their Purpose
PANEL TYPE COLOUR USE FOR ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Info (ℹ) Blue Background knowledge, helpful context Note (📝) Yellow Things readers should pay attention to Warning (⚠) Orange Errors that can occur, risks to avoid Tip (💡) Green Best practices, shortcuts, helpful advice
A warning panel stops readers before they take a wrong action. An info panel answers a question the reader might have while reading. Use these panels for their intended meaning, not just to add colour to the page.
Inline Links
Link pages to each other so readers move between related content without searching. Select any text, press Ctrl+K, and type the page name you want to link to. Confluence searches your spaces and suggests matching pages.
Two Types of Links in Confluence
LINK TYPE EXAMPLE BENEFIT ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Internal link Links to another Confluence page Updates if page moves External link Links to a website URL Fixed — no auto-update
Internal links are "smart" — if the page you linked to gets renamed or moved, Confluence updates the link automatically. External links break if the website changes its URL.
Formatting Mistakes to Avoid
Common Formatting Errors
MISTAKE EFFECT FIX ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ALL CAPS text Feels like shouting Use bold instead Too many bold words Nothing stands out Bold only key terms Long paragraphs (10+ lines) Readers stop reading Break into short ones Mixing list types randomly Looks inconsistent Pick one per section Pasting unformatted content Messy layout Use Ctrl+Shift+V
Paste content from Word or a website using Ctrl+Shift+V (paste without formatting). This pastes plain text so you apply Confluence's own formatting cleanly, rather than inheriting broken styles from another tool.