Paste ASCII art into Discord
To preserve an ASCII drawing’s spaces and lines in a Discord message, put it in a multiline code block between two lines of three backticks. Keep it reasonably narrow and check the final rendering, especially on mobile.
The four-step method
- Choose a small template or reduce your output width.
- In a message, put three backticks
```on a line of their own. - Paste the drawing on the next line with its spaces. Finish with a new line containing three backticks.
- Read the rendered message, then check a narrow screen if people will view it on a phone.
Backticks ` are different from apostrophes '. Multiline code blocks are described in Discord’s Markdown documentation. Leave the language label blank to avoid code highlighting that does not help the drawing.
This method applies to messages that accept code blocks. Do not assume a nickname, channel title or profile field behaves like a message.
Case 1 — Paste a small cat without losing spaces
Copy the complete block below, including the two delimiter lines. The inner drawing is at most 7 columns wide and 3 lines tall. The leading spaces on the first and third lines are necessary.
```
/\_/\
( o.o )
> ^ <
```Expected result: a block containing only the three lines of the cat, without punctuation being interpreted as text formatting. Inspecting the drawing alone should report a maximum width of 7, three lines and no characters outside ASCII.
If the backticks appear as ordinary text, check their number and the line breaks. If only part of the drawing enters the block, start again from the plain text rather than repairing an already distorted copy.
Case 2 — Check an 8-column box
This box helps reveal changes to internal spaces. All three lines contain exactly 8 characters.
```
+------+
| OK |
+------+
```Expected result: the two spaces on either side of OK remain visible and the borders align. If the box works but a large drawing does not, check that drawing’s width and Unicode characters first.
RFC 20 identifies the ASCII repertoire. A tab is also an ASCII character, but it is not a universal number of spaces: use ordinary spaces for this box.
Choose text, a TXT file or an image
| Your goal | Practical choice | Reason and limitation |
|---|---|---|
| A small cat, heart or signature | Small ASCII drawing in a code block. | Editable and easy to copy; check it on a narrow screen. |
| A large converted photograph | PNG with a short description. | Preserves the layout; the drawing’s characters are no longer directly editable. |
| Share characters for further editing | TXT file. | Preserves the content; the reader must choose a monospace font. |
| A drawing containing three consecutive backticks | TXT or PNG. | Avoids relying on delimiter behaviour that may interrupt the block. |
| A single-line symbol | Choose from the symbol collection. | An emoji or Unicode symbol may change appearance across devices. |
For a banner, start with the text generator. For a photograph, use the image converter and choose a format after checking readability.
Check a misaligned design
Local analysis: your text stays in your browser. Unicode width counts code points, not actual display columns.
If the result is still misaligned
Columns shift
First check for tabs, non-breaking spaces and invisible characters in the diagnostic. A common case is a tab copied from an editor. Replace it deliberately with the number of spaces the drawing needs; replacing every tab with the same number is not always correct.
A heart or face changes shape
A Unicode symbol does not specify a fixed font. Its appearance depends on character support and available fonts, as the Unicode Consortium FAQ explains. Try an ASCII alternative from the heart collection or use an image.
The drawing is too wide
Reduce the number of columns at the source or use a smaller template. Making your own window wider does not solve the problem for other readers. A code-point count does not predict the exact space occupied by every Unicode symbol.
The message or attachment is rejected
Check Discord’s error and the conditions applying to your account or server. This guide does not assume one universal message or attachment limit. Splitting a drawing arbitrarily can make it unreadable; another format is often more useful.
Scope of this guidance
Both example strings are supplied in full and their dimensions can be checked. The syntax is based on Discord’s official documentation. This page does not claim validation in every Discord release, operating system or font.
Do not communicate essential information through the drawing alone: also write “welcome cat”, the project name or the intended message. To understand diagnostic results, read the ASCII and Unicode guide. For project documentation, use the GitHub README guide.