How to Create Bold Text in Photoshop: 4 Ways

Want to make your text bold? Not every typeface supports native bold functions. Luckily, there are several methods to get bold text in Photoshop.

You’d think creating bold text in Photoshop is straightforward, but not all typefaces support the native bold function. Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where your downloaded font doesn’t offer font styles like bold or italics, so you need other ways to make your text bold in Photoshop.

In this article, we’ll be going through the obvious tools for achieving bold text as well as some lesser-known techniques you may not have come across. This includes using the Type toolbar, the Character panel, Layer Styles, and expanding a selection. Let’s dive right in.

1. Use the Type Toolbar or the Character Panel

The first bold text method is the most obvious one in Photoshop; the Type Tool or the Character panel. However, if you’re using an unsupported font, like third-party fonts for macOS, they may not support text styles like bold. This technique would work best for any fonts that come already installed on your system.

This standard bold text method is available using either the Type toolbar which appears whenever the Type Tool is activated or by using the Character panel. To open the Character panel, go to Window > Character. You can hide or show the Character panel at any time by clicking the Character icon in the vertical list of Window options.

Use the Type Tool (T) to write text on your Photoshop artboard. After typing, choose a font and set the size in the Type toolbar or Character panel. You can also format the text using the Paragraph and Character tools before moving on to making it bold.

This bold text method can work on individual words or phrases, as well as your entire text. Choose the words you wish to make bold and then highlight them with your cursor.

The font style dropdown menu is available in the Type toolbar or the Character panel. The default on the dropdown should say Regular, and once clicked it should give you options for different styles. Choose the Bold style in the dropdown. This will change all of your highlighted text to bold, leaving anything that is not highlighted as regular.

This is the simplest way to make your text bold, but if you’ve downloaded a third-party font, it may not have supported options for font styles like bold or italics. If that’s the case, you can try other methods.

2. Use the Faux Bold Setting in the Character Panel

Highlight any text you want to be bold. Again, this method works for individual words or the full text. Open the Character panel by going to Window > Character.

The Character panel shows a horizontal list of T icons to represent different text styles. Click the first one to apply Faux Bold to your text.

Alternatively, you can click the menu icon—three horizontal lines—in the Character panel. Select Faux Bold from the menu options.

This is a simple way to replicate the bold style, but unlike the standard method, you’ll need to manually switch Faux Bold off once you’re finished. Otherwise, the text in your next project will be in Faux Bold by default.

3. Add a Layer Effect for Dramatic Bold Text

Using a stroke effect can create a more dramatic bold text result if needed, and it is guaranteed to work with any font type.

Unfortunately, unlike the previous two methods, this effect can only be applied to the entire text layer, and not individual words or phrases. But this technique is non-destructive, so you can switch off the style in the Layers panel whenever you want.

Write your text using the Type Tool (T), then select the text layer in the Layers panel. At the bottom of the Layer panel, click Add New Effect > Stroke.

In the Layer Style window, choose the stroke color. We recommend using the same color as your text’s fill for a realistic bold effect. Set the Opacity to 100% and the Position to Outside. For a typical bold effect, we recommend setting the Stroke Size slider to 3px.

Select the Preview box so you can view the effect in your artboard before confirming your decision. Then click OK when you’re happy with the results.

The benefit of this bold simulation is that you can add as much thickness to the stroke as you want.

4. Expand Your Text Selection

This final method should ideally only be used as a last resort. This is a destructive method, which means once it’s applied, it cannot be removed. However, if you duplicate your text layer, you always have a version to revert back to if needed.

Write your text using the Type Tool (T) and format it exactly how you want it to look. Go to the Layers panel, right-click the text layer, and choose Rasterize Type. This makes your text no longer editable.

Use the Magic Wand Tool (W) and select the letters you wish to make bold. Go to Select > Modify > Expand.

In the popup, decide how thick you want the bold effect to be. This will depend on your chosen font and its size. Unfortunately, there is no preview option, but 2 pixels is a good choice. Click OK.

The running ants around your selected text show a buffer between the edge of the text and the selection itself. Use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill in the buffer space. Make sure your Fill color is the same as your text for this to work.

Once you’ve added the fill, deselect the text (Cmd + D on Mac or Ctrl + D on Windows) to see the final result. Since your text is on its own layer, you can still move it around to suit your design; however, you cannot reformat or edit the text itself using this method.

If you would rather add and edit text elsewhere, read our guide on how to add text in Lightroom.

More Than One Way to Create Bold Text in Photoshop

You may have thought you knew all the ways to create bold text in Photoshop, but there are always other methods and workarounds for when you need them.

The biggest reason for needing an alternative bold text simulation is if you’ve used an unsupported font type in your design. Now you can avoid the frustration of not finding a bold font style by using one of these methods.