# Why ChatGPT Adds Asterisks When You Paste (and the Fix) > Asterisks and pound signs in pasted ChatGPT text are Markdown formatting. Why it happens and four fixes, from one prompt line to plain-text paste. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/chatgpt-asterisks-when-pasting · Updated 2026-10-17 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) Quick answer The asterisks, pound signs and dashes that show up when you paste ChatGPT's answer into an email, a form or a spreadsheet are [Markdown](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/markdown), the simple formatting code ChatGPT uses to make text bold or turn lines into headings and bullets. ChatGPT's window turns that code into formatting, but plenty of other places show the raw symbols. The quickest fix is one line in your [prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt) asking for plain text; the free lesson [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format) shows where that line goes, and [Reply Faster: Customer Emails](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails) practices copying a clean reply into Gmail. Last updated October 17, 2026 [Take the free module →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/ai-at-work/6)Module 6 of the free [AI at Work: Start Here](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/ai-at-work) course, about 8 minutes. No account needed. By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 17, 2026 · Updated October 17, 2026 · 5 min read ChatGPT · Troubleshooting · Email Here's why it happens and four ways to stop it. ## Why does ChatGPT put asterisks in my text? Because ChatGPT writes its answers in [Markdown](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/markdown). In Markdown, `**word**` means bold, `#` at the start of a line means a heading, and `-` or `*` at the start of a line means a bullet. ChatGPT's own window reads those symbols and shows formatted text, so you never see them there. When the text lands somewhere that doesn't understand Markdown, the symbols stay as they are. You end up with a customer email that says `**Pickup time:** Saturday` or a heading that starts with `###`. ## Where do the symbols usually show up? Anywhere that expects plain text. Common examples at work: - A website form, [CRM](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/crm) note or ticket field. - A plain-text email, or an email tool set to text. - A spreadsheet cell. - A text message. - An automation step that sends what the AI wrote, like a Gmail node in n8n. Rich editors such as Google Docs or Word may convert some of it, depending on how you copy and paste. Plain fields never do. ## How do I stop ChatGPT from using Markdown? Say so in the Format part of your prompt. [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format) builds every prompt in four parts, and the last one, **Format**, sets length, tone and layout. The lesson's format line is "Keep it under 120 words, friendly and plain, no emoji. Put the subject line first, then the email." Add one more sentence: ```text Plain text only: no Markdown, no asterisks, no pound signs, no bold or headings. ``` If you want a list, say how: "Use simple numbered lines like 1. 2. 3." Plain numbered lines paste cleanly almost everywhere. The [Reply Faster: Customer Emails](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails) lesson adds a second useful habit. Its final request ends with "Reply with just the email." That keeps ChatGPT from wrapping the reply in a heading or a "Here's your revised email:" line you'd have to delete. ## Try it free, step by step **Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format**. Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/prompt-writing-101) [Or read the full step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format) ## Can I fix it after ChatGPT has already answered? Yes, two ways. Ask ChatGPT to redo it ("Rewrite that as plain text with no Markdown symbols, and keep every word the same"), or paste it as plain text yourself. Many browsers and web apps, including Gmail and Google Docs, support **Ctrl+Shift+V** (Cmd+Shift+V on a Mac) to paste without formatting. That strips rich formatting, but it can't remove symbols that were copied as text, so asking ChatGPT for plain text up front is more reliable. ## How do I make plain text the default? Put it in ChatGPT's custom instructions, the settings where you tell ChatGPT how to respond in every new chat. Add a line such as "When I ask for an email, message or text for a form, write plain text with no Markdown symbols." The glossary entry on [custom instructions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/custom-instructions) explains the feature. Keep the line specific. "Never use Markdown" also removes tables and lists you might want when you're reading an answer in ChatGPT itself. "Plain text for anything I'll paste elsewhere" keeps both. ## Why do asterisks show up in my n8n emails? Because the AI step wrote Markdown and the email step sent it as is. The fix is the same idea, written into the automation. In the [AI Email Responder](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-email-responder-gmail-drafts-n8n) lesson, the agent's system message includes the line "Friendly, plain and short. Plain text, not HTML." In the [Daily Job Alerts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-daily-job-alerts-google-sheets-gmail) lesson, the Gmail step's **Email Type** is changed from **HTML** to **Text**, so the message goes out exactly as written. If a workflow's emails show stray symbols, add a plain-text rule to the system message and check the email step's type. The glossary entry on [plain-text email](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/plain-text-email) explains the difference. ## Is Markdown ever useful? Yes, when you're reading in ChatGPT or pasting into a tool that understands it. Tables from ChatGPT, like the action items table in a meeting summary, are much easier to read than paragraphs, and many note apps and documentation tools render Markdown properly. The trick is matching the format to where the text is going. [How to Ask ChatGPT for a Table](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/ask-chatgpt-for-a-table) covers the cases where formatting helps. ## Key takeaways - Asterisks and pound signs in pasted ChatGPT text are Markdown formatting codes that the destination doesn't render. - Adding "Plain text only: no Markdown, no asterisks, no pound signs" to the Format part of a prompt prevents them. - Ending a request with "Reply with just the email," as the Reply Faster lesson does, removes extra headings and intro lines. - Ctrl+Shift+V pastes without formatting in many apps, but asking for plain text up front is more reliable. - In n8n, a plain-text rule in the AI Agent's system message and a Text email type keep symbols out of automated emails. ## Frequently asked questions **What do the double asterisks in ChatGPT answers mean?** They mark bold text in Markdown. ChatGPT's window shows them as bold, but plain-text fields show the asterisks themselves. **How do I copy from ChatGPT without formatting?** Ask for plain text in your prompt, then copy. You can also paste with Ctrl+Shift+V (Cmd+Shift+V on a Mac) in many apps to drop rich formatting. **Can I tell ChatGPT to never use Markdown?** You can add it to custom instructions, but a narrower rule works better: plain text for anything you'll paste elsewhere, so you keep tables and lists when reading in ChatGPT. **Why does my AI-written email show symbols in Gmail?** The text was written in Markdown and sent or pasted as is. Ask for plain text in the prompt, or in n8n add a plain-text rule to the system message and set the email type to Text. ## Free lessons in this post - [Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. - [Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): Turn a messy customer email thread into a clear, friendly reply: give ChatGPT the thread and your facts, check every promise, fix the tone, and send it from Gmail. ## Watch it in a free lesson: Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply ### A calm reply to a messy thread with ChatGPT Full walkthrough · 2:51 · with captions Turn a messy customer email thread into a clear, friendly reply: give ChatGPT the thread and your facts, check every promise, fix the tone, and send it from Gmail. [Watch it with chapters and the full transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails#watch) From the free lesson [Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails) ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Markdown](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/markdown) · [Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt) · [CRM](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/crm) · [AI literacy](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-literacy) · [Canned response](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/canned-response) · [ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/chatgpt) · [Deep research](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/deep-research) · [Deferred revenue](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/deferred-revenue) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related prompts - [Buyer inquiry reply prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/buyer-inquiry-reply-prompt): Reply to a buyer's listing inquiry from your facts sheet: fees, rules and showing times, with sources instead of opinions on… - [Candidate rejection email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/candidate-rejection-email-prompt): Write a short, respectful rejection email that thanks the candidate for the step they reached and promises nothing you won't do… - [Check reply promises prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/check-reply-promises-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt that checks a draft before you send it: a table of every promise, the fact behind each, and safer wording for… - [Email newsletter prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/email-newsletter-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt for a short customer newsletter built from your numbered updates: one section each, one main call to action, no… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) ## Visual guides The same ideas as quick visual guides: swipe through the slides, or read each one as text. - [What is an AI hallucination?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/term-hallucination): AI term of the day: hallucination. - [Don't tell ChatGPT to make it better. Say this instead.](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/dont-say-make-it-better): A customer's cake order went sideways. Wrong pickup day, a flavor change, and a nut allergy question nobody answered. - [A copy-and-paste ChatGPT prompt for customer emails](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/prompt-template-customer-email): Save this one. It's the customer email prompt from Prompt Writing 101. Role: You are the owner of [BUSINESS]. [All visual guides](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual) ## Keep reading - [Write a Customer Thank-You Email with ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/customer-thank-you-email): A customer thank you email that isn't a sales pitch: a four-part ChatGPT prompt, examples for a trade business and a firm, and how to make it personal. - [ChatGPT Tone of Voice for Business Emails: Lines That Work](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/chatgpt-tone-of-voice): Make ChatGPT write email replies in your tone of voice: the lines to paste, a "sound like" comparison, and the words to tell it to avoid. Free examples. - [Is It Better to Start a New Chat in ChatGPT? When and Why](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/chatgpt-new-chat-vs-same-chat): Yes, start a new chat in ChatGPT when you switch tasks or customers, or after a bad answer. Stay in the same chat to build on the last reply. Examples. [All blog posts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog) · [All free tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content)