features · Dec 14, 2017

Highlight Your Tasks with Color and Styles

Q: How do you add color and styles to a task name in Quire?

You use Quire's Markdown along with CSS styles in the task name. For example, typing {color:green|a green task} renders the text in green, and you can combine properties such as color, font size, and underline to make a task stand out.

Q: Can you style task descriptions and comments in Quire, not just task names?

Yes. You can add color and styles to task descriptions and comments as well as task names, so any text in your project can be highlighted to stand out in a long list.

Q: How do you add special characters in Quire?

Quire supports HTML entities, so you can enter codes such as ¢ in your text and it renders as the matching symbol, in this case the cent sign.

Quire task names styled with color and custom CSS formatting for visual emphasis

Last updated: July 3, 2026

Table of content

How do you add color and styles to task names?
How do you add color and styles to text?
How do you add special characters to text?
What can you style in Quire?
Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: July 22, 2026

TL;DR

Quire lets you add color and styles to your tasks, not just for looks but to make the important ones easy to spot. Style task names, format text in descriptions and comments, and drop in special characters. Used sparingly, a little color turns a long, flat task list into something you can scan at a glance.

We see it as our mission to keep a simple, clean interface, including a neat task list. However, for those of you who want to easily identify your tasks and projects in a long list, you can use Markdown, and CSS styles to make them stand out. Also, if you want to add special characters, HTML entities are supported too.

Here are a couple examples to get you started:

When a list runs long, plain text all blurs together. McKinsey found that knowledge workers lose nearly 20% of the week just hunting for information, and a little color is a fast way to make the task you need findable at a glance.

How do you add color and styles to task names?

If you type a task name like this:

{color:green|a green task}

You will see:

Task name styled in green color using Quire color:green markdown syntax

Or, if you type:

**{color:green, font-size:20px, text-decoration:underline|a big green task}**

It will turn into:

Task styled with green color, large font size, and underline using Quire markdown

This is what a task list with styles looks like:

Quire task list with multiple tasks highlighted using different colors and styles

Tip: You can quickly add some of the basic styles by typing `{` and selecting the style you want.

Quire quick style menu displayed after typing opening brace for easy style application

Related: 20 Hidden Quire Features You Should Know — the quick style menu is one of several lesser-known shortcuts covered in that roundup.

How do you add color and styles to text?

Not just task names, you can also add color and styles in task descriptions and comments.

Here is an example:

Quire task description with colored and formatted text using markdown styling

How do you add special characters to text?

What is more, you can add special characters and symbols with HTML entities too.

For example, you can enter:

&cent;

Then, it will show as:

Related: Quire Custom Fields and Formulas Explained — if color and style highlight individual tasks, custom fields let you tag and sort tasks by structured attributes across a whole project.

There is more to Markdown in task descriptions and comments. For a complete Markdown cheat sheet, you can check out this blog post.

What can you style in Quire?

Styling is not just decoration; it is a way to make the important stuff visible. Here is what you can format.

You can style	How
Task names	Add color and styles right in the task name
Descriptions and comments	Format the text there too, not just names
Special characters	Drop in symbols and special characters

The trick is to use it sparingly. Color everything and nothing stands out; color the one task that is blocking everyone and it becomes impossible to miss. Think of styles as a highlighter, not a paint job: a few deliberate marks that pull your eye to what matters on a long, busy list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you add color and styles to a task name in Quire?

Use Quire's Markdown with CSS styles in the task name, like {color:green|a green task} for green text. Combine color, font size, and underline in one tag.

Can you style task descriptions and comments in Quire, not just task names?

Yes, the same styling works in task descriptions and comments, not just names, so any text can stand out.

How do you quickly apply a style without typing the full syntax in Quire?

Type an opening brace and Quire shows a menu of basic styles to pick from, no full markdown needed.

How do you add special characters in Quire?

Quire supports HTML entities, so a code like ¢ renders as its matching symbol.