Long text field in Baserow

Long text fields in Baserow handle everything from brief descriptions to detailed notes, with built-in Markdown support and rich text formatting to style your content without leaving your database.

This guide will cover how to use Long text fields to store multi-line text, descriptions, and notes with optional rich text formatting and Markdown support.

Learn more: Configure field types

Overview

Long text fields store multi-line text that wraps across multiple rows in your table. Unlike Single-line text fields that display content on one line, Long text fields expand vertically to accommodate paragraphs, lists, and formatted content.

This field type supports plain text or rich text formatting with Markdown, making it ideal for descriptions, notes, documentation, and any content requiring structure or emphasis beyond plain text.

Baserow Long text image

When to use Long text fields

  • Product descriptions: Multi-paragraph descriptions with formatting
  • Project notes: Meeting notes, updates, detailed documentation
  • Instructions: Step-by-step guides, procedures, how-tos
  • Comments and feedback: Customer feedback, review notes, internal comments
  • Rich content: Formatted text with headings, lists, bold/italic styling

The Long text field is not suitable for short labels, names, or single-line text. Use single line text for concise content.

How to add a Long text field

  1. Create a new field following these steps
  2. Select Long text from the field type menu
  3. Enter a field name
  4. Click Create

Keyboard shortcut: Press Shift + Enter in Grid View to exit editing mode without adding a line break.

How to expand Long text fields

Cell resize: Click and drag the handle at the bottom-right corner of the cell to increase height for more visible text without opening the full editor.

Row detail panel: Click the expand row icon to open the full editor with more space for editing lengthy content.

Expanding Long text field

How to enable rich text formatting

Add styling capabilities to Long text fields for formatted content with headings, emphasis, and structure.

To enable rich text:

  1. Click the dropdown arrow next to your Long text field name
  2. Select Edit field
  3. Check Enable rich text formatting
  4. Click Save

Once enabled, you can format text using the toolbar or Markdown shortcuts.

Rich text formatting options

To format text:

  1. Double-click a cell to enter edit mode
  2. Click the expand icon for the full editor
  3. Use the formatting toolbar or type Markdown syntax
  4. Apply styles: Bold (Ctrl+B), Italic (Ctrl+I), Underline (Ctrl+U), Strikethrough (Ctrl+S)

Markdown formatting reference

Baserow supports standard Markdown syntax in Long text fields with rich text enabled.

Keyboard shortcuts: Use standard text editor shortcuts (Ctrl/Cmd+B for bold, Ctrl/Cmd+I for italic, etc.) for quick formatting.

Format Markdown Result
Heading 1 # Heading Large heading
Heading 2 ## Subheading Medium heading
Heading 3 ### Subheading Small heading
Bold **bold** or __bold__ bold text
Italic *italic* or _italic_ italic text
Bold Italic **_bold italic_** bold italic
Underline <u>underline</u> underlined
Strikethrough ~~strike~~ strikethrough
Bulleted list - Item • Item
Numbered list 1. Item 1. Item
Checkbox - [ ] unchecked
- [x] checked		 ☐ ☑
Blockquote > Quote Indented quote
Code block ```code``` Formatted code
Link [text](url) Clickable link
Mention @Name Notify collaborator

Styling with rich text

Rich text in forms and formulas

Forms: Long text fields with rich text enabled display the same formatting options in Form Views, allowing form respondents to submit formatted content.

Formulas: When Formula fields reference Long text fields with rich text, formulas display only plain text and line breaks; formatting is stripped in calculations.

Plain text vs. rich text

Feature Plain text Rich text
Multi-line support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Formatting (bold, italic) ❌ No ✅ Yes
Headings and structure ❌ No ✅ Yes
Links and mentions ❌ No ✅ Yes
Best for Simple notes, data imports, minimal formatting needs, or when you want smallest file size. Documentation, instructions, formatted descriptions, or any content benefiting from visual structure.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a Long text and a Single-line text field?

A Single-line text field is for short text like names or labels that fit on one line. A long text field is for multi-line content like descriptions, notes, and paragraphs. It can be expanded and optionally supports rich text formatting (bold, headings, lists, etc.), which the Single-line text field does not.

How do I use bold, headings, or bullet points?

Your field must have rich text formatting enabled first. Once enabled, you can use the formatting toolbar that appears when editing the cell or use standard Markdown shortcuts.

How do I add a new line in a cell?

While editing a cell in Grid View, just press Enter to create a line break. To exit editing mode without adding a new line, press Shift + Enter or click outside the cell.

What happens to my formatting if I use this field in a formula?

If you reference a rich text-enabled Long text field in a formula, only the plain text will be used. All formatting (like bold, headings, and lists) will be stripped from the calculation, though line breaks will be preserved.

Can I @mention a teammate in a long text field?

Yes. If rich text formatting is enabled, you can type @ followed by a collaborator’s name to mention them in the field. This works just like it does in row comments.

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