> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://helpdesk.smaply.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://helpdesk.smaply.app/journey-maps/cards/how-to-use-text-cards.md).

# How to use text cards

Text cards are the free-form cards you type narrative into: descriptions, notes, and explanations that sit alongside the steps of a journey. They are the default card in a Text lane and in Grid cells, and the on-card toolbar gives you the full set of text-formatting controls.

<figure><img src="/files/BQkTTiBJlc98xs925gcx" alt="A selected text card reading Customer compares savings account options and reads reviews before applying, with a blue selection border and a floating formatting toolbar above it showing bold, font size 14, a boxed A menu, list, fill colour, card header, card details, delete, and a three-dot menu."><figcaption><p>A selected text card with its formatting toolbar</p></figcaption></figure>

To add one, hover an empty cell in any lane and click **+ Add card**. **Text** is the default in a Text lane (press Enter to confirm) and sits in the **BASIC CARDS** group of the picker in any other lane, marked with a green TT icon.

<figure><img src="/files/TkoYxrpgtklCE28qTpF7" alt="The Add card picker open below a Research Account Options card, with a search box reading Type to search, a highlighted quick-select row, and a BASIC CARDS group listing Text with a green TT icon, Image, Icons, and Slider, followed by ADVANCED CARDS."><figcaption><p>+ Add card picker, Text under BASIC CARDS</p></figcaption></figure>

***

#### How to edit the text on a card

Click into the card and type. Text cards edit inline, so what you type is the card's content, and changes save as you go without a Save button. Click out of the card or into another to finish.

Pasting works two ways, and they behave differently. Paste into a card's text editor and any incoming formatting is cleared, so the text matches the card. Paste into a lane and the content fans out into multiple cards across the lane instead, one per row or line, which is how you turn a spreadsheet or a list into cards in one go. For that path, see [How to use enhanced paste](/journey-maps/how-to-use-enhanced-paste.md).

***

#### How to format the text in a text card

With a text card selected, the floating toolbar above it carries the formatting controls. Left to right: **B** for bold, the font size, the boxed **A** menu, a bulleted **list**, and the fill (paint bucket) for the card's colour and background. The controls to the right of the fill (card header, card details, delete, and the three-dot menu) are shared with every card type and are covered in the parent article.

The boxed **A** opens the rest of the text formatting in a single menu:

<figure><img src="/files/U2PB0JwDWN4XLGhRDW3W" alt="The boxed A menu open on a selected text card, listing Highlight, Color, Link, Left align, Center align, Right align, and Font, each of the first three and the last showing a submenu arrow."><figcaption><p>The boxed A menu holds highlight, colour, link, alignment, and font</p></figcaption></figure>

* **Highlight** - apply a highlight colour behind the text.
* **Color** - set the text colour.
* **Link** - turn selected text into a link.
* **Left align**, **Center align**, **Right align** - align the text in the card.
* **Font** - choose the font for the text.

Use the toolbar's font-size control and the **B** bold button alongside these. The bulleted **list** control and the fill sit directly on the toolbar rather than in this menu.

{% hint style="info" %}
The card's accent colour and background style are set with the fill control and are shared across card types, so they are covered in the parent article. A text card also takes its colour from its lane, which you set on the lane itself.
{% endhint %}

***

#### How to format many text cards at once

To format more than one card together, select the cards, then filter the selection to **Text**. With the selection narrowed to text cards, styling and text-formatting actions apply to all of them at once.

<figure><img src="/files/fby3u5AhpCJmYkRQbRLU" alt="A bulk-selection filter menu listing card types with counts (Text 4, Image 2, Icons 1, Slider 1, Pain point 1, Opportunity 1) above a bulk-action bar showing Filter 10 items, Tags, Persona, and Delete."><figcaption><p>Filter a multi-card selection to Text to format them together</p></figcaption></figure>

See [How to bulk edit cards](/journey-maps/how-to-bulk-edit-cards.md) for the full bulk-selection flow.

***

#### How to span a text card across columns

A text card can stretch across more than one column, which is useful for labelling a process or phase that runs over several steps, for example a process bar in a Grid lane. Select the card, open the three-dot menu, and click **Expand** to grow it one column at a time; **Shrink** pulls it back and stays greyed out until the card spans more than one column. The keyboard shortcuts are the Right arrow to expand and the Left arrow to shrink.

<figure><img src="/files/jlR8l7F41xKO0zNoRxIs" alt="A text card reading Customer compares savings account options and reads reviews before applying, selected and spanning the three step columns of the Discover and Apply stage in a journey map editor."><figcaption><p>A text card spanned across three step columns</p></figcaption></figure>

In a Grid lane, spanned text cards are how you build horizontal process bars across the grid.

<figure><img src="/files/xgkfVutga5rPwY1hE7Ly" alt="A Grid lane titled Process Overview with rows System A to D and text cards spanned horizontally across columns to form coloured process bars, including a green bar labelled Process B and a yellow bar labelled Process C."><figcaption><p>Grid lane: processes made of spanned text cards</p></figcaption></figure>

For the lanes and columns that text cards span, see [How to use grid lanes](/journey-maps/lanes/how-to-use-grid-lanes.md) and [How to add and manage lanes](/journey-maps/lanes/how-to-add-and-manage-lanes.md).

***

#### What text cards share with other cards

Text cards use the same toolbar tail, card details panel, and colour system as every other card type. The defining feature of a text card is the text formatting above; the rest is shared:

* Accent colour, background style, and card header (the fill control and the controls after it)
* Card details panel for personas, tags, and comments
* Duplicate, expand, shrink, and delete from the three-dot menu
* Multi-select with Shift+click

See [How to add and edit cards](/journey-maps/cards/how-to-add-and-edit-cards.md) for the canonical walkthrough of these mechanics. Inline editing is shared with stage cards; see [How to use stage cards](/journey-maps/cards/how-to-use-stage-cards.md).

***

#### Related topics

<table data-column-title-hidden data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Description</th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref">Target</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>How to add and edit cards</strong></td><td>Parent how-to for shared card mechanics: toolbar tail, details panel, colours, and headers.</td><td><a href="/pages/DI00pTOdaJmOwltHKgIa">/pages/DI00pTOdaJmOwltHKgIa</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>How to use stage cards</strong></td><td>Mark the phases of a journey with stage cards, which also edit inline.</td><td><a href="/pages/YeVZqUkvqujOSrFxYHsT">/pages/YeVZqUkvqujOSrFxYHsT</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>How to use enhanced paste</strong></td><td>Paste a spreadsheet or list into a lane to fan it out into many cards at once.</td><td><a href="/pages/8B3eINtya42YPRLS2j7a">/pages/8B3eINtya42YPRLS2j7a</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>How to bulk edit cards</strong></td><td>Select multiple cards, filter to Text, and apply formatting or tags in one go.</td><td><a href="/pages/D239Y2x0Gzcz0VuWHA1p">/pages/D239Y2x0Gzcz0VuWHA1p</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>How to comment on a card</strong></td><td>Add comments and @mention teammates on any card from its details panel.</td><td><a href="/pages/Kk7GjJu76NovaA8LF2EL">/pages/Kk7GjJu76NovaA8LF2EL</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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