Why does my RichTextLabel show [b] tags as plain text?

BBCode is off by default. Inspector → RichTextLabel → bbcode_enabled = true (or set bbcode_enabled in code before assigning text). With it off, the entire string renders literally.

What's the difference between text and bbcode?

In Godot 4, the property is just text and BBCode is parsed when bbcode_enabled is true. The Godot 3 separate 'bbcode_text' property was unified. Setting text with tags and bbcode_enabled = true gives you the formatted output.

How do I show literal brackets without BBCode parsing them?

Either disable bbcode_enabled, or escape brackets. The escape sequence in Godot is [lb] for [ and [rb] for ]. Or wrap a section in [color=#fff][/color] to neutralize without affecting style.

Fix: Godot 4 RichTextLabel BBCode Not Parsing

Quick answer: RichTextLabel → bbcode_enabled = true. Set text with the tags. [lb] and [rb] escape literal brackets when you don’t want them parsed. Setting bbcode_enabled after assigning text doesn’t retroactively re-parse — set the flag first.

Game text uses [b]Damage:[/b] 50 for emphasis. RichTextLabel renders it literally with the brackets visible. The bbcode flag is off; turn it on and rewrite text after.

The Symptom

RichTextLabel renders BBCode tags as plain characters. [b]bold[/b] shows as [b]bold[/b] instead of bold. Color, size, and other tags equally inert.

The Fix

Step 1: Enable BBCode. Inspector → RichTextLabel → bbcode_enabled. Tick on. The text re-parses.

Step 2: Set text with tags.

extends RichTextLabel

func _ready() -> void:
    bbcode_enabled = true
    text = "[b]Damage:[/b] [color=red]50[/color]"

Order matters: set bbcode_enabled before text. Setting after means the parser sees the property change but doesn’t re-tokenize until the next text assignment.

Step 3: Escape stray brackets. User-supplied text containing brackets breaks parsing.

func set_safe_text(user_input: String) -> void:
    var safe = user_input.replace("[", "[lb]").replace("]", "[rb]")
    text = "[b]" + safe + "[/b]"

This prevents an attacker (or a user typing brackets into a chat) from injecting their own tags — including ones that load images.

append_text vs text

For incremental updates (a typewriter effect, an event log), use append_text:

append_text("[color=yellow]Quest started[/color]\n")
append_text("Find the [b]ancient key[/b].\n")

append_text appends without re-parsing earlier content. Faster for streaming logs than rebuilding the full text each line.

Custom Effects

Godot supports custom BBCode effects via RichTextEffect resources. Common pre-built effects: shake, wave, tornado. Add to install_effect array on the label, then use:

text = "[shake rate=20.0 level=5][rainbow]CRITICAL HIT[/rainbow][/shake]"

Verifying

Run the scene. Bold text should be bold. Colored text colored. If still raw, the flag is off; if mostly working but stray brackets break the layout, escape user input.

“Flag on, then text. Escape user input. append_text for streams.”

Related Issues

For Label autosizing, see Control anchors. For UI font issues, see font size theme.

Enable, set, escape. The text comes alive.