# Add headings, lists and other blocks

_Category: Write articles_

Blocks are the building pieces of an article: headings, lists, images, tables, callouts and more. You add every one of them from the same insert menu, without leaving the keyboard.

**Who can do this:** Owners, Admins and Editors · **Plans:** All plans (AI drafts: Catalyst plan, or the AI add-on on Bootstrap and Growth)

## Insert a block

1. Click an empty line and type `/`. The insert menu opens.
2. Type a few letters to filter the list, for example `num` for a numbered list.
3. Press Enter to insert the highlighted block, or use the arrow keys to pick another one first.

![Screen recording. On an empty line, type / to open the insert menu. Type to filter the blocks, then press Enter. Add a Numbered list the same way.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/Nejm65TBbPbCRZKAyokcbDFV9SnxjOpPvw19nemm.gif)
Type /, filter, press Enter.

You can also point at any line and click the **+** that appears to its left, or click **Insert a block** in an empty article. If you want a real slash at the start of a line, press Esc when the menu opens and the slash stays.

## What you can add

| Block | Use it for |
| --- | --- |
| **Heading 2**, **Heading 3**, **Heading 4** | Sections and subsections. The article title is already the page's main heading. |
| **Bulleted list**, **Numbered list** | Groups of items, and steps in order. |
| **Task list** | A checklist. Readers see which items are ticked, but can't tick them. |
| **Image**, **Inline image** | Screenshots and pictures. An inline image sits inside a line of text, like an icon in a sentence. See [Add images to an article](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/add-images). |
| **Video** | A YouTube, Vimeo or Loom video. See [Embed videos](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/embed-videos). |
| **Code block** | Code with syntax highlighting. See [Add code blocks](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/add-code-blocks). |
| **Divider** | A horizontal line between sections. |
| **Callout** | A colored box for tips and warnings. See [Highlight tips and warnings with callouts](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/callouts). |
| **Blockquote** | A quotation. |
| **File attachment** | A file readers can download. See [Attach files](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/attach-files). |
| **Custom embed** | Embed code from another service, such as a form or a map. It runs in a sandboxed frame, apart from your help center: it can't read your help center's page, cookies or sign-in, so a script that needs them won't work there. Only paste code from sources you trust. |
| **Internal note** | Text only your team sees. See [Leave notes for your team](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/team-notes). |
| **FAQ section** | A saved set of FAQs, shown inside the article. See [Write FAQs and add them to articles](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/write-faqs). |
| **Table** | Comparisons and reference data. See [Add tables](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/add-tables). |
| **Article link** | A card that points readers to another article, with its title and a short summary. |
| **API endpoint** | An API reference: method, path, parameters and responses. Readers get ready-made code samples. |

## Change, move or remove a block

- **Change a block's type:** click the **+** to the left of a paragraph and pick a heading or a list. The menu ticks the type the block already has. Pick that one again to turn the block back into plain text.
- **Move a block:** point at it and drag the handle next to the **+** to a new spot.
- **Remove a video, FAQ section or article card:** click it (for a video, click the dashed frame around the player), then click **Remove this block** in the toolbar. To remove a file, click the trash icon next to it in the **Attachments** card. For text, select it and press Delete.
- **Edit or remove a custom embed or API endpoint:** click **Edit** at the top of the block to change it. To remove it, click the block to select it and press Delete or Backspace.

## Add a custom embed

1. Type `/embed` and press Enter. The **Add a custom embed** dialog opens.
2. Choose how to add it:
    - **Paste a snippet**: paste the embed code a service gives you, such as a form, a map or a CodePen.
    - **Write HTML / CSS / JS**: write your own HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They show together as one block in the published article.
3. Click **Insert embed**.

When the code is a single player or frame from another site, the dialog says **Embedded as a player** and adds it as it is, so it works as it does anywhere else. Some widgets that load a script or open a frame of their own may stay blank in the sandbox. If that happens, paste the service's iframe embed code instead.

To change the code later, click **Edit** on the block, make your changes and click **Save changes**.

## Markdown shortcuts

If you know Markdown, type these at the start of a line, followed by a space:

| Type | To get |
| --- | --- |
| `##`, `###` or `####` | Heading 2, Heading 3 or Heading 4 |
| `-` or `*` | Bulleted list |
| `1.` | Numbered list |
| `[ ]` | Task list |
| `>` | Blockquote |
| `\`\`\`` | Code block |
| `---` (no space needed) | Divider |

## Headings build the table of contents

Use Heading 2 for the main sections of an article and Heading 3 for the parts inside them. The **On this page** list that many themes show beside an article is built from these headings. See [When does an article show a table of contents?](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/table-of-contents)

## AI drafts

With AI writing help, the menu ends with **AI · drafts you review first**:

- **Continue writing**, **Draft a section** and **Summarize into an intro** put their text in a marked draft block. Click **Keep it** to make it part of the article, or **Discard**. Readers never see a draft you haven't kept.
- **Turn into a FAQ** drafts short FAQs from the article into the **Related FAQs** card. Save the article first.

See [Write faster with AI writing help](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/ai-writing-help).

## Related articles

- [Get to know the article editor](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/article-editor)
- [Format text](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/format-text)
- [Highlight tips and warnings with callouts](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/callouts)
- [Add tables](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/add-tables)
- [Add code blocks](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/add-code-blocks)