Squarespace Text Blocks: A Complete Guide

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Jun 25, 2025 09:35 PM

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Text blocks in Squarespace allow for adding and formatting content like headings and lists. Always paste as plain text to avoid issues, and use the styling options in Squarespace 7.1 for enhanced design. Spacer blocks help manage layout, especially in older sections, while font changes are made through site styles for consistency.

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Mastering Squarespace Text Blocks: A Complete Guide

TL;DR: Key Points

Text blocks let you add headings, paragraphs, lists, and more to your pages

Always paste text as plain text to avoid formatting problems

Squarespace 7.1 offers background colours and styling options for text blocks

Use keyboard shortcuts or style options for underlining text

Spacer blocks can stop vertical text blocks from merging (mainly in Blog and Events sections that still use the 7.0 engine)

Check your text for spelling errors using browser tools before publishing

Getting Started with Text Blocks

Text blocks are your main tool for adding content to Squarespace pages. You can use them to create headings, paragraphs, links, lists, quotes, and preformatted text. They work across most areas of your site, though some sections handle text differently.

How to Add a Text Block

Open your page editor and click "Add Block" or click an insert point

Select "Text" from the menu

Click into the new text block and start typing or paste your content

Press Enter to create new paragraphs

Click "Save" when you're done

Important: Always paste text as plain text. This prevents formatting issues from other sources like Word documents or websites.

Formatting Your Text

Select any text to see the formatting toolbar. Here you can:

Make text bold or italic

Create headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.)

Add links

Create numbered or bullet lists

Add quotes or preformatted text

Pro tip: Use Shift+Enter to create line breaks without starting a new paragraph. This gives you tighter line spacing.

If you've pasted formatted text and it looks wrong, select it and use the toolbar to remove the formatting.

Styling Text Blocks in Squarespace 7.1

Squarespace 7.1 lets you style individual text blocks beyond just the text itself:

Select your text block

Click the "Style background" icon

Add background colours, adjust corner radius, change padding

Add strokes (borders) around the block

Use blend modes for transparency effects

Apply blur effects to the element or background

Save your changes

Quick tip: The blend and blur features work well for text overlays on images. They help your text stand out whilst keeping the design looking professional.

Managing Text Blocks

Delete text blocks using the trash can icon in the toolbar.

You might see placeholder text blocks in empty areas of your page. These can't be deleted until you replace them with actual content. If deleting blocks causes layout issues, try adding a spacer block to fix the spacing.

Note about spacer blocks: These are mainly needed in Blog and Events sections, which still use the older 7.0 layout engine. Most other areas of 7.1 sites don't need spacer blocks.

Common Questions

How do I change fonts in text blocks? Font changes happen through your site styles, not individual text blocks. This keeps your design consistent across all pages.

Can I underline text in text blocks? Yes, in Squarespace 7.1 you can underline text using the formatting toolbar. For older sites, you might need keyboard shortcuts or custom CSS.

Can text blocks have background colours? Yes, in 7.1 sites you can add background colours directly to text blocks. For 7.0 sites, you'll need workarounds like poster image blocks with solid colours.

Quick Reference

RTL (Right-to-Left): Text direction for languages like Arabic or Hebrew that read from right to left.

Spacer Blocks: Used to create space between content blocks, mainly in Blog and Events sections that use the 7.0 engine.

Markdown Blocks: Alternative text blocks that use Markdown formatting language for more advanced styling.

Custom CSS: Code that lets you customise your site's appearance beyond the standard options.

Wrapping Up

Text blocks are the foundation of most Squarespace websites. Getting comfortable with adding, formatting, and styling them will make building your site much easier. Whether you're using the newer 7.1 features or working with an older site, these basics will help you create clear, well-formatted content that looks professional.

Squarespace Text Blocks: A Complete Guide