# Disable Syntax Highlighting?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [May 17, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364 "2016-05-17T02:38:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@peternlewis](https://meta.discourse.org/u/peternlewis)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/1 "2016-05-17T02:38:39Z")
Is there a way to have a code block (ie tree backticks) without syntax highlighting? Like a “none” language? Eg for pseudocode or the like without defined syntax.
```none
for each file in folder
do stuff
```
---
### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/2 "2016-05-17T02:43:45Z")
You can delete all the entries in the setting `highlighted languages`
Also using the 4 spaces to indent avoids highlighting.
```
for each file in folder
do stuff
```
---
### Author:  [@peternlewis](https://meta.discourse.org/u/peternlewis)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/3 "2016-05-17T03:09:49Z")
Umm, no, that’s not what I had in mind - I like the highlighting in general, I just want a way to disable it in a particular case.
It seems like specifying no language, or any language, or an invalid language all get some for of syntax highlighting.
Maybe there is some other setting I have misconfigured?
---
### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/4 "2016-05-17T03:10:36Z")
> [@peternlewis](#):
>
> It seems like specifying no language, or any language, or an invalid language all get some for of syntax highlighting.
Yes, it tries to auto-detect a language.
You will want to use the 4 spaces to indent if you don’t want highlighting. (see my edited post above)
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/5 "2016-05-17T03:31:55Z")
You simply hint the block with text
---
### Author:  [@peternlewis](https://meta.discourse.org/u/peternlewis)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/6 "2016-05-17T03:41:04Z")
So as in three back ticks and the “text”?
I see that works here, but not on my forum, is that something recent? Or do I need to add it as a language?
---
### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/7 "2016-05-17T04:07:57Z")
````
```text
foo
```
````
is what you need to do, that’s what “hinting” means
---
### Author:  [@peternlewis](https://meta.discourse.org/u/peternlewis)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2016, 4:11am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/8 "2016-05-17T04:11:29Z")
Yes, “text” was what I needed to know. And it didn’t work on my site for the same reason I failed at code blocks last time - four back ticks. Sigh.
Thanks.
---
### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2024, 12:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/disable-syntax-highlighting/44364/9 "2024-06-08T12:45:41Z")
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