Bullets and numbering in word

Create a bulleted or numbered list

Create a list

To start a numbered list, type 1, a period (.), a space, and some text. Word will automatically start a numbered list for you.

Type* and a space before your text, and Word will make a bulleted list.

To complete your list, press Enter until the bullets or numbering switch off.

Create a list from existing text

1. Select the text you want to change into a list.

2. Go to Home> Bullets or Home> Numbering.

   

Note: Find different bullet styles and numbering formats by clicking the down arrow next to Bullets or Numbering.

See Also

Add and format text

Change the line spacing in Word

Apply styles 

Apply themes

Updated: 11/30/2020 by

This page should answer any of the questions you may have about creating different bulleted and numbered lists in Microsoft Word including any advanced lists. This page applies to Microsoft Word 2000, however, other versions of Microsoft Word should have similar steps.

The numbering and bullets button on the formatting toolbar on the top-left of the screen is illustrated above.

How to create a bullet list in Microsoft Word

To create a bulleted list in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below.

1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the bullet list.
2. On the Home tab in the Ribbon, click the bullet list button, as shown at the top of the page.
3. If successful, a bullet should appear. Type any text and press Enter to start the next bullet. To end the bullet list, press Enter twice.

Below is an example of a bullet list.

• One bullet
• Two bullet

How to create a numbered list in Microsoft Word

To create a numbered list in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below.

1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the number list.
2. On the Home tab in the Ribbon, click the number list button, as shown at the top of the page.
3. If successful, a number one should appear. Type any text and press Enter to start the next number in the numbered list. To end the numbered list, press Enter twice.

Above is an example of a numbered list.

How to create a numbered list with letters

To create a numbered list that also contains a letter list in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below.

1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the number list.
2. On the Home tab in the Ribbon, click the down arrow next to the number list button.

1. In drop-down window that appears, select one of the numbered list options with letters.
2. Type the text for the first lettered bullet item.
3. Press Enter to add additional lettered bullet items.

Below is an example of a numbered list using letters instead of numbers.

  A. First bullet using letter
  B. Second bullet using letter
  C. Third bullet using letter

To create a numbered list that also contains a letter list in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below.

1. Position the cursor where you want to add a bulleted item using a letter.
2. Press Enter and then Tab.
3. Press Enter again to add additional lettered bullet items.

Below is an example of a numbered list with letters in it.

1. One numbered
2. Two numbered
        a. Two numbered again
        b. Two numbered again
3. Final numbered

How to create multiple paragraphs without creating a new bullet or number

In some situations, you may need to have multiple paragraphs in a numbered or bulleted list. To do this, follow the steps below.

1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the number list.
2. Either click the number button or bullet button (as shown at the beginning of the document) or click Format and then Bullets and Numbering.
3. When you’re ready to insert a new line without creating a new bullet or number, press Shift+Enter.

Below is an example.

1. One numbered.
2. Two numbered.

   More text without a number.
3. Final numbered.

How to create a bullet list with a numbered list

To create a numbered list that also contains a letter list in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below.

1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the number list.
2. Either click the bullets button (as shown at the beginning of the document) or click Format and then «Bullets and Numbering…»
3. When ready to insert a numbered list in the bullets, press the bullets button or click Format and then «Bullets and Numbering…»
4. When you need to switch back to bullets, click the numbering button again or click Format and then «Bullets and Numbering…»

How to create a numbered list with a bulleted list

To create a numbered list that also contains a letter list in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below.

1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the number list.
2. Either click the number button (as shown at the beginning of the document) or click Format and then «Bullets and Numbering…»
3. When ready to insert a bullet list in the numbered list, press the numbering button or click Format and then «Bullets and Numbering…»
4. When you need to switch back to the numbered list, click the bullets button again or click Format and then «Bullets and Numbering…»

How to change the bullets used or change the appearance of the numbers

After creating the numbering list or the bullets list, if you need to change the appearance, click Format and then the «Bullets and Numbering…» option. You can adjust the format through the new Bullets and Numbering window. Below, is an example of what this window may look like in Microsoft Word.

In this lesson, you will learn how to apply bullets and numbering in MS Word. You can use bullets and numbers in Microsoft Word to put a list of things in a nice order.

Meanwhile, this is the continuation of the previous tutorial on how to align text and indent paragraphs in Microsoft Word which still part of formatting text in your documents. You can browse those guide if you having a hard time in exploring your documents.

Bullet or numbered lists, which are also called unordered or ordered lists, can make writing easy to read. However, don’t use them too much, because lists that are too long can be hard to read. Lists should only be used when there is more than one item.

In addition, in bulleted lists, the first character of each paragraph is a bullet. While in numbered lists, each paragraph starts with a phrase that has a number or letter and a divider, like a period or a pair of brackets.

However, when you add or remove paragraphs from a numbered list, the numbers change on their own. Lastly, the best ways to make lists in your documents that are in order are with bullets and numbers.

Bullets in MS Word

A bullet is a black circle, but it can be any other symbol that stands out in a list. Furthermore, use bullet points to list things that don’t need to be in a certain order. When things need to be in a certain order, we use numbers or letters.

 A bulleted list or bullet list is a series of items preceded with symbols instead of numbers.

Use of bullets and numbering in MS Word

Bulleted and numbered lists are options used to make it easier for readers to understand steps or items. Bulleted lists are a common way for teachers to highlight important parts of their lessons.

In Word, you can use numbered lists for many different kinds of documents, like forms, registries, and even an outline. Nevertheless, numbered lists can be set up automatically by Word, or you can do it yourself.

Furthermore, the most useful parts of any document are the bullets and numbers. This feature helps us decorate our documents in the right way, which also makes them easier for the reader to read.

How to create a numbered list in MS Word

1. Click on the Numbering button on the toolbar for formatting.
2. Press Enter after you type the first item on your list.
3. The next number will start the next line by itself.
4. Press Enter after you type the next item on your list.
5. Press the Enter key twice to stop the numbered list when your list is done.

How to create bullets List in MS Word

• On the Formatting toolbar, click the Bullets button.
• Press Enter after typing the first item on your list.
• The next line will begin automatically with a new bullet.
• Enter after typing the next item on your list.
• When you’ve finished your list, press the Enter key twice to end the bulleted list.

How to Apply Bullets and Numbering in MS Word

Shortcut key for bullets and numbering in MS Word

You can use a shortcut key for bullets and numbering in MS Word.

• To create a bulleted list, type * (asterisk), and then press Spacebar or the Tab key.
• To create a numbered list, type 1., and then press Spacebar or the Tab key.

Summary

In summary, we’ve talked about how to apply bullets and numbering in Microsoft Word, as well as the different styles of numbering and bullets in a document and what those terms mean. In addition, we know the available shortcuts for using bullets and numbering in Microsoft Word.

We hope this tutorial helps you as you format your documents in MS Word.

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When you have a list of items to include in a document, you can format it as either a bulleted list or a numbered list. Adding a new item to a list will automatically insert a bullet, or a sequential number, in front of the item.

Numbered List

A numbered list will automatically number each line of the list in sequence. This is helpful for a list of steps that must be done in order.

1. Select the text you want to use to make a numbered list.
2. Click the Numbering button.

   

The selected items are turned into a numbered list.

You can remove the list formatting by clicking the Numbering button again.

Bulleted List

Use bulleted lists when the order of items in a list doesn’t matter, such as listing items you need to buy.

1. Select the text you want to use to make a numbered list.
2. Click the Bullets button.

   

The selected items are formatted as a bulleted list.

Like with a numbered list, clicking the Bullets button again will turn off the list formatting.

Multilevel List

Both numbered and bulleted lists can have multiple levels, letting you put together an outline of topics and subtopics. Any list can be turned into a multilevel list by demoting list items.

1. Select the list item you want to demote.
2. Click the Increase Indent button.

   

The list item is indented, and depending on the list style, the bullet or number may change.

You can indent a list item multiple times to create additional levels.

To promote a list item back to a higher level, just click the Decrease Indent button.

Change the List Style

While both bulleted and numbered lists have a default style, you can change the bullet style or numbering style for your lists.

1. Select the list you want to change.

You could also select just a single list item to change only that list item’s style.

2. Click the Bullets button list arrow or the Numbering button list arrow.

Depending on which style of list you’re using, you can choose a new symbol for the bullets or a different numbering style, such as roman numerals.

3. Select a new list style.

   

The list style is updated.

Custom Numbering

Numbered lists automatically number each list item in order, but you can change it if you need to.

1. Right-click a list number.
2. Select Set Numbering Value.

   

3. Make your adjustments.
• Start new list: This is the default, and it starts your list at “1.”
• Continue from previous list: Start numbering where the numbered list prior to it left off. If you check Advance value, you can skip numbers.
• Set value to: Allows you to manually enter a number other than “1” to start your list.
4. Click OK when you’re done.

   

The list numbering is updated.

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Although most of an academic paper should be written with full sentences divided up into paragraphs, bullet points and numbered lists can be useful in some contexts. For instance, vertical lists are particularly useful when giving examples or reporting steps in a process.

Microsoft Word also makes adding lists to a document reassuringly simple. All you need to do is follow the instructions below.

Using Bullet Points in an Essay

Bullet points are useful when listing things non-sequentially (i.e., when there is no specific order in which the items involved should be listed). They should also be reserved for longer lists, as short lists of up to three or four items can be included in the main text.

To add a bullet pointed list to a document in Microsoft Word 2007 or later, simply:

1. Place the cursor where you want the list to begin
2. Go to “Paragraph” under the “Home” tab on the main ribbon
   
3. Click the “Bullets” button to begin a list (you can select the type of bullet point you want by using the arrow to open a new menu)
4. Type the first entry in your list, hitting “Enter” to start the next one

To end your list, hit “Enter” twice after the final item. You can even customize your bullet points with an image of your choosing for a little extra color. We like using eagles, but we admit that this probably isn’t appropriate for most academic documents.

Using Numbered Lists

Numbered lists are appropriate when listing items sequentially or in order of importance. The process for adding a numbered list to a document is similar to adding a bulleted list:

1. Select where you want to begin your list
2. Go to the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab
3. Click the “Numbering” button (you can select a numbering style from the dropdown menu by clicking the arrow)
   
4. Type your first entry, then hit “Enter” to create the next one

As with bulleted lists, you end a numbered list by hitting “Enter” twice after the final item. For more control over the style, select “Define New Number Format” in the numbering menu.

Using Multilevel Lists

Finally, if you really want to push the boat out, you can use a “Multilevel” list. This is useful if you want to include sub-lists within a main list, like in the following:

To add a list like this to your document, you’ll have to:

1. Select a list style under “Multilevel List” in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab
   
2. Write out your list as normal, beginning each item on a new line
3. To adjust the “level” of any given point, simply open the “Multilevel List” menu and select the appropriate option from the “Change List Level” submenu
   

As with the other lists discussed here, you can customize the style of multilevel lists by selecting “Define New Multilevel List” from the menu. This will open a new window where you can modify each level of your chosen list style as required.

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Introduction

Bulleted and numbered lists can be used in your documents to format, arrange, and emphasize text. In this lesson, you will learn how to modify existing bullets, insert new bulleted and numbered lists, select symbols as bullets, and format multilevel lists.

Using bulleted and numbered lists

When you want to organize lists in Word, you can format them as either bulleted or numbered lists. Word offers a variety of bullet options that allow you to customize your lists to suit your needs.

Optional: You can download this example for extra practice.

To create a list:

1. Select the text you want to format as a list.
2. Click the Bullets or Numbering drop-down arrow on the Home tab.

   The Bullets and Numbering commands and drop-down arrows

3. Select the bullet or numbering style you want to use, and it will appear in the document.
4. To remove numbers or bullets from a list, select the list, then click the Bullets or Numbering commands.

When you’re editing a list, you can press Enter to start a new line, and the new line will automatically have a bullet or number. When you’ve reached the end of your list, press Enter twice to return to normal formatting.

Bullet options

To use a symbol as a bullet:

1. Select an existing list.
2. Click the Bullets drop-down arrow.
3. Select Define New Bullet from the drop-down menu. The Define New Bullet dialog box appears.

   The Define New Bullet dialog box

4. Click the Symbol button. The Symbol dialog box appears.
5. Click the Font drop-down box, and select a font. The Wingdings and Symbol fonts are good choices because they have a large number of useful symbols.

   Choosing a symbol

6. Select the desired symbol.
7. Click OK. The symbol will now appear in the Preview section of the Define New Bullet dialog box.

   Preview of the new bullets
8. Click OK to apply the symbol to the list in the document.

You can use a picture as a bullet. Click the Picture button in the Define New Bullet dialog box, then locate the image file on your computer.

To change the bullet color:

1. Select an existing list.
2. Click the Bullets drop-down arrow.
3. Select Define New Bullet from the list. The Define New Bullet dialog box appears.
4. Click the Font button. The Font dialog box appears.
5. Click the Font Color drop-down box.

   Choosing a bullet color

6. Click the desired color to select it.
7. Click OK. The bullet color will now appear in the Preview section of the Define New Bullet dialog box.

   Preview of the new bullet color

8. Click OK to apply the bullet color to the list in the document.

   The finished bullets

Multilevel lists

Multilevel lists allow you to create an outline with multiple levels. In fact, you can turn any bulleted or numbered list into a multilevel list by placing the insertion point at the beginning of a line and pressing the Tab key to change the level for that line. You can then use the Multilevel List command to choose the types of bullets or numbering that are used.

A multilevel list

To create a multilevel list:

1. Select the text you want to format as a multilevel list.
2. Click the Multilevel List command on the Home tab.

   The Multilevel List command

3. Click the bullet or numbering style you want to use. It will appear in the document.
4. Position your cursor at the end of a list item, then press the Enter key to add an item to the list.

To remove numbers or bullets from a list, select the list, then click the Bullets or Numbering commands.

To change the level of a line:

1. Place the insertion point at the beginning of the line.

   Placing the insertion point at the beginning of a line

2. Press the Tab key to increase the level.

   Pressing the Tab key to increase the level of a line
3. Hold Shift and press Tab to decrease the level.

Challenge!

1. Open an existing Word document. If you want, you can use this example.
2. Format some text as a bulleted or numbered list. If you’re using the example, use the list of New Clients on page 2.
3. Insert a new numbered list into the document.
4. Modify the color of a bullet.
5. Use the Tab key to change the levels of some of the lines.

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1.  What is a numbered list?

Numbered lists are used to show the steps of a process or sequence. The order is important.

2. What is a bullet list (a.k.a. dot points)?

Bullet lists are used to show two or more points or items. The order is not important.

3. When to use numbered lists vs bullet lists

4. One-click bullets

# Create a new bullet list

1.  Select the items to which you want to add bullets.

2.  Select the HOME tab.

3.  Click the bullet icon in the Paragraph group. 

Standard black round bullet symbols are added to each item.

# Delete a bullet item

If you delete a line (a bullet item), the rest of the list closes to fill the gap.

# Add a bullet item

If you place your cursor at the end of a bullet item and press ENTER, a new bullet item is added on the next line.

# End a bullet list

If you place your cursor at the end of the last bullet item and press ENTER twice, the bullet list is ended.

5. One-click numbers

To create a numbered list:

1.  Select the items that you want to number.

2.  Select the HOME tab.

3.  Click the Numbering icon in the Paragraph group.

The items are now numbered sequentially.

# Delete a bullet item

If you delete a line (a numbered item), the numbering for the remaining list adapts so the numbering is always sequential.

# Add a bullet item

If you place your cursor at the end of a numbered item, then press Enter, a new blank numbered item is added to the next line (with the correct number), ready to be populated. The numbers in the rest of the list adapt so the numbers remain sequential

# End a bullet list

If you place your cursor at the end of the last numbered item and press ENTER twice, the numbered list is ended.

6. Custom symbol bullets

# Choose a different bullet symbol

1.  Select your list of items

2.  Select the HOME tab.

3.  Click the drop-down arrow next to the bullet icon in the Paragraph group.

    A gallery of default or previously-used bullet styles is displayed.

4.  Click on any bullet style to use it.

# Define a new symbol bullet

1.  Click Define New Bullet.

2.  Click the Symbol button to display the symbol gallery.

4.  Select a symbol from the gallery.

5.  Click OK

# Define a new picture bullet

1.  Select your list of items

2.  Select the Home tab.

3.  Click the drop-down arrow next to the bullet icon in the Paragraph group.

4.  Click Define New Bullet.

5.  Click the Picture button to display the symbol gallery

You can use a picture from three different places

To select a picture that is already stored on your computer

1.  Click FROM A FILE.

2.  Locate the picture and select it.

To search for an image online:

1.  Click BING IMAGE SEARCH.

2.  Type a keyword or phrase that describes the kind of bullet picture you want.

3.  Select one from the gallery.

4.  Click Insert

You are responsible for respecting creators rights including copyright.

To use an image store on your OneDrive (cloud):

1.  Click ONEDRIVE.

2.  Sign in if necessary.

3.  Locate and select the image file.

7. Adding symbols anywhere in your document

1.  Select the INSERT tab.

2.  Click Symbol  (on the right-hand side)

3.  Choose MORE SYMBOLS to display the symbol gallery.

4.  Even standard fonts like Arial and Calibri contain many more characters that you can find on the keyboard. For example, ©, »,  and ¼.

5.  There are lots of fonts and symbols to explore, but if you start experimenting with different fonts from the drop-down list, you’ll discover another whole world.

6.  Select a symbol from the gallery.

7.  Click Insert

8. Summary