Make numbered list 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

   I.   To create a custom numbering format, do the following:

   1.   On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group,
choose the Numbering button:

   2.   In the Numbering list, click
Define New Number Format… item to display the Define New Number Format dialog
box:

   3.   In the Define New Number Format dialog box:

• Number style — Specifies the numbering style that you want. Choices include Arabic numerals,
  uppercase and lowercase Roman numerals, uppercase and lowercase alphabet letters, and word series
  (1st, One, and First). You can also choose no numbers at all, killing the sequential numbering.
• Font… — Specifies the special font or font attributes (such as bold, italic, and underline)
  and the point size for the numbers. A standard Font dialog box appears when this button is chosen.
• Number format — Types the characters, if any that you want to come before each number. If you
  want each number enclosed in parentheses, for example, type an opening parenthesis before the number
  in this box.
  Do not type over this number in this box! If you do so, even replacing it with another
  number, you will break the automatic numbering; each number in the list will be the same.
• Alignment — Sets the distance from the left, centered or right margin that Word places the
  number.

   II.   To create a custom multilevel list format, following:

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, choose the Multilevel List button and
click Define New Multilevel List… item to display the Define new Multilevel List dialog
box:

If the button in the lower-left corner is the More >> button, click it. Word displays an
extra panel at the right of the dialog box, so you see the full dialog box, as shown here. Word also
changes the More >> button to a << Less button that you can click to hide the
extra section of the dialog box again.

• In the Click Level To Modify, select the list level you want to change. Word selects the
  first level, 1, when you open the Define New Multilevel List dialog box.
• If you need to link this numbered list level to a particular style, select the style in the Link
  Level To Style drop-down list.
• Use the controls in the Number Format area to specify the number format.
  • In the Number Style For This Level drop-down list, select the number format you want
    to use. For example:
    • «1, 2, 3,»
    • «i, ii, iii,»
    • «A, B, C.»
  • To include the number from the previous level (or a higher level), choose the level from the
    Include Level Number From drop-down list. (This drop-down list is unavailable for the
    first level because there’s no level above it.) For example: if Level 1 uses «1, 2, 3»
    numbering and Level 2 uses «a, b, c» numbering, applying Level 1 in the Include Level
    Number From drop-down list to Level 2 changes the Level 2 numbering to 1a, 1b, and
    so on.
  • Word displays the number formatting you’ve chosen in the Enter Formatting For Number
    text box. Type any changes for the text of the format into this text box. For example, you
    might edit the «A)» format to «Section A)» so that each instance of the number included the
    word «Section.»
  • To specify font formatting, click the Font button. Word displays the Font
    dialog box. Choose the font, font style, size, and any extras (such as color or effects),
    and then click the OK button.
  • To customize the numbering, use the Start At spinner to change the starting number.
    If you want to restart numbering after a certain level, select the Restart List After
    check box and choose that level in the drop-down list. (The Restart List After
    controls aren’t available for the first level in the list, because there’s no higher level.)
  • Select the Legal Style Numbering check box if you want to use legal-style numbering:
    changing any roman numeral to an Arabic numeral. For example, 1.1.1 instead of
    I.1.1.
• Use the controls in the Position box to customize where the number appears.
  • In the Number Alignment drop-down list, choose Left, Centered, or
    Right.
  • In the Aligned At text box, choose the position at which to align the number.
  • In the Text Indent At text box, set the indent position for the text.
  • In the Follow Number With drop-down list, select the character to include after the
    number: a tab, a space, or nothing. If you choose a tab, you can select the Add Tab Stop
    At check box and set the distance at which to place a tab stop.

Note: more details are available
in the Numbered lists section
in the Work with bulleted, numbered and multi-level lists lesson
of the Create basic documents free course.

See also this tip in French:
Comment personnaliser une liste numérotée.

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

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.

Creating and removing numbered lists in Word is easy using the “Numbering” command on the ribbon. However, if you prefer using the keyboard, there is a way to quickly create a numbered list using a keyboard shortcut.

We will add a keyboard shortcut to the command for creating numbered lists. To do so, right click anywhere on the ribbon and select “Customize the Ribbon” from the popup menu.

The “Customize the Ribbon and keyboard shortcuts” screen displays on the “Word Options” dialog box.

On the “Customize Keyboard” dialog box, select “All Commands” in the “Categories” list.

Scroll down in the “Commands” list and select “FormatNumberDefault”.

Put the cursor in the “Press new shortcut key” edit box and press the shortcut key combination you want to use to create a numbered list. We used “Alt + N” because it’s not assigned to anything else in Word. Click “Assign”.

The new keyboard shortcut is added to the “Current keys” list.

If you made other changes on the “Word Options” dialog box (not a sub-dialog), click “OK” to accept your changes and close the dialog box. Otherwise, click “Cancel”.

To remove the number from a numbered list item, simply press the keyboard shortcut again. The number and the paragraph indent are removed. You can also press “Ctrl + Q” to remove paragraph numbering, but this leaves the paragraph indented.

Word can also automatically create a numbered list, however you can turn off this feature.

READ NEXT

• › How to Add Bullet Points in Word
• › How to Cross-Reference in Microsoft Word
• › How to Change the Alignment of the Numbers in a Numbered List in Microsoft Word
• › Google Chrome Is Getting Faster
• › BLUETTI Slashed Hundreds off Its Best Power Stations for Easter Sale
• › The New NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Is Like an RTX 3080 for $599
• › This New Google TV Streaming Device Costs Just $20
• › HoloLens Now Has Windows 11 and Incredible 3D Ink Features

In the article bellow, we will show you 4 ways to create a multi-column bulleted or numbered list in your Word document.

When we start a bulleted or numbered list, each list entry is considered as a paragraph. And there is no direct way to create 2 paragraphs side by side in Word document. This seems creating a multi-column list is not possible, either.

True. There is no direct way. But, you can always find effectual workarounds in our article.

Method 1: Format Lists as Multi-column Texts

1. First and foremost, finish entering list items and select the list.
2. Then click “Page Layout” tab.
3. Next click “Columns” command in “Page Setup” group.
4. On its drop-down menu, choose a column number.
5. Now you see all list entries are in the first column.
6. Put cursor at the start of a list entry which you want to place in another column. For example, in this case, we position insertion pointer before the texts of the third list entry. Then click “Breaks” under “Page Layout” tab.
7. And click “Column” on the drop-down menu of “Breaks”.
8. This inserts a column break and distributes list entries to the second column.
9. Repeat step 6 and 7 in case you have more than 2 columns and need to distribute list entries evenly. You can get a possible result as follows:

Method 2: Arrange a List in a Multi-column Table

1. Firstly, put cursor at place where the multi-column list should go.
2. Secondly, click “Insert” tab and click “Table”.
3. Thirdly, click “Insert Table”.
4. In the box open, enter the number of rows and columns.
5. Click “OK”.
6. Then select the table and click either “Bullets” or “Numbering” under “Home” tab. Each single cell will contain a bullet or be numbered in sequence.
7. You can then enter one entry in a cell.
8. Finally, remove table borders by clicking “Design” tab. Click to open the drop-down menu of “Borders” and choose “No Border”.

Method 3: Insert Text Boxes

1. To begin with, click “Insert” tab and “Text Box”.
2. Next click “Draw Text Box”.
3. Then enter list entries into text boxes.
4. Insert another text box in the same line with the previous one, following the first 3 steps.
5. Lastly, remove the outline of all text boxes by clicking text box. Then click “Format” and “Shape Outline”. Choose “No Outline”.

Method 4: Insert Bullet Symbols

If you don’t need a live bulleted list, you can just use bullet symbols to create a seemingly like one.

1. Click “Insert” tab then “Symbol”.
2. Next choose “More Symbols”.
3. In the “Symbol” dialog box, choose “General Punctuation” in the drop list of “Subset”.
4. Then find and click the bullet symbol.
5. Lastly, click “Insert” and close the box.
6. Or you can also choose to press “Alt+ 0149” to quickly insert a bullet symbol.

Word Errors Exist

If you are an experienced user of Word, you must have encountered with errors some time. Different errors cast different levels of impact on your documents. In some luck day, a simple reopen action will be enough to address an issue. But in the rest of days, you find yourself in desperate need of a tool to recover doc. Under such scenario, you need to take time evaluating various products on the market before testing them on your document.

Author Introduction:

Vera Chen is a data recovery expert in DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data recovery technologies, including excel corruption and pdf repair software products. For more information visit https://www.datanumen.com/

• Microsoft

• Software

For those who struggle for brevity in writing, using bullet points and numbered lists can help ensure clarity. And they are particularly good when giving examples or outlining a process.

Thankfully, Microsoft Word makes it easy to add these to your work.

Using Bullet Points

Bullet points are generally used when listing things non-sequentially (i.e. when the order doesn’t matter). As a general rule, though, bullet points aren’t used for lists of less than four items, since these lists can be included in the main text of your document.

To insert a bullet pointed list when using Microsoft Word 2010 or later:

• Place the cursor where you want to add the list.
• In the ‘Home’ tab, find the bullet point button under ‘Paragraph’.
• If you’re happy with the default bullet point type, click the icon.
• If you want a specific style of bullet, click the arrow and select one from the menu.
  
• Write the first item in your list, then press ‘Enter’ to add a new bullet.
• To finish your list, press ‘Enter’ twice after the final item.

If you really want to mix things up, you can even use custom images as bullet points!

Using Numbered Lists

Numbered lists are used when you want to list items sequentially or in order of importance. The way to do this is very similar to inserting bullet points:

• Place the cursor where you want to start the list.
• Under the ‘Home’ tab, find the ‘Numbering’ button.
• To use the default number type, simply click the icon.
• To select a custom numbering system, click the arrow for more choices.
  
• Write the first item in your list, then press ‘Enter’ to move to the next one.
• To finish the list, press ‘Enter’ twice after writing the final item.

For more customisation, you can also play with the ‘Define New Number Format’ options.

Using Multilevel Lists

If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even use a ‘multilevel’ list. This is especially useful if you want to include sub-lists within your main list.

To create a multilevel list:

• Place the cursor where you want to start the list.
• In the ‘Home’ tab, click the ‘Multilevel list’ icon or select a list style from the menu.
  
• Write your list as normal until you want to include a sub-list.
• Add a new point in your list. At this point you have two options:
  • Press ‘Tab’ button on the next line. The line will indent itself and use the next list level in the style you have selected each time you press tab.
  • In the bullet point, numbered list or multilevel list menus, select the level you want to use with the ‘Change list level’ option.

And for more control, click ‘Define New Multilevel List’ in the ‘Multilevel list’ menu. Here, you can change the settings for the different levels of a multilevel list.

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.

FREE Quick Reference

Click to Download

Free to distribute with our compliments; we hope you will consider our paid training.