Numbered boxes in word

1. What Multi-level Numbering Looks Like

Often used in the legal profession or in large corporate documents, multilevel numbering creates a logical hierarchy and easy navigation within the document. The headings can also be summarised later on in a table of contents. Here is a simple example:

2. How to Set Up Multilevel Numbering

Here is the correct process:

Some users have experienced that numbering, headings, or styles in their Microsoft Word documents turn into black boxes when they created the table of contents, headings, or subheadings using the Multilevel List feature. This issue interferes with the numbering style in a Word document by converting some heading numbers into black rectangular boxes. Hence, it causes a lot of trouble for the users. If you are experiencing such an issue in your Word document, this article may help you fix it.

If you see black boxes in Numbering, Line, Heading styles, Paragraph formatting, Page break, erc. in Word documents on your Windows 11/10 PC, use these tips to fix the corrupted styles:

1. Reapply the formatting style
2. Recreate the Multilevel List
3. Change the formatting style to None and then reapply the numbering format
4. Run a macro in your Word document

Let’s see all these solutions in detail.

1] Reapply the formatting style

This problem interferes with the numbering style in a Word document. Therefore, you can try reapplying the formatting style and see if it fixes the problem.

The steps to reapply the formatting style are written below:

1. Place the blinking cursor just after the black box.
2. Press the left arrow key in order to select the black box completely. When you select the black box, it should turn gray.
3. Now, press Ctrl + Shift + S keys. This will bring up the style popup window.
4. Click Reapply.

Now, check if the issue is fixed.

2] Recreate the Multilevel List

Another solution to fix this problem is recreating the Multilevel List. The steps to do this are listed below:

1. Place the blinking cursor just before the first heading.
2. Click on the Home tab.
3. Now, click on the Multilevel List drop-down under the Paragraph section and select the format you want.

This should fix the issue. If it does not work, repeat the first 2 steps and then click on the Multilevel List drop-down. After that, click Define New Multilevel List and customize your Multilevel List.

3] Change the formatting style to None and then reapply the numbering format

Change the formatting style of the black box to None. This will remove the numbering. After that, you can apply the numbering format again. The following instructions will help you with that:

1. Place the blinking cursor just next to the blacked box and hit the left arrow key. This will select that black box.
2. Press the Ctrl + Shift + S keys. This will open the Apply Styles popup window.
3. Click Modify.
4. Now, click on the Format button on the bottom left side and select Numbering. This will open the Numbering and Bullets window.
5. Select None under the Numbering tab and click OK.
6. Click OK again to close the Modify Style window.

This will remove the numbering format. Now, you can apply the numbering format again. To do so, go to the Home tab, click on the Multilevel List drop-down, and select the format under the Current List or select another format as per your requirement. If it causes disturbance in spacing, you can adjust it by moving the slider on the scale.

Read: Fix WINWORD.EXE Bad Image error.

4] Run a Macro in your Word document

If none of the above solutions work for you, running a Macro in Word may help. A lot of people found this solution helpful. You should also try this. To type a Macro in Word, first, you should enable the Developer tab. The following instructions will guide you on this:

Open Microsoft Word and go to “File > Options.”

Select the Customize Ribbon category from the left pane and then select the Developer checkbox. Now, click OK.

Now, select the Developer tab and click Macros. A Macro popup window will appear. Now, type the name of Macro and then click on the Create button. This will open the Microsoft Visual Editor.

In the Microsoft Visual Editor window, copy and paste the following code as shown in the above screenshot:

For Each templ In ActiveDocument.ListTemplates
For Each lev In templ.ListLevels
lev.Font.Reset
Next lev
Next templ

After typing the Macro, click on the Save button. Now, close the Microsoft Visual Editor window and open the affected document. Select the View tab and click on the Macros drop-down. Now, select the Macro that you have just created and then click on the Run button.

This should fix the problem.

Read: Fix Word experienced an error trying to open the file error.

Why is my numbering blacked out in Word?

This problem occurs when the font characteristics in Microsoft Word are corrupted. To fix this issue, you can reapply the formatting style. But according to some users, the problem reoccurs when they open the Word document again. Running a Macro in Microsoft Word can permanently fix this issue.

How do I get rid of the black box Numbering in Word?

To get rid of the black box Numbering in Word, you can reapply the formatting style or recreate the Multilevel List. If these solutions do not work for you, try running a Macro in Word. This solution has fixed the issue for many users. We have explained the process to run a Macro above in this article.

Hope this helps.

Read next: Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Windows.

Figure 1: To have Word magically number your figures for you

1. Type the name of the figure.
2. Click in front of the name of the figure.
3. In Insert menu on top of screen, select Caption.
4. Under Options: Label, select Figure.
5. Click OK.
6. Add a space and/or a colon if necessary. Be tidy and consistent.

How do you automatically number tables and figures in Word?

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Numbering. Note: To select a different number format, right-click a number in the list, point to Numbering, click Define New Number Format, and then select the options that you want.

How do you add figure numbers?

14. Type your caption or title after the label and number in the Caption text box. Pro Tip: Most of our primary style guides recommend placing a period after the figure or table number. However, Word doesn’t provide a way to add that period automatically, so remember to add it manually as you type each caption.

How do you automatically update figure numbers in Word?

Instead of searching and replacing all the figure numbers in the text, click “Edit” -> “Select All” (or, Ctrl + A), which select the entire document, then, press “F9”. This updates all the figure number automatically.

How do I manually change figure numbers in Word?

Changing Caption Numbering Styles

1. Display the References tab of the ribbon.
2. Click the Insert Caption tool, in the Captions group.
3. Click on the Numbering button.
4. Using the Format drop-down list, choose the format you want used for your caption numbers.
5. Click on OK to close the Caption Numbering dialog box.

How do you annotate a figure in Word?

To annotate an image in Word, insert the image in a document, then draw a shape over the image.

1. Go to the Insert tab and select Pictures.
2. In the Insert Picture dialog box, select the file folder that contains the image.
3. Choose the image, then select Insert.

How do you add numbers to shapes in Word?

To add a shape, click Insert, click Shapes, select a shape, and then click and drag to draw the shape. After you add one or more shapes, you can add text, bullets, and numbering to them, and you can change their fill, outline, and other effects on the Format tab.

How do I insert a numbered circle in Word?

You simply use Insert –>Shapes, select the circle shape, type a number inside the circle, and then drop the circle on top off the picture where you want to showcase something.

How do I update figure numbers in Word 2016?

Update caption numbers

1. Click anywhere in the document and press CTRL+A to select the entire document.
2. Right-click, and then choose Update Field on the shortcut menu. All of the captions in the document should now be updated.

What does F9 do in Word?

F9. F9: Update a field. This is the same as right-clicking a field and choosing the “Update Field” command.

How do I change my figure number?

Place your cursor in front of ANY automated caption number for ANY figure. Go to the References tab and click Insert Caption to open the Caption dialog box. Change the Label to Figure. Click Numbering to open the Caption Numbering dialog box.

How do I reset figure numbers in Word?

1 Answer

1. Select the number in the caption you want to start the custom numbering at.
2. Right-click and choose “Edit Field…”.
3. Click the Options button.
4. Choose the Field Specific Switches tab.
5. Select the r switch, and click Add To Field.
6. Type the number desired to restart the caption numbering after the r .

How do you reference figures?

The citation would normally be given after the title of the figure, table, diagram, etc.

1. Example: Figure 1, A four pointed star (Jones, 2015, p. 54).
2. Example: (Jones, 2015, p.33)
3. Example:
4. Example: (United Nations, 1975, cited in Smith, 2016, p.33)

How do you use bookmarks in Word?

Bookmark the location

1. Select text, a picture, or a place in your document where you want to insert a bookmark.
2. Click Insert > Bookmark.
3. Under Bookmark name, type a name and click Add. Note: Bookmark names need to begin with a letter. They can include both numbers and letters, but not spaces.

How do you reference a figure in text?

All figures and tables must be mentioned in the text (a “callout”) by their number. Do not refer to the table/figure using either “the table above” or “the figure below.” Assign table/figure # in the order as it appears, numbered consecutively, in your paper – not the figure # assigned to it in its original resource.

How do I annotate a PNG?

How to annotate PNG documents online

1. Click inside the file drop area to upload a PNG file or drag & drop a PNG file.
2. File will be automatically rendered for you to view instantly.
3. Scroll down to navigate between pages.
4. Add annotations to the document.
5. Download the annotated version of your PNG file.

How do you annotate an image?

For annotating an object, simply hover over the object in the selected image, click and drag to create a rectangular box of the intended size. After creating the bounding box, a new entry is added under Bounding Box column on the right. Click to select desired label for the object.

How do you annotate a painting?

Using annotation

1. analyse the work of an inspirational artist or designer.
2. record a technique.
3. record ideas.
4. explain the thinking behind an idea.
5. analyse the success of a technique, idea or composition.
6. explain how a particular artist or designer’s style or technique has influenced your work.

To add the shape, do the following:

1. Open the footer by double-clicking the footer area. In Word 2003, choose Header and Footer from the View menu.
2. While in the header, click the Insert tab.
3. Click inside the footer and drag to create the shape.
4. With the shape inserted, use the contextual Format tab to format the shape.

How do you draw shapes in Word?

Click in your document where you want to create the drawing. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes.
Add a drawing to a document

1. Insert a shape.
2. Change a shape.
3. Add text to a shape.
4. Group selected shapes.
5. Draw in the document.
6. Adjust the size of the shapes.

How do I apply a shape style in Word?

To change the shape style:

1. Select the shape you want to change.
2. On the Format tab, click the More drop-down arrow in the Shape Styles group.
3. A drop-down menu of styles will appear. Select the style you want to use.
4. The shape will appear in the selected style.

I have already published a range of posts on issues with comment boxes or comment balloons, including ones on comment boxes suddenly going tiny, or comment box text running in the wrong direction, changing the language in your comment balloons. This article covers what to do to add comment balloon numbering back in Word 2013 and 2016. Incidentally, this also signposts you to how to change the style of your comment balloon in general.

Where have the comment balloon numbers gone in Word?

In Word 2013 and 2016, the default setting is for comment balloons not to have numbers. Why? I honestly don’t know. Microsoft does have a habit of “simplifying” its Office interfaces, and the numbers do change with context (if you remove Comment 2, Comment 3 will be labelled Comment 2, etc.) but I have always found it useful to have numbers in my comment balloons.

Here’s what the default looks like:

and this is what I’m aiming for:

How do I change the comment balloon style and numbering?

We need to change the style of the comment balloons in order to add a number.

Click inside a comment balloon and press Ctrl+Shift+S (all at the same time, in that order) to display the Apply Styles pane:

This should be context-specific, but just check the style name is “Comment Text”.

Click the Modify button  to access the Modify Style pane:

Look at the bottom of the dialogue box and click the Format button, which will give you a dropdown menu:

Click Numbering, which will allow you to select a numbering scheme:

Click on the numbering scheme you want to use so that it’s highlighted with a line, and then click OK.

If you want to use a numbering scheme that’s not on this screen, click on Define New Number Format instead:

Once you’ve clicked this, you will see some new options:

Click on OK here, which will take you back to the previous screen, OR click OK on the number format screen, then choose if you want Word to update this document (Automatically update) and to apply this default to all new documents from now on (New documents based on this template):

Click OK and your comment boxes will have numbers!

This article has shown you how to add numbers to your comment balloons / boxes / text in MS Word 2013 and 2016 for PC. You can use it to modify this setting in earlier versions of Word, but they will default to having numbers.

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Other related posts on this blog

What to do if your comment boxes go tiny in Word

What to do if your comment boxes start running from right to left

Changing the language in your comment balloons

Customising your comment boxes – everything you need to know

Customising Track Changes