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You can apply a numbering scheme to the headings in your document by using multilevel-list templates and built-in heading styles in Word (Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on).
Important: Make sure you’re using built-in heading styles in your document.
You can number headings so that top-level headings (Heading 1) are numbered 1, 2, 3, for example, and second-level headings (Heading 2) are numbered 1.1, 1.2, 1.3.
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Open your document that uses built-in heading styles, and select the first Heading 1.
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On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, choose Multilevel List.
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Under List Library, choose the numbering style you would like to use in your document.
Note: Depending on the type of documentation you’ve prepared, you might choose a template that includes the word «Heading» in the example.
Need more help?
This tutorial shows how to add heading numbers in Microsoft Word. The heading numbers can include labels such as “Article,” “Section,” and “Chapter.”
We will also look at how to modify the numbers and labels attached to each heading level. For example, you may want to change “Article I” to “Proposal 1.”
Quick Links:
- How to Add Heading Numbers
- How to Modify Heading Numbers
This tutorial’s companion video shows all the steps in real time.
Watch more than 200 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.
The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac (a.k.a., Word for Mac), Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.
How to Add Numbers to Headings
Important Notes
- This process is for existing headings created with Word’s built-in heading styles.
- You don’t have to have every heading complete. However, the first Heading 1 level should already be inserted.
- If you are new to working with headings or need a refresher, please see “How to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word.”
- Select the Heading 1 in your document.
- Select the Home tab in the ribbon.
- Select the Multilevel List button in the Paragraph group.
- Select a style from the List Library. Remember that you can modify these styles, so choose the one that is closest to the format you want.
Pro Tip: Hover over each option to see a larger example.
Your headings should now feature the multilevel list numbers.
These steps assume you have already added numbers to your headings, as shown in the section above.
Important Note: Word’s Multilevel List function includes many advanced options. This section features the options I believe are the most useful for the majority of people.
- Select the first numbered heading in your document.
- Select the Home tab in the ribbon (see figure 2).
- Select the Multilevel List button in the Paragraph group (see figure 3).
- Select Define New Multilevel List from the drop-down menu.
- Select a level in the Click level to modify menu in the Define new Multilevel List dialog box.
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- Type the words, symbols, or punctuation before or after the number in the gray shading in the Enter formatting for number text box.
Important Note: Don’t delete or alter the number in the gray shading. If you delete or alter the number in the gray shading, the automatic numbering will stop functioning.
Pro Tip: If you add words, symbols, or punctuation after the number, also add a space after the final character so that a space appears before the heading text.
- (Optional) Choose a new number style from the Number style for this level menu.
- (Optional) Select the Font button to change the font, style, size, color, and other appearance options.
- (Optional) Adjust the number position as necessary.
- Select the More button.
- (Optional) Enter a different number in the Start at text box if you don’t want the level to start with the current number.
- (Optional) Select Space, Tab character, or Nothing from the Follow number with menu. For most users, Space will be the best option. (The Tab character can put too much space between the number and label and the heading text.)
- Select the next heading level that you want to modify in the Click level to modify text box (see figure 8).
- Repeat steps 6 through 13, as necessary.
- Select the OK button.
Your heading numbers should now be modified.
Related Resources
How to Add Heading Numbers to Table Titles and Figure Captions in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)
How to Create Run-In Headings in Microsoft Word (Indented & Left-Aligned)
How to Create a Custom Heading Style in Microsoft Word
How to Create a Custom Heading Style in Microsoft Word for Mac
Updated March 18, 2023
Some document types or requirements need headings numbering. It’s easy to add numbering for one level of headings in the Word document. Word works with the numbering for any style in the same way. See how to work with lists in Word:
Alternatively, you can add numbering to the heading style to automate your work.
However, if you need to add multilevel numbering for the headings, you have to know some tricks on how to do that:
Add numbering to the heading style
All style changes, such as adding numbering to a heading style, are made in the Modify Style dialog box.
1. To open the Modify Style dialog, do one of the following:
- On the Home tab, in the Styles group, right-click on the style (for example, Heading 1) and choose Modify… in the popup menu:
- On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click the dialog box launcher:
On the Styles pane, right-click on the style (for example, Heading 1) and choose Modify… in the popup menu:
- Right-click on the text with the needed style (for example, Heading 1) or some text you want to apply this style, then click the Styles list in the Mini Toolbar.
In the Style gallery, right-click on the style and choose Modify… in the popup menu:
2. In the Modify Style dialog box, click the Format button and then choose Numbering…:
3. In the Numbering and Bullets dialog box, choose the numbering format you prefer, or click the Define New Number Format… button to create a custom numbering:
In the Define New Number Format dialog box:
- The Number style list specifies the numbering style: Arabic numerals; uppercase and lowercase Roman numerals; uppercase and lowercase alphabet letters; word series (1st, One, and First), etc. See examples in the Customizing numbered lists tip.
- The Font… button opens the standard Font dialog box that allows selecting the specific font or font attributes (such as bold, italic, and underline) and the point size for the numbers.
- The Number format field offers to type the characters you want to come before each number (if needed). For this example, the word Part:
- In the Alignment list, choose the distance from the left, centered, or right margin that Word places the number.
For example:
Add multilevel numbering to the heading style
To create a multilevel list for headings, do the following:
1. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Multilevel List button:
2. Do one of the following:
- To create a pre-defined multilevel list for headings, click the arrow next to the Multilevel List button and choose any of the pre-defined styles for headings:
- To create a custom multilevel list for headings, click the arrow next to the Multilevel List button and choose Define New Multilevel List…:
In the Define new Multilevel list dialog box, click the More>> button in the lower-left corner:
Word displays an extra panel at the right of the dialog box, so you see the full dialog box:
To link this numbered list level to a particular style, select the style in the Link level to style drop-down list:
Make other changes for the custom list levels (see how to customize multilevel lists for more details).
For example:
After applying the heading styles:
- The Styles Gallery will look like this:
- You can see the numbered list for headings:
Note: To modify the numbering or numbering format, you need to modify this custom multilevel list (see how to customize the multilevel list), not the numbering in the heading style (like described in the Add numbering to the heading style).
on
June 11, 2018, 12:25 PM PDT
How to create multilevel numbered headings in Word 2016
Multilevel number headings don’t have to complicate your work. This technique takes a few clicks and you’re done.
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Over the last few months, we’ve reviewed Word’s numbered list features. Specifically, How to control spacing and alignment in a numbered list in Microsoft Word shows how to control spacing and alignment and How to number headings in a Word 2016 document shows a simple way to number headings. In this article, we’ll continue by reviewing Word’s Multilevel List feature. Fortunately, it’s easier to implement and modify than you might think.
I’m using Word 2016 on a Windows 10 64-bit system, but this feature is available in earlier versions. However, the multilevel list options discussed in this article aren’t available in the online 365 browser edition. For your convenience, you can download the demonstration .docx and .doc files, or you can work with your own content.
LEARN MORE: Office 365 Consumer pricing and features
What doesn’t work
You can’t use Word’s Numbering feature to generate a multilevel numbering system, even if you use built-in heading styles. Figure A shows a document with two styled heading levels: Heading 1 and Heading 2. You can apply the Numbering option (in the Paragraph group) and Word will number the headings consequently, but the feature ignores different levels; if you expected 1, 1.1, 2, 2.1, and 2.2, you might be surprised. If you select the entire document first, Numbering not only ignores the different levels, but it also numbers the paragraphs!
Figure A
Word’s Numbering option can’t handle multilevel headings.
The easy way
If you use built-in heading styles, applying a multilevel list style is as simple as a few clicks. First, position the cursor anywhere in the document. Then, click the Multilevel List option and choose an option (Figure B). As you can see in Figure C, two quick clicks and you’re done!
Figure B
Choose one of the built-in multilevel options from the gallery.
What’s important to note is that the List Library collection displays styles linked to the built-in heading styles. If one of these works for you, you needn’t go any further.
Figure C
It took two clicks to apply this multilevel numbering scheme.
Tweak it
The default options are adequate most of the time, but you might want to customize the results a bit and that’s where things can get a bit confusing. The options are straightforward, but there are a lot of them; Word can handle up to nine levels!
To modify the options, click the Multilevel List option (in the Paragraph Group). Word selects all lists currently in use in the List Library. You’ll see two options below the gallery: Define New Multilevel List and Define New List Style. Use the first to create and save a stable custom list style. You’ll use the second to change list styles. You can also use the latter to create a new style. So, what’s the difference? The Define New List Style option lets you name a style, so you can share, modify, and delete it later. Most users will never need this option. Now, let’s move on: choose Define New Multilevel List. Figure D shows the resulting dialog.
Figure D
Open this dialog to create a new multilevel list.
Now you’re ready to choose settings that will reflect your numbered heading needs:
- Select the level you want to modify. You can change one, a few or all of the levels.
- Select a numbering format to apply to the chosen level, adjust the formatting; adjust the spacing and aligning, and so on.
- Repeat the above for each level you want to change.
- Click OK when you’re done.
To save the list style to a template so you can use it with other documents, select the list in the document. Access the Multilevel List dropdown and choose Define New List Style. Enter a descriptive new and select the New documents based on this template (at the bottom). Once you click OK, the multilevel list style will be available in all new documents.
SEE: 30 things you should never do in Microsoft Office (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
An example
Let’s use what we’ve learned to modify the built-in style applied earlier (Figure C). Specifically, we’ll change the numbering style for both levels and indent level 2. To begin, click anywhere inside the list area, and then do the following:
- Click Multilevel List in the Paragraph group, and then choose Define New Multilevel List.
- Select 1 in the Click level to modify list to choose the first level.
- From the Number style for this level dropdown, choose I, II, III, (Figure E). We’re done with level 1.
- Select level 2 and change the number style to l, ll, lll, as you did for level 1.
- Click the Font button, choose Italics, and click OK.
- In the Aligned at control, enter .50. (Figure F).
- Click OK to see the new list attributes in Figure G.
Figure E
Alter level 1.
Figure F
Alter level 2.
Figure G
We reset only a few options, but substantially changed the look of the headings.
Notice that the Font option (when you applied italics) changes only the number, not the heading text. To update the heading text, modify the heading style as you normally would. Word assumes you want all Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles included in the new numbering scheme. If you want to omit a heading level from the scheme, don’t use a built-in heading style to format those headings.
There are lots of options. For instance, you might reduce the amount of space between the number and the text by changing the Text indent at setting. Or, you might center the heading by choosing Center from the Number alignment dropdown. For even more options, click More to expose several more settings. You could use the Apply changes to option when setting level 1 to the I, II, III numbering style instead of changing it for each level.
To add new levels to the list, simply use a lower level built-in heading style. For a visual review of the document’s structure, display the Navigation pane: Click the view tab and check Navigation Pane in the Show group.
This feature is easiest to use when you combine it with Word’s built-in heading styles. However, you can map a custom heading style to the multilevel numbering feature–it just takes more work. Word handles nine levels, but any document with more than four levels should receive a serious developmental edit. More than four becomes confusing and perhaps worse, unreadable.
Stay tuned
Word’s Multilevel List feature works nicely with the built-in heading styles. However, you can get the same effect working with custom styles. Next month, I’ll show you how to do so.
Send me your question about Office
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Also see:
- How to add a drop-down list to an Excel cell (TechRepublic)
- How to become a cloud engineer: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
- 50 time-saving tips to speed your work in Microsoft Office (free PDF) (TechRepublic download)
- How to add a drop-down list to an Excel cell (TechRepublic)
- Cost comparison calculator: G Suite vs. Office 365 (Tech Pro Research)
- Microsoft Office has changed, how you use it should too (ZDNet)
- Best cloud services for small businesses (CNET)
- Best to-do list apps for managing tasks on any platform (Download.com)
- More must-read Microsoft-related coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)
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Microsoft
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Software
Number your headings
- Open your document that uses built-in heading styles, and select the first Heading 1.
- On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, choose Multilevel List.
- Under List Library, choose the numbering style you would like to use in your document.
Contents
- 1 How do I insert a 1.1 Numbering in Word?
- 2 How do you add a number to a header?
- 3 How do I change the heading 2 numbers in Word?
- 4 How do I start numbering from 2.1 in Word?
- 5 How do I make heading 3 in Word?
- 6 How do I link Heading 1 and Heading 2 in Word?
- 7 How do you make a heading 2?
- 8 How do I fix headings in Word?
- 9 How do I fix Heading 1 in Word?
- 10 How do I get heading 3 in table of contents?
- 11 What is a heading 3?
- 12 How do you put a heading 4 in Word?
- 13 How do you link headings?
- 14 How do I make all my headers the same?
How do I insert a 1.1 Numbering in Word?
Practice: Customize Outline Numbering
- Create a new document.
- From the Format menu, choose Bullets and Numbering.
- Select the Outline Numbered tab.
- Select the second option on the top row. The default is 1, 1.1, 1.1.
- Click Customize.
- In the Number format field, type Article before the number that appears in the box.
Add page numbers to a header or footer
- Click or tap in the header or footer where you want the page numbers to go.
- Go to Insert > Page Numbering.
- Select Current Position.
- Choose a style.
How do I change the heading 2 numbers in Word?
For the Heading 2, In the Define new Multilevel list dialog:
- Click 2 in the left bar under Click level to modify,
- Select Heading 2 from the Link level to style drop down list,
- Select Level 1 from the Level to show in gallery drop down list. See screenshot:
How do I start numbering from 2.1 in Word?
If you just need the chapter number included in captions, on the On the Home Ribbon, in the Paragraph Group, click the Multilevel List icon and select the one with the words Chapter 1 in it from the List Library section. If you need subsections numbered (for example, 2.1, 2.2, 2.12, etc.)
How do I make heading 3 in Word?
When you have the selection where you want to insert a Heading 3 style paragraph, press CTRL+SHIFT+s to display the Apply Styles dialog and in the Style Name control type Heading 3 and then click on Apply. Likewise for Heading 4. Headings 1 and 2 are displayed in the Quick Styles gallery and Styles pane by default.
How do I link Heading 1 and Heading 2 in Word?
Click on the More >> button at the bottom left of the dialog box.
- Make sure level 1 is selected at the top left of the box.
- Click on the Link level to style box and choose Heading 1.
- Select level 2, link this to the Heading 2 style.
- Select level 3, link this to the Heading 3 style.
How do you make a heading 2?
Click Options and setSelect styles to show as Recommended. Click OK. Now click the right-most of the three buttons (Manage Styles). On the Recommend tab, select Heading 2 from the list and then click the Show button below.
How do I fix headings in Word?
Edit your existing headers and footers
- Double-click the header or footer you want to edit, or select Header or Footer, and then select Edit Header or Edit Footer.
- Add or change text for the header or footer or do any of the following:
- When you’re done, select Close Header and Footer or press Esc.
How do I fix Heading 1 in Word?
The Styles pane appears on the right.
- Locate the heading level 1 in the Styles pane. Place mouse cursor over it.
- Click the down arrow button on the extreme right. A drop-down list appears.
- From the drop-down list, click option Update Heading 1 to Match Selection.
How do I get heading 3 in table of contents?
Change the heading levels reported in the TOC
- Click anywhere inside the TOC.
- Go to the References tab > Table of Contents > Insert Table of Contents.
- On the Table of Contents window, change the Show levels setting from 3 to 4 or 5, depending on how deep you want to go.
- Click OK.
- Say Yes to replace the existing TOC.
What is a heading 3?
Levels of heading
Level 1 is the highest or main level of heading, Level 2 is a subheading of Level 1, Level 3 is a subheading of Level 2, and so on through Levels 4 and 5. Headings are covered in Sections 2.26 and 2.27 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition.
How do you put a heading 4 in Word?
Click the References tab and select Table of Contents, except this time, you will select the Custom Table of Contents to change options. Under the General section, click the up arrow next to Show levels: to add Heading 4 to the Table of contents. You can also make other TOC changes if desired.
How do you link headings?
Add the link
- Select the text or object you want to use as a hyperlink.
- Right-click and then click Hyperlink .
- Under Link to, click Place in This Document.
- In the list, select the heading or bookmark that you want to link to.
Under the View menu select “Show Headers and Footers” and edit the text you want to show there. Then under the “Format” menu go to “Document” where you will find a selection for “Headers and Footers” and in that dialog box select the “Layout” tab to select whether you want similar or different headers and footers.