On completion of this tutorial, you will be able to:
- Start a bulleted or numbered list automatically
- Add bullets and numbering to a list
- Change the appearance of bullet characters
- Create an outline numbered list
Apply Bullets and Numbering Automatically
Word has a facility to automatically apply numbers and bullet points to paragraphs. The numbering feature is "intelligent". If you enter a number, the next consecutive number is applied to the next paragraph. The advantage of using the automatic numbering feature is that the numbers will automatically change when paragraphs are inserted, deleted or reordered in the numbered section of text.
To apply bullets and numbering using the keyboard
- Type a number for numbered lists or * for bullet points
- Press the Tab key or Space Bar
- Type the required text and press Enter
The following paragraph will automatically be numbered or bulleted, and the AutoCorrect smart tag is displayed.
- Click on the down arrow to the right of the smart tag to display the menu
Select from the following options:
- Undo Automatic Bullets/Numbering to turn them off for this instance
OR
- Stop Automatically Creating Bulleted/Numbered Lists to turn them off permanently
- Press Enter twice to finish the list
Tip: You can also finish the list by pressing Backspace to delete the last number or bullet in the list.
Apply Bullets and Numbering to Text
To apply bullets and numbering using the Formatting toolbar
- Select the paragraphs to which to apply bullets or numbers
- Click the Bullets button
or the Numbering button 
Note: Bullets and numbering are paragraph formats. Press Enter to create a new paragraph with the same bullet or the next number.
Tip: Where sequential numbering is required but not all paragraphs are to be numbered, select all of the paragraphs starting from the one where numbering begins to the one where numbering ends. Apply numbering to all of the paragraphs, then switch it off on the paragraphs where it is not required by selecting the paragraph(s) and clicking the Numbering button.
To apply bullets or numbering using the Bullets and Numbering dialogue box
- Select the paragraphs to which to apply bullets or numbers
- From the Format menu, select Bullets and Numbering...
The Bullets and Numbering dialogue box is displayed.
- Select the Bulleted or Numbered tab
- Select a bullet or numbering style
- Click OK
Tip: To display the Bullets and Numbering dialogue box, right-click one of the numbers or bullets in the list and select Bullets and Numbering...
Note: You can remove all indents, bullets and numbering from a paragraph by selecting the paragraph and pressing Ctrl + Q, or by selecting Clear Formatting from the Styles and Formatting task pane.
Modifying Bulleted and Numbered Lists
To indent a list
- Click on any bullet or number in the list and the entire list appears selected
- Position the mouse pointer over the bullets or number and drag to the right to indent the entire list
To indent a single line in a list
- Right-click on the bulleted or numbered line to be indented
- From the shortcut menu, select Increase Indent
The line is indented and the bullet or number changed to reflect the next bulleted or numbered level.
To outdent a single line in a list
- Right-click on the bulleted or numbered line to be indented
- From the shortcut menu, select Decrease Indent
The line is outdented and the bullet or number changed to reflect the previous bulleted or numbered level.
Note: For more information on creating multilevel lists refer to page 7.
To continue or restart numbering
- Right-click on the bulleted or numbered list
- From the shortcut menu, select either Restart Numbering or Continue Numbering
To display the Bullets and Numbering dialogue box
- Double-click on any bullet or number in the list
