To turn lines of text into a bulleted or numbered list, select the text, and then, on the Home tab in the Paragraph group, click Bullets or Numbering. Each line or paragraph becomes a bulleted or numbered item.

Starting with a blank page?

  1. Place your cursor where you want a bulleted or numbered list.

  2. On the Home tab, click the arrow next to Bullets or Numbering.

  3. Choose a style and start typing.

    The Home tab with the Bullets gallery is shown.

  4. Press Enter every time you want a new bullet or number, or press Enter twice to end the list.

Tip: When you start a paragraph with an asterisk and a space (* ) or with number 1 and a period (1.), Word displays the AutoCorrect Options button and begins building a bulleted or numbered list. If you don't want a bulleted or numbered list, click the AutoCorrect Options button and then click Stop Automatically Creating Bulleted Lists or Stop Automatically Creating Numbered Lists.The option to stop automatically creating bulleted lists is highlighted.

Restart numbering at 1

  1. Click the item that you want to be the first item in the new list.

  2. Ctrl+click or right-click the item, and then click Restart numbering.

Indent items within a list

  1. Select the lines in the list that you want to indent.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Increase Indent   Increase Indent button.

Delete items from a list

  1. Select the items that you want to delete.

  2. Press DELETE.

Stop a bulleted or numbered list

Do one of the following:

  • At the end of the bulleted or numbered list, press RETURN two times.

  • Select the line of text that you do not want in the list, and then, on the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Bulleted List Bullets button or Numbered list Numbering button.​​​​​​​

See also

Format a bulleted or numbered list

Add multilevel lists or create new ones

Need more help?

Want more options?

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.