Lists

Learning Objectives

  • Create and format numbered and bulleted lists.

There are two kinds of lists: bulleted and numbered lists. The buttons for both are found in the Paragraph group, as seen in the screenshot below. (Bulleted to the left, numbered to the right)

A microsoft word document is open displaying a zoom in on the ribbon section of the page. The home option has been selected and on this page a green box is highlighting two separate parts. On the left side of the box is the bulleted list feature and on the right is the numbered list option.

To start, select the text you want to change, then click either the bulleted or numbered list button. Alternatively, you can click the bulleted or numbered list button and then start typing.

A microsoft word document is open with a section of text on it. A green arrow is pointing at the bulleted list menu.

Bulleted list

A microsoft word document is open with a section of text on it. A green arrow is pointing at the numbered list menu.

Numbered list

If you click and hold either of the list buttons, more options will appear.

Bulleted Options

Multiple bullet list options are listed in the recently used bullets menu.

In the bulleted options, you can select a new bullet from the bullet library. At the bottom, the Define New Bullet… option will let you pick any symbol or even a picture from your computer to be the bullets.

A section of text that has been bulleted is shown. These bullet points are shaped like arrows pointing towards the text. A bulleted list is displayed with a section of text. The bullet points are blue, orange, yellow, and black. A bulleted list is displayed with a section of text. The bullet points are formed by four smaller squares.

Numbered Options

Numbered format list options are listed in the recently used number formats menu.

In the numbered options, you can choose what kind of numbering to give your numbered list. For example, you can use letters or Roman numerals. At the bottom, the Define New Number Format… opens a dialog box that will let you further customize how your numbered lists appear.

A section of text is made more visible by a numbered format list. This is a classic list with the four bullet points being: 1, 2, 3, 4. A section of text is made more visible by a numbered format list. This is a roman numeral list with the four bullet points being: I, II, III, IV. A section of text is made more visible by a numbered format list. This is an alphabetical list with the four bullet points being: a, b, c, d.

Practice Question

 

List Levels

The quickest way to increase the list level of a single line is to hit the Tab key once. To increase and decrease multiple lines, select the text you want to change, then click the increase or decrease list level button as shown in the screenshot below.

A microsoft word document is open with a section of text on it. A green arrow is pointing at the change list level menu.

You can also use the Change List Level option at the bottom of the numbered options.

To customize how the list levels look, go to the list level options as shown in the screenshot below.

A microsoft word document is open displaying a zoom in on the ribbon section of the page. The home option has been selected and on this page a green arrow is highlighting where the list level options menu is.

A zoom in on the list level menu has been opened showing the different options such as the current list, the list library, and options to adjust the list level.

You can choose one of the different multilevel list styles available in the menu, or you can customize your own by choosing Define New List Style… or Define New Multilevel List…

You can also change the list level of a line here by selecting Change List Level, then selecting a new level in the menu as pictured above.

Review