Custom Numbering and Bulleting in Word 2016

In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to customize numbered and bulleted lists.


The numbered, bulleted, and multilevel lists are located under the Home tab and highlighted below.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

To create a list, simply click the button of the corresponding list you want. To change how the bullet looks, click the drop-down next to the button and select the option you want from the Bullet Library.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

If you would like more customization options, click Define New Bullet…

customize numbered and bulleted lists

In the menu that comes up, there are options to change the Symbol, Picture, and Font.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

In the Symbol option, you have access to Word’s extensive library of Symbols.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

And if you wanted to change the font for example:

customize numbered and bulleted lists

In the menu that pops up, there are many different options for the font. Change the values according to your preference.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

The same process can be used to customize the numbered list.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

Some options are different, such as the Number style.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

There are also options to change the Number format. Instead of “1.”, you can change it to “1.1.1”, or anything that suits your tastes.

customize numbered and bulleted lists

To change the style of a layer in a list, simply click on one of the bullets/numbers in the layer and you are able to customize all the lines of bullets/numbers in that layer.