Lesson 8: Formatting Bulleted and Numbered Lists

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Introduction

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

  • Format a bulleted list
  • Format a numbered list

Bulleted lists

PowerPoint provides several bulleted list slides for you to choose from for your presentation. You can use these slides or create bulleted list slides of your own.

Select bulleted list slide

Bullets can be dots, check marks, arrows, squares, and other shapes.

Picture bullets—colorful bullets in various shapes—are also available.

Picture Bullet dialog box

Formatting a bulleted list

You can format the look of bullets from the Format menu.

To format a bulleted list:

  • Click Format Bullets and Numbering.

Click Format, choose Bullets and Numbering

  • A dialog box opens. Make sure the Bulleted tab is selected.

Bulleted and Numbering dialog box

  • Choose the bullet style you want from the examples that appear on the screen, or click Picture and choose a style from the bullets that appear. You can also choose size and color.
  • Click OK.

Customizing a bulleted list

If you don't like the traditional bullets or the picture bullets PowerPoint offers, you can customize your own.

To customize a bulleted list:

  • Click Format Bullets and Numbering.

Click Format, choose Bullets and Numbering

  • A dialog box appears. Make sure the Bulleted tab is selected.

Bulleted and Numbering dialog box

  • Click on Customize near the bottom-right corner of the dialog box.
  • A dialog box appears.

Bulleted and Numbering custom dialog box

  • Choose a symbol from the list that appears. Note that you can change the font by clicking font in the upper-left corner of the dialog box.
  • Click OK.

Formatting a numbered list

PowerPoint also gives you different options for formatting a numbered list.

To format a numbered list:

  • Click Format Bullets and Numbering.

Click Format, choose Bullets and Numbering

  • A dialog box opens. Make sure the Numbered tab is selected.

Bulleted and Numbering dialog box

  • Choose the number style you want. You can also choose size, color, and the number you want to start from.
  • Click OK.

Challenge!

  • Open the presentation Tips for Getting Organized, which you created as in the previous lesson.
  • Insert a new slide with a bulleted list.
  • Format a different bullet style for the slide.
  • Type the title Start Now and type the following list:
    • Spend a few minutes a day organizing
    • Reduce clutter
    • Plan ahead
    • Put everything in its place
    • Prioritize
  • Insert another bulleted list slide.
  • Format a numbered list.
  • Type the title Five Things You Can Do Today, and type the following numbered list:
    1. Set goals.
    2. Set deadlines.
    3. Start with one room or one area.
    4. Get into the habit of doing things right away.
    5. Focus on what you can change and start making changes.

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