Formatting Line Numbers

by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 13, 2016)

Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Formatting Line Numbers.

Word allows you to add line numbers to your documents, as you have learned in other issues of WordTips. You might be wondering how to change the formatting of the line numbers. Word makes it quite simple by relying on styles for its line numbers. Simply follow these steps:

1. Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
2. Click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Styles group. Word displays the Styles pane.
3. Hover the mouse pointer over the Line Number style. Notice that a drop-down arrow appears at the right side of the style name. (If the Line Number style is not visible, use the Options link at the bottom of the Styles pane to change which styles are displayed in the pane. You'll want to display all styles.)
4. Click on the drop-down arrow and choose the Modify option from the resulting menu. Word displays the Modify Style dialog box. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Modify Style dialog box.

5. Click on Format and choose the portion of the style you want to change. The options available through the Format button utilize dialog boxes with which you are already familiar.
6. Click on OK to save your modifications.
7. Close the Styles pane, if desired.

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