Removing a Bulleted or Numbered List

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 14, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

There may be times when you want to remove the list formatting you previously applied to some of your text. For instance, you may have a numbered list that you want to reformat as regular text. Word provides an easy way for you to remove list formatting:

Select the list items you want to no longer be a part of the list. It doesn't matter if it is a numbered or bulleted list.
If the list is a numbered list, click on the Numbering tool located on the Home tab of the Ribbon, in the Paragraph group. Word displays a drop-down list.
Choose None from the Numbering Library group. Word removes the numbering format from the selected text.
If the list is a bulleted list, click on the Bullets tool located on the Home tab of the Ribbon, in the Paragraph group. Word displays a drop-down list.
Choose None from the Bullet Library group. Word removes the bullet format from the selected text.

If you remove the bullets or numbering from only a portion of the list, the remainder of the list maintains the list formatting. If required, Word adjusts the numbering on any remaining part of a numbered list.

Note that this method only works if the original list was an automatic Word numbered or bulleted list. If the list was created manually, then you will have to remove each of the numbers or bullets manually since they were added manually.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5918) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Removing All Comments

Need to get rid of all the comments in your document? You can do so by using the regular Find and Replace feature of Word.

Discover More

Default Numbering Format for Endnotes

The default format for endnote numbers is lowercase Roman numerals. If you want the numbers to use a different format, ...

Discover More

Changing Months in a Workbook

When you copy a worksheet and then need to make changes to information in that worksheet (such as changing month names), ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Creating a List

You can format both numbered and bulleted lists very easily in Word. The tools available on the Home tab of the ribbon ...

Discover More

Applying Formatting in Lists

If you want to change the formatting applied to numbers or bullets in your lists, you'll appreciate the information in ...

Discover More

Removing a List

If you have lists in your document, either bulleted or numbered, you may want to change them back to regular text at some ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 7 + 5?

2021-11-25 12:17:47

Matthew W. I. Dunn

Thanks for the info . . . but, this did not work for me.

I have a bullet in each table of a series of tables on a page. I wanted to remove just the bullet from each. Following these instructions did not do anything: The bullets still persisted.

The only way I could get it to work was by using the "Bullets and Numbering" button, which I had had displayed in my Quick Access Toolbar. Then, I went: BULLETS TAB > NONE > OKAY.

(see Figure 1 below)
(see Figure 2 below)

Figure 1. yes

Figure 2. no

2021-01-29 09:48:23

Andrew

This method can often be made to work even if the original list created manually. I have had good luck removing the manual numbers/bullets (usually numbers) by first applying Word's automatic numbers/bullets, which will convert the manual ones to automatic ones, and then using the method in this tip to remove them. It all depends on if and how well Word recognizes and converts the manual numbering. Your mileage may vary.

Andy.

2021-01-28 16:12:57

clive walford

removing bullets did not work

2020-12-15 20:17:19

Matthew Dunn

. . . and, the EASY way to do this would be?

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.