Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Continuing Your Numbering.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 12, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
You can take advantage of a nifty Word feature that allows you to easily pick up numbering where you previously left off. This is great for numbered lists that are interspersed with paragraphs that have a different format. In general, the feature is most easily accessed as follows:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5949) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Continuing Your Numbering.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
Type what Word thinks is a numbered list, and it will helpfully format the text to match what it thinks your numbered ...
Discover MoreEver want to change the types of numbers that Word displays when you create a numbered list? There are several numbering ...
Discover MoreDo you want to modify how your numbered lists (or bulleted lists) are created? The key is to use styles to create your ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2025-07-17 05:34:04
Barry
@Timothy.
Sometimes thngs are not what they seem!! Sorry if I have wasted your time, but it did help find the answer.
Having gone back to not only a blank document BUT also to the native Normal template the numbering function works as discribed by Allen. ie number some paras, enter some additional lines, enter anther line and format as a numbered list and this restarts at 1.
However, I have set up my own template and it includes a list numbering style. It seems that this is responsible for my number lists picking up from where it last left off.
I now have a macro triggered from the QAT thatwill reset the numbering to start at 1. Small price to pay for getting the formattingas I want it :)
2025-07-16 08:53:29
@Barry:
I apologize for getting that utterly backward.
If I reread you correctly, you're saying you have a numbered list, say 1-10, and you interrupt it. So, you're putting a paragraph or heading after 5 or something. Yes? Then the numbering gets interrupted but continues. As far as I can tell, that's just the way it works.
Starting with a blank document, enter three list items, follow those with a heading style, type another paragraph, and apply line numbering to that last paragraph. Does the line numbering still resume? For me it always restarts.
2025-07-15 04:14:32
Barry
@Timothy
That is what Allen is saying - I want to restart at 1 automatically!
2025-07-14 14:23:29
Timothy J. McGowan
@Barry:
If your list numbering doesn't pick up where the old list left off, then right-click any paragraph/line number in the second list and choose "Continue Numbering."
2025-07-12 09:39:55
Barry
My 'default' works the other way, in that after interrupting the numbered list with another style, no matter how many lines/paragraphs are in between if I then format some lines as numbered, the numbering continues from the previous numbers. I would (generally) prefer these to restart at 1. Please, how do I set this option.
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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:
Comments