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: Changing the Types of Numbers in a Numbered List.

Changing the Types of Numbers in a Numbered List

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 1, 2023)

When you are working with numbered lists, Word uses Arabic numerals, by default, to number the items. This number is followed by a period. You can change the numbering scheme Word uses to number your lists. Any of the following numbering types can be selected:

Type		Selection
Arabic		1, 2, 3, 4
Uppercase Roman		I, II, III, IV
Lowercase Roman		i, ii, iii, iv
Uppercase Alphabetic		A, B, C, D
Lowercase Alphabetic		a, b, c, d
Ordinals		1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Word Numbers		One, Two, Three, Four
Word Ordinals		First, Second, Third, Fourth
Leading Zeroes		01, 02, 03, 04

You can also change the character that follows the numbered list number. To change the numbering type and the character following the number, follow these steps:

Select the paragraphs you want included in your numbered list.
Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
Click the down-arrow next to the Numbering tool in the Paragraph group. Word displays the Numbering Library.
Click Define New Number Format. Word displays the Define New Number Format dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Define New Number Format dialog box.

In the Number Style drop-down list, select a numbering format.
In the Number Format box, add any other text you want besides the actual number.
Modify the position of the number and the text, if desired, by using the Alignment control.
Click on OK to close the Define New Number Format dialog box.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8256) 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: Changing the Types of Numbers in a Numbered List.

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...

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