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)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Read-Only Documents without a Password

Want to protect your document so it cannot be changed? There are a couple of ways you can do it, and not all of them ...

Discover More

A Fast Find-Next

Tired of the Find and Replace dialog box blocking the view of your worksheet when you are searching for information? Do ...

Discover More

Highlighting Values that are 10x a Baseline Value

Sometimes the hardest part of getting your conditional formatting rules to work properly is figuring out the proper way ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Applying Numbers from the Keyboard

Creating a numbered list is often done by using the tools available on the ribbon. With a bit of preparation you can ...

Discover More

Skipping Numbering

Got a numbered list, but you want to add other types of non-numbered paragraphs in the middle of the list? It's easy to ...

Discover More

Creating a Numbered List

Numbered lists provide a 1-2-3 way of organizing your document. You can create numbered lists very easily using the ...

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 six minus 5?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

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.