Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Changing the Bullet Type.

Changing the Bullet Type

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated March 3, 2018)

Word allows you to easily create bulleted lists in your documents. As a default, Word uses a small dot as the bullet. You can change the bullet to any character you desire. You can change the bullets by following these steps:

Choose the Bullets and Numbering option from the Format menu. Word displays the Bullets and Numbering dialog box.
Make sure the Bulleted tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Bulleted tab of the Bullets and Numbering dialog box.

Select a bullet style from those shown in the dialog box.
If you don't like any of the styles shown, select one of the styles and click on Customize. Word displays the Customize Bulleted List dialog box. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. The Customize Bulleted List dialog box.

Select one of the six bullet characters available in the dialog box. If you use one of these, you can skip to step 10.
If you do not like any of the bullet characters shown, click on the Bullet button. (In Word 2002 or Word 2003, click on the Character button.) Word displays the Symbol dialog box. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3. The Symbol dialog box.

Select a symbol to use as a bullet from among those shown.
You can select a different set of symbols by selecting a different typeface in the Font drop-down list.
When you have selected a symbol, click on OK. Word displays the Customize Bulleted List dialog box again.
Click on OK to close the 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 (36) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Changing the Bullet Type.

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

Making Word Stop at the End of a Document when Reviewing Changes

The Track Changes tool is a great help when you want to see what edits have been made to a document. When you review ...

Discover More

Rotating a Drawing Object

You can add all sorts of drawing objects to a document. Once placed, you can then rotate them to your heart's content. ...

Discover More

Detecting Types of Sheets in VBA

When processing workbook information in a macro, you may need to step through each worksheet to make some sort of ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Resetting to Factory Defaults for Bulleted Lists

If you use bulleted lists a lot in your documents, you might notice that the formats have changed over time. Resetting ...

Discover More

Using Outline Numbering in a Table

If you have worked with tables in Word, you probably know how to navigate through the cells with keyboard shortcuts. This ...

Discover More

Converting Automatic Numbering to Manual Numbering

The automatic numbering that Word lets you apply to paragraphs in your document can create some great looking content, ...

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 four more than 8?

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 menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.