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: Continuing Your Numbering.

Continuing Your Numbering

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated September 15, 2018)

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 accessed as follows:

  1. Enter the first portion of your numbered list and format it. For example, if your list has 17 items, and there is a heading after item 4, then you would enter the first four items in the numbered list.
  2. Enter the heading or paragraph that interrupts the list.
  3. Enter the rest of your numbered list and format it. The list should begin with 1 again.
  4. Right-click on the first paragraph after the list interruption. A Context menu appears.
  5. Choose Bullets and Numbering from the Context menu. Word displays the Bullets and Numbering dialog box, with the Numbered tab selected. (See Figure 1.)

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

  6. Choose Continue Previous List at the bottom of the dialog box.
  7. Click on OK. The dialog box disappears and the list numbering is modified.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (53) 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: Continuing Your Numbering.

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. ...

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