Microsoft Word lets you quickly create and format multilevel lists in your files. You can choose from a range of formatting options, consisting of bulleted, numbered, or alphabetized lists. Let’s take a look.

How to Create a Multilevel List in Microsoft Word

Creating a multilevel list in Word is dead simple. Start by typing out several lines of your list, with each item of your list on a various line. Then, choose those lines.

On the “Home” tab of the Ribbon, click the “Multilevel Lists” button, and then click among the integrated lists types shown on the dropdown menu.

Your list will now be formatted in the style you chose.

And yes, right now, it’s a single-level list. The fact is that technically, single- and multi-level lists are not much different in Word. It’s not till you start promoting and benching list products that it turns into a multilevel list.

Demoting and Promoting Lines On Your Multilevel List

Demoting a line in your list caves in the line and bumps it to a lower list level. Promoting a line does simply the opposite.

Start by placing your cursor at the beginning of the line you want to demote or promote.

To demote that line to a lower list level, just strike your Tab secret.

You can likewise bench a line more than when by simply pressing Tab nevertheless many times you require. Here, we’ve benched the third line in our list two times.

Repeat these actions if you would like to include 4, 5, or perhaps more levels to your multilevel list.

You can also promote a line (relocation it back a level) by positioning your cursor at the start of the line …

And then hitting Shift+Tab.

You can also demote or promote multiple lines at a time by choosing them …

and then hitting the Tab or Shift+Tab keys.

While simply using the Tab and Shift+Tab essential combinations is most likely the most convenient way to promote or demote lines on your list, Word does have a menu choice for picking a specific level.

Place your cursor anywhere in the line you wish to change (or select several lines if you want to change more than one).

Click the “Multilevel List” button on the Home tab of the Ribbon, point to the “Change List Level” choice on the dropdown, and after that select the level you desire.

And the line (or lines) you picked get changed to that level.

How to Quickly Change the Type of Your Multilevel List

Often, you may decide that you want to change the basic type of multilevel list you’re utilizing. Perhaps you initially went with numbers, and now want to use bullet points. Or maybe you just desire a various numbering plan. Whatever the case, you can easily make that modification.

Position your cursor anywhere on any line of your list. It really does not matter where, because this is going to alter the whole list.

Open that “Multilevel Lists” dropdown menu again, and this time, just click any of the other default list types on the menu.

Your whole list modifications to that new type.

How to Customize Your Multilevel List

So, what if you want to change something about your list like the method just one line level is numbered or how the levels are lined up. Well, you can do that, too. Multilevel lists in Word are quite personalized, letting you make changes to almost every element.

Start by putting your cursor anywhere on any line of your list. Open the “Multilevel List” dropdown, and after that select the “Define New Multilevel List” command.

The Define New Multilevel List window pops up, showing you a number of basic options for personalizing how the lines in your list appear. Nevertheless, there’s more here than meets the eye, so proceed and click that “More” button down in the bottom left corner.

Now, your window must appear like this, with a bunch of extra options off to the right.

So, here’s the rundown. First, choose the level of the list that you want to customize. You can click either in the basic numbered list to the left, or on a line in the center window that shows how the list really looks.

Below that, you’ll discover a bunch of options for changing the number format and placing for the picked level appears.

Here’s what you can do there (and note that this list includes the additional stuff exposed by that “More” button):

And on top right of the window, you’ll discover a couple of additional options, consisting of:

After making modifications to a specific level, you’ll need to duplicate the procedure for each additional level of the list you want to customize. So, pick a level, make your modifications, pick the next level, make those changes, and so on.

When you have actually ended up altering all the levels you desire, click the “OK” button, and your multilevel list will now show your modifications.

How to Turn Your Multilevel List into a New Style

After personalizing you multilevel list just the method you want it, you may discover yourself wanting to use that same format for other lists– even lists in other files. You can do this by turning the list into a style.

Position your cursor anywhere on any line of your list, open the “Multilevel List” dropdown menu again, and this time, pick the “Define New List Style” alternative.

In the Define New List Style window, start by providing your brand-new design a name.

Now, there are a variety of formatting choices available in this window. You can change the font, character format, type (number or bullet), and a number of other things that you were also able to alter when customizing your list.

While these choices can be helpful if you wish to develop a fast new multilist design from scratch (i.e., when you have not currently produced and personalized a list you wish to develop into a design), we highly advise that you do not trouble with them. Rather, it’s a lot more effective to develop your list, tailor utilizing the more effective tools we discussed in the previous area, and after that developing your style. The brand-new style will consist of all those modifications you’ve currently made to the list.

One choice you will want to focus on is whether you desire the style to be available just in the existing document, or in new files based upon the template connected to the file. You’ll wish to choose the latter if you require to access the design when you develop other files.

Pick what you desire, and then click “OKAY” to save your brand-new style.

Now, you’ll be able to select that design (or any other list styles you’ve produced) from the “Multilevel List” dropdown menu at any time you wish to produce another multilevel list.

And now you know more than you ever wished to know about creating multilevel lists in Word.