XL: How to Create a Bullet List in Microsoft Excel (323567)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2000
  • Microsoft Excel 2002
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q323567
For a Microsoft Excel for Macintosh version of this article, see 125724.

SUMMARY

Microsoft Excel does not have a built-in function to add a bullet item to entries in a worksheet. However, you can add bullets to text, or you can create a custom text format that includes bullets, so that you can format the cells and add text later.

MORE INFORMATION

To Add a Bullet to an Existing Text Entry

  1. Position the insertion point at the beginning of your text entry.
  2. Type a symbol that you want to use as a bullet. To create the bullet character, press ALT+0149 (type 0149 on the numeric keypad).

    You may want to include a space after the character so that the bullet will not be next to the text. Note that the bullet is an extended character and may not be available with all fonts.

    Some other examples of characters you can use include: >, /, ~, !, and others.

To Create a Custom Text Format That Includes Bullets

  1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to apply bullets to.
  2. On the Format menu, click Cells.
  3. On the Number tab, click the Text category, and then click the Custom category.

    Microsoft Excel places an at sign (@) in the Type box.
  4. In the Type box, place the insertion point before the @, and type the symbol that you want to use as a bullet. To create the bullet character, press ALT+0149 (type 0149 on the numeric keypad).

    You may want to include a space after the symbol so that the bullet will not be next to the text. Note that the bullet is an extended character and may not be available with all fonts.

    Some other examples of characters you can use include: >, /, ~, !, and others.
  5. Click OK.
Text that you type in cells that are formatted with this custom format will have the bullet applied to them.

REFERENCES

For more information about extended characters, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Character Map.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/13/2003
Keywords:kbhowto KB323567
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