Lists with Microsoft Word

When all goes well, Word makes lists with real HTML list tags. Other times, Word instead makes paragraphs formatted to mimic lists. Sadly, once it botches a list, Word seems reluctant to let you straighten things out. Fortunately, paragraphs masquerading as list items, though not ideal, rarely impede accessibility severely. So if you take the following steps but Word gives you faux lists anyway...well...at least you tried.

Make a list

To make a numbered list, also called an ordered list... Type a list item. Press Enter or Return to start a new line. Type the next list item. Continue putting each item on a new line. Select the whole list and click the “Numbering” button on the Word tool bar.
To Make a bulleted list, also called an unordered list, follow the steps above, but click “Bullets” instead of “Numbering.”

Change numbering

To change the numbering on an ordered list...

1. Click once somewhere in the list.
2. From Word’s “Format” menu, choose “Bullets and Numbering.”
3. In the “Bullets and Numbering” dialog box, choose from options on the “Numbered” tab. (Avoid the other tabs.)

When formatting lists for the Web, use only the “Numbered” tab on the “Bullets and Numbering” dialog box. The other tabs have options that may not work well with some Web browsers.

• Headings with Word
• Images with Word
• Links with Word
• Lists with Word
• Paragraph Text with Word
• Saving Word for the Web
• Tables for Data with Word
• Tables for Layout with Word
• Visual formatting with Word

• Introduction
• Audio, Video, Plugins
• Colors
• Headings
• Images
• Links
• Lists
• Paragraph text
• Tables
• Tabs
• Visual formatting
• Wright State’s standards versus guidelines
• Wright State’s Web accessibility standards
• Wright State’s Web accessibility guidelines