Hi all, this has been giving me a lot of trouble, and it's been a bit confusing. Tried searching online but nothing directly related, or nothing worked for me. Basically, all I'd like to do is have my list styled in this method:


1. Item 1 bold
a) sub item 1 regular


2. Item 2 bold
a) sub item 2 regular


I'm working on a template, so I'd like the user to be able to have this already set up once they start a numbered list.



But no matter what I try, the sub item/second level of the list is always bold. I've tried playing with "Styles", "Define new multilevel list"...everything, but I can't seem to get it to do this. I'm also very confused as how these different settings talk/overwrite each other. It seems like there are 3 different ways to do the same thing, but not sure which takes precedent and why there are these many ways to do the same thing.



Any help, or direction would be appreciated. Even you can walk me through this as if it's a blank slate. I might have broken something along the way, so I don't mind starting over again.


Thanks!

First, set your numbering up following ALL of the instructions at How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Ribbon Versions of Word by Shauna Kelly


You will be dealing with both a multi-level list and styles. One style is used for your level 1, a different one for your level 2. The style used for level one can be set so that the next paragraph is is the style for level 2.


See also

• Question and Answer Styles
• Q&A Styles in Word 2007/2010 by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP

Thanks for the reply. I went through those instructions step by step, but not sure if it's not doing what I want or I'm misunderstanding?


If I understand correctly, the tutorial asks that I set my heading styles as each level of the list, which means my actual numbering style is still different. Is the idea that you only use the heading styles for creating numbered lists? If so, it doesn't automatically create the next number/item on the list when you press enter, as it typically would.


Am I doing something wrong, or not getting the idea?

The heading styles are convenient but you can use any set of styles that have outline levels set for them. I like the heading styles because I can use the built-in keyboard shortcuts, they show up in the Navigation Pane, and you can use them in Tables of Contents and Cross-Reference fields. Why use Microsoft Word’s built-in heading styles? by Shauna Kelly


You can set the style for the following paragraph in your style definitions. I usually set the style for the top level to be followed by the second level and of the second level to be either the second level again or the third level.


An understanding of styles is crucial to using Word effectively.

I strongly recommend going through this short series of tutorials. I learned from them.


Basic Concepts of Microsoft Word - from Shauna Kelly (including especially)
· 1. Start typing your new document
· 2. Rules for Typing in Word
· 2.1 Why you should not press Enter at the end of every line
· 2.2 Why you should press Enter only once to end a paragraph
· 2.3 Why you should use one space after each sentence
· 3. Using Styles to Format Text
· 4. Use Tables and Tabs to Arrange Text in Microsoft Word
· 5. Use a bulleted paragraph style for bullets and dotpoints
· 6. Make changes, fix mistakes, edit your document
· 7. Use page numbering and let the text flow from page to page
· 8. Print your document

Word is not a typewriter, nor is it any other word processing program you may have learned. It works according to rules that are not necessarily intuitive. Spending a little time learning to use this tool will keep you from hitting yourself on the thumb with a hammer. It will save you time and frustration.

If you just want to skip to Styles, in addition to #3 above here are some articles:

• Tips for Understanding Styles in Word by Shauna Kelly
• Understanding Styles in Microsoft Word

If you don't look at them today, save them as resources.

Once you have set up numbering linked to paragraph styles (one style per numbering level), you can format the level 1 style as bold, if that is what you wish to do.

Note that although the article by Shauna Kelly uses the built-in heading styles as examples, you can use any set of nine paragraph styles with your list. In fact, if you don't want to create heading numbering, you should make use of other paragraph styles.

__________________
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional

Thank you for the feedback and information. I'll read through these tutorials and get a better idea of using headings. I did however figure out what I was doing wrong/what I was misunderstanding, so now my list is looking the way I was hoping. So that original tutorial did work out.


Thanks for all the help!