How do I set the default indents for bullets?

[mrblister]

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone could please help me with the following? This is what I would like to do:

1. Reduce/set the indents for bullet lists in my document. Right now indents are huge, I want to reduce the initial indent, and indents for bullet levels (when you hit Tab), AND...
2. When I create a new bullet list by pressing the bullets button in the ribbon, I want this new list to have the same initial and subsequent (levels) indents as what I set above.

I have tried various methods to accomplish the above. But the methods I've tried may accomplish point 1 or point 2, but never both. From memory, I have tried adjusting the bullets using the ruler, modifying the "List Paragraph" style, creating/defining a "New Multilevel List"... plus other methods, but no method I've tried accomplishes my 2 points above.



I feel like it may be something very simple I'm overlooking? Does anyone have any advice?

[Charles Kenyon]

Not simple, I'm afraid.
Number Alignment by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP
This needs to be adjusted in the Define New MultiLevel List dialog for the styles in your numbering setup.



If you use automatic paragraph numbering or bullets read Shauna Kelly's directions on numbering and bullets. Start with How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010. For large documents you must follow these directions or you will lose your hair!
(Mac version: Outline Numbering in Word for macOS - Best Practices - Brandwares)

This may seem a bit convoluted at first, but it really is not. Just follow the steps. Shauna Kelly's instructions use the built-in heading styles, but you can use any existing paragraph styles including your custom styles. There are, however advantages to using the built-in heading styles when you create a Table of Contents. Here are some more advantages: Why Use Word's Built-In Heading Styles? by Shauna Kelly Note, you can modify these built-in styles to look exactly the way you want.
Videos on this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He_ob8ydc9E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbyTcWo52G4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GevZOS-nCuw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niD6VXPvAyU
The basic idea is that the numbering is set using the Define MultiLevel List dialog with each numbering level being attached to an existing paragraph style. Once you have this set up, you should not use the buttons for numbering in the Ribbon but rather apply the appropriate style for that level.

You can save a document with this as a template for future documents if you want so you will not need to do this every time.

[Guessed]

Don't use those buttons to make lists. Both the bullet and number buttons apply the same style and then add local formats that don't stick when the style is reapplied.

To control this you should use the built-in styles that are specific for this. List Bullet is the logical choice. You can modify the settings for List Bullet and expect them to stick. It also has a series of lower levels (List Bullet 2, List Bullet 3 etc) so your list can have multiple levels.

[mrblister]

Thank you Mr Kenyon... wow this is a lot to go through. It seems that most of the links are for bulleted headings, whereas I'm just interested in non-heading lists. The first video link seems to be what I'm looking for. Thanks again.

[Charles Kenyon]

You are welcome.
The same principles apply for non-heading styles.