How to Insert Bullet Points in Excel

If you have a numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard, press ALT+7 for a bullet. Different fonts provide different symbols. If your font does not provide the bullet, try selecting a font such as Wingdings in the Symbol dialog box.

Do you need to create a list in Excel with bullet points? It’s actually quite easy to do, and in this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.

First, let’s start by creating a bullet point somewhere on your spreadsheet. There are two easy ways to do this. One is to use the shortcut key Alt + 7 on your numeric keypad, and the other is to use the little formula character 149. Once you have a bullet point, copy it onto your clipboard and select an empty cell.

The next step is to use the shortcut key Control + 1 to open the format cells dialog box. In the “Type” box, you’ll need to type the following: Control + V to paste in your bullet point, then put a space in, put a zero, a little star character, shift an eight, space, semicolon, and copy what you’ve got there onto your keyboard and paste it in again. Put a minus sign before the zero, then after that space put another semicolon. Paste it in again, leave it as it is, put a semicolon, then paste in the bullet and put a space in and put the “@” symbol in.

Now, if you type something into the cell, it’ll automatically be given a bullet point. If you type a number in, it will bullet point the number, and it also works with negative numbers.

To make this process even easier, you can create a cell style. Simply select the cell you’ve currently got the format applied to, go to “Cell Styles” in the Styles group on the Home tab, and go to “New Cell Style.” Type in a name, “Bullet Points,” and untick all the other check boxes except for the one we just created. Click on “OK.”

But what if you want to create a button that applies bullet points? First, select a cell, then go to “View,” “Macros,” and “Record Macro.” Give it the name “Bullets,” and make sure you’re storing this macro in the personal macro workbook. Press “OK,” then press Control + 1 on your keyboard with that cell still selected. Go to “Custom,” and in this list, you’ll find that format that you just created. Pick out that format and click “OK.”

Now, we need to assign that macro to your ribbon. Right-click on one of the tabs on your ribbon and select “Customize the Ribbon.” We’re going to put this button on the Home tab. If you expand the Home tab, click on “Add New Group,” and rename it “Custom Formatting.” Select “Macros,” choose the macro that we just created, and click “Add.” With that selected, go to “Rename” and type in “Bullets” for the button name.

That’s it! You now have a button that applies bullet points in Excel. To remove the bullets, simply click on the button again. If you need to save the changes you’ve made, make sure to save your Personal Macro Workbook.

We hope this guide has been helpful in showing you how to insert bullet points in Excel. Happy formatting!