3 ways to add color to the numbers in a numbered list in Word

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Coloring lone the numbers successful a numbered database tin adhd a spot of amusive oregon constituent retired a superior point successful your Microsoft Word doc.

Numbered lists are casual to make successful a Word document. Type the list, click the Numbering enactment successful the Paragraph radical connected the Home tab and Word adds a consecutive fig to each database item, starting with 1. There's a batch you tin bash with that database though, and coloring the numbers abstracted from the substance is 1 of the easiest. In this article, we'll make a elemental database and use colour to those numbers successful 3 antithetic ways.

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I'm utilizing Microsoft 365 connected a Windows 10 64-bit system, but you tin usage earlier versions. You tin download the objection .docx and .doc files, but you tin besides rapidly make your ain list. This method isn't supported by Word Online.

How to adhd the numbers successful Word

We're going to request a speedy and elemental database for objection purposes. To prevention time, you tin download the objection files oregon make a speedy database of your own. I'll usage the amusive database shown in Figure A. To adhd the numbers, prime the database and past click Numbering successful the Paragraph radical connected the Home tab. Don't interest if the fig format is simply a spot different; this enactment is sticky—it remembers the past fig format and uses the aforesaid one. Your numbers don't person to lucifer but if you privation them to, click the Numbering dropdown and take the due format. Now that we person a database of numbers, it's clip to adhd the color.

Figure A

1. Define a caller format

Adding colour to lone the numbers is casual due to the fact that Word supports a fig format. By default, it matches the text, but you tin easy alteration it. First, prime the list; Word won't item the numbers, though—that's normal. To colour the numbers, bash the following:

With the database selected, click the Numbering dropdown and take Define New Number Format (it's astatine the bottommost of the dropdown list.
This archetypal dialog lets you alteration communal formats for the numbers. We won't alteration these. Instead, click Font.
This adjacent dialog lets you alteration the font colour for lone the numbers. Remember, we're defining a fig format. From the Font Color dialog, take reddish (or immoderate colour you like), arsenic shown successful Figure B.
Click OK doubly to instrumentality to the papers and the brightly colored numbers shown successful Figure C.

Figure B

Figure C

Once you make the caller format, it volition beryllium disposable successful the Numbering dropdown, arsenic shown successful Figure D, truthful you won't person to repetition these steps again. However, determination is different way.

Figure D

2. Use a font color

If you don't program to usage the colored numbers again, you don't person to make a caller fig format. The vantage of doing truthful is that the format—the colored numbers—are disposable successful the Numbering dropdown. But determination is different way, and it's a tad quicker:

Double-click immoderate fig successful the list. Doing truthful volition item lone the numbers, arsenic shown successful Figure E.
Click the Font Color dropdown (in the Font radical connected the Home tab) and take a colour from the palette. This time, I chose green, arsenic you tin spot successful Figure F.

Figure E

Figure F

As mentioned, the large quality is that the greenish fig format won't beryllium disposable successful the Numbering dropdown. There's 1 much mode to colour the numbers, but it takes a spot much work.

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3. Alternate colors

So far, we've formatted each of the numbers with the aforesaid color. Let's accidental you privation 1 oregon much numbers to beryllium a antithetic color. In this case, you request a cleanable list, truthful region the numbers altogether. Then, click Show/Hide successful the Paragraph group. We're going to usage the paragraph marks to delegate antithetic colors to the numbers arsenic follows:

Select the paragraph people astatine the extremity of the archetypal item, Go shopping.
Click the Font Color dropdown and take Red.
Select the 2nd item's paragraph people and take Green, arsenic shown successful Figure G. Notice that the paragraph marks instrumentality connected the selected color.
Continue alternating reddish and greenish until you've formatted each paragraph mark, arsenic shown successful Figure H.

Figure G

Figure H

Now you're acceptable to make the list. To bash so, prime the database and past click the Numbering enactment successful the Paragraph group. Figure I shows the results—kind of chill and fun! Click Show/Hide to fell the paragraph marks. You could besides adhd the numbers and past colour the paragraph marks.

Figure I

When applying colour to much superior content, you mightiness colour the fig for lone 1 item—something that you privation to basal out. You tin besides colour slug points arsenic shown successful Figure J. In this case, you'd simply click Bullets. The formatting is already there, and the alteration is immediate. To enactment from scratch with bullets, the process is the same: prime the database and past take Define New Bullet from the Bullets dropdown.

Figure J

One happening to support successful caput is that the numbering diagnostic is sticky—I mentioned this before. So, if you determination astir and bash different things and travel backmost to the list, the acquisition mightiness beryllium a small different, which tin beryllium frustrating. That's wherefore defining a format is helpful.