Format lists

You can create lists formatted with bullets, numbers, or letters. Any list can use indents to create hierarchy. Tiered lists, such as those used in legal documents, can use a combination of numbering and lettering styles to define different levels of hierarchy.

Examples of bulleted, ordered, and ordered with hierarchy lists.

You can use list styles to apply uniform formatting to lists in your document. You can create your own list styles, rename existing styles, and use the list controls to manage the list styles in your document.

Create a list automatically

When automatic list creation is turned on in Pages preferences, Pages detects when you’re typing a list.

  1. Choose Pages > Preferences (from the Pages menu at the top of your screen).

  2. Click General, then select the checkbox next to “Automatically detect lists.”

  3. Click where you want the list to begin, type a bullet (Option-8), letter, or number, then enter the first item in your list.

    To use a special character for the bullet, choose Edit > Special Characters (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen), then click a character from a bullet or star menu.

  4. Press Return.

    Pages automatically adds a bullet, letter, number, or character to every subsequent item in the list.

  5. To change the indent level (hierarchy) of an item in the list, click anywhere in the item, then do one of the following:

    • Move the item to the right: Press Tab.

    • Move the item to the left: Press Shift-Tab.

  6. To end the list, press Return twice, or press Delete.

Convert text to a list

  1. Select the text that you want to format as a list.

  2. Click the Style button near the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see the sidebar or it doesn’t have a Style button, click Format inspector button in the toolbar. If the text is in a text box, table, or shape, first click the Text tab at the top of the sidebar, then click the Style button.

  3. Click the pop-up menu next to Bullets & Lists and choose a list style.

  4. Click the disclosure triangle next to Bullets & Lists to show the list formatting controls.

    When you choose Text Bullets, Image Bullets, or Numbers from the pop-up menu below the disclosure triangle, you see more controls that apply to the type of list you chose.

To use a mix of letters and numbers in a list, select the text you want to format, choose Numbers from the pop-up menu below the disclosure triangle, then choose a letter or number from the last pop-up menu. Click the Tiered Numbers checkbox if you want the numbers and letters nested for each level (for example 1, 1.1, 1.1, and so on).

Reorder list items

You can drag items in a list to a different level in the hierarchy or to a different indentation level. (You can’t drag list items if change tracking is turned on.)

  1. Select the item you want to move by clicking its bullet, number, or letter.

  2. Drag the item up or down in the list, or drag it to the left or right, until you see a blue triangle where you want the item.

Change the bullet type

  1. Select the lines of text with the bullets you want to change.

  2. Click the Style button near the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see a sidebar, or it doesn’t have a Style button, click Format inspector button in the toolbar. If the list is in a text box, table, or shape, first click the Text tab at the top of the sidebar, then click the Style button.

  3. Click the disclosure triangle next to Bullets & Lists, then click the pop-up menu below the Bullets & Lists subhead and choose a bullet style.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • For text bullets: Click the Bullet pop-up menu and choose a bullet style (scroll to see all of them).

      To use your own text or character for the bullet, double-click the Bullet pop-up menu, then type your own text or character. To use a special character, choose Edit > Special Characters (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen), then choose a character.

    • For image bullets: Click the Bullet pop-up menu, choose Image Bullets, click the Current Image button, then choose an image bullet style.

      To use your own image, click Custom Image, then choose the image file on your computer.

      Image Bullets pop-up menu

You can use other options in the Bullets & Lists section to change the size of the bullets and adjust the amount of space between text and bullets.

Change the number or letter type

You can use numbers, letters, Roman numerals, or a combination to designate levels of hierarchy in a list.

  1. Select the lines of text with the numbering you want to change.

  2. Click the Style button near the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see a sidebar, or it doesn’t have a Style button, click Format inspector button in the toolbar. If the list is in a text box, table, or shape, first click the Text tab at the top of the sidebar, then click the Style button.

  3. Click the disclosure triangle next to Bullets & Lists, then choose an option.

    Controls to format numbers and letters in lists

To start numbering from a different point, select “Start from,” then enter a number or letter.

Adjust spacing and appearance of bullets, numbers, and letters

You can change the spacing, size, color, and alignment of bullets, numbers, and letters.

  1. Select the lines of text with the bullets you want to change.

  2. Click the Style button near the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see a sidebar, or it doesn’t have a Style button, click Format inspector button in the toolbar. If the list is in a text box, table, or shape, first click the Text tab at the top of the sidebar, then click the Style button.

  3. Click the disclosure triangle next to Bullets & Lists, then do any of the following:

    The Bullets & Lists section with callouts to the controls for bullet and text indent, bullet color, bullet size, and alignment
    • Indent: Type a number or click the arrows next to the Bullet and Text fields to set the distance from the left margin to the bullet and from the bullet text to the bullet, respectively.

    • Change bullet color: Choose a color from the color well (for preset colors that coordinate with the template) or the color wheel (for any color).

      You can’t change the color of image bullets, but you can choose a different image from the Current Image pop-up menu.

    • Adjust bullet size: Type a percentage in the Size field, or click the up and down arrows.

    • Move bullets above or below the center line of the text: Click the up or down arrows in the Align field.

If you want to be able to apply these changes to other lists in your document, you can create a list style, or update the list style you’re already using. Only formatting changes made in the Bullets & Lists section are included in the list style.

Create, update, or revert a list style

When you change the appearance of a list—by changing the bullet or number style or the spacing of indents, for example—you create style overrides (indicated by an asterisk next to the list style name in the List Styles pop-up menu). You can keep or remove these overrides, or you can use them to create a new list style that you can apply to other lists.

  1. Select the lines of text in the list with your formatting changes.

  2. Click the Style button near the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If the list is in a text box, table, or shape, first click the Text tab at the top of the sidebar, then click the Style button.

  3. Click the List Styles pop-up menu to the right of the Bullets & Lists subhead, then do any of the following:

    List Styles pop-up menu showing an asterisk indicating an override and callouts to the New Style button, and a submenu of options for managing styles
    • Keep the overrides without changing the list style: Do nothing. The text retains your changes, and an asterisk appears next to the list style name whenever you select or edit the list.

    • Remove the overrides and revert to the original list style: Click the style name (it has a gray checkmark next to it). The override is cleared, the text reverts to the original style, and the checkmark changes to black.

    • Add a new list style: Click New Style button at the top of the List Styles pop-up menu then enter a name for the style.

Since list styles are a type of paragraph style, you can rename, update, or delete them; add keyboard shortcuts to apply them; and more.

Note:  List styles include only the formatting you set in the Bullets & Lists section of the sidebar. Formatting from the style section above it (font, font color, and character styles) aren’t included in the list style.

Rename or delete a list style

  1. Select text in a list that uses the style you want to update.

  2. Click the Style button near the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If the list is in a text box, table, or shape, first click the Text tab at the top of the sidebar, then click the Style button.

  3. Click the List Styles pop-up menu to the right of the Bullets & Lists subhead.

  4. Move the pointer over the style name, then click the arrow to open the menu of options.

  5. Do one of the following:

    • Choose Delete Style. If you try to delete a style that’s being used in the document, you’re asked to choose a style to replace the one you’re deleting.

    • Choose Rename Style, then enter a new name.

See also
Format Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text
About paragraph styles