If the bullets disappear from a bulleted list in Word, the style applied to the list is probably set to update automatically. You can change the format setting to serve your needs. If you don't want Word to automatically update a style (and reformat your text), clear the Automatically update setting in the style or apply another style. Microsoft Word assists you based on your program settings, and you can decide what those settings should be.

For example, Automatically update is the default setting for the List bullet style. If you used the List bullet style with the default setting to create a bulleted list, and then manually removed the bullet from the last line to start a new list without bullets, Word automatically updates the style and reformats all the lines with this style based on your changes. The List bullet style is applied when you select List Bullet from the Style box on the Formatting toolbar.

Modify the style

To clear the Automatically update setting in the List bullet style

1. On the Format menu, click Style.
2. In the Styles box , select the List bullet style.
3. Click Modify.
4. Clear the Automatically update check box.
5. To make it a permanent change that applies to all new documents, click Add to template.

Changing the template means the List bullet style will not change automatically when you make changes in a list with this style in a new document. Documents you created in the past will not be affected.

Apply another style

You might not want to change the automatically update setting in the List bullet style. The ability to align and format lists automatically is convenient and can save time. You can still create a list without bullets under a bulleted list (a nested list). Just apply the bullets to a style that does not have the automatic update setting. For example, if you apply bullets to text in the Normal style (click Bullets on the Formatting toolbar), you can make changes to a line following a bulleted item and still preserve the formatting of the other lines. By default, the Normal style is not set to update automatically.

You could also create your own styles. For information about creating styles, type create paragraph style in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Word Help window, and then click Search.

More information

Automatic formatting can save you time if you customize the formatting to suit your needs. Besides automatically updating styles, the automatic features in Word can help you apply formatting quickly to headings, borders, numbers, symbols, and fractions. For more information on automatic formatting, type AutoFormat in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Word Help window, and then click Search.