Forum Discussion
Custom Bullets Transparency Issues
Take this:
- Verify Image Format Compatibility – While PNG files support transparency, Word may process them inconsistently. Consider converting the PNG to an alternative format (e.g., GIF or SVG) and reinsert it as a custom bullet point.
- Alternative Insertion Method – Rather than applying the PNG directly as a bullet, insert it as an inline image and manually align it adjacent to the text for better control.
- Test in Safe Mode – Launch Word in Safe Mode (via winword /safe in the Run dialog) to determine whether an add-in or configuration setting is causing the issue.
- Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration – Navigate to File > Options > Advanced, locate the Display section, and enable "Disable hardware graphics acceleration" to assess if rendering performance affects transparency.
- Roll Back to a Previous Word Version – If the issue emerged following a recent update, reverting to an earlier version of Word (where transparency functioned correctly) may resolve the problem.
You may have to edit the "picture bullet" in an image editing program to make it truly transparent (without a background).
yes it is truly transparent, edited in photoshop, saved as PNG, like I said its been fine for years, and it's not just a single bullet image, I have a different one for the 2nd list level and it too has a transparent background in PNG and showing white in Word, it is a new issue 3 months ago these same bullets were showing transparent. It's definitely something in a recent Word update, it happens on more than 1 PC.
Report this directly to Microsoft using the Help > Feedback facility. You can also post in the feedback forum at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/forum/fb6d67e3-301c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8472.