Excel Bullets

Copper Contributor

Previously in Office 365, we could highlight a group of listings and then type into "Tell me what you want to do" the word "Bullets" and they would appear and you could also call them up so you could choose what bullets you wanted to use, that is some type of symbol, or numbers and others.  

 

I just tried to use it and once again find it has been removed.  

 

This is something I know a lot of people use and we need to have it easier to use that what Excel is providing to use presently, unless that is, something is wrong with my version of Excel I am currently using and it is really is available but I am being blocked for some unknown reason.

 

9 Replies
While this works in Word I didn't think it was ever possible in Excel?

For adding bullets you can use Insert > Symbol > Arial (subset = Geometric Shapes)

To speed this up I copy a bullet point and go to File > Options > Proofing > Autocorrect and paste in the "Replace With" box. Then in the replace box I type ,, (2 commas)

Then whenever I need a bullet I just type ,, and a bullet point magically appears :)



The inability to create a bullet list in an Excel cell without going through ridiculous workarounds makes no sense. Especially when Bullets and Numbering are features listed in All Commands.

 

WHY has Microsoft not made this feature functional?

Hi Rob,

 

Another way:

select your list and Ctrl+1

image.png

In custom format enter Alt+7 space @ (Alt+7 inserts bullet at any place you apply it)

image.png

Result:

image.png

 

 

 

Thanks for the helpful reply. This is useful. I also want to be able to create a bullet list within an individual cell as well as in a column of cells. I can do this by copying a bullet list into a cell from a Word document, but that is a very kludgy workaround.

Rob,

 

In Excel there is no way to apply bullets to existing in cell text clicking on some button or so. If only with macro or third-party tool.

You may only add bullets one by one.

If you enter the text into the cell from scratch you may use Alt+7 to insert the bullet in your text and Alt+Enter to start new line.

Thanks Sergei.

I understand this now. I believe the ability to create a bullet list within a cell would be a very useful addition to Excel. It would simplify a common formatting need that I think many users have.

Rob, you may vote for the topic on excel user voice, nearest I found is

https://excel.uservoice.com/forums/304921-excel-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/8944384-...

 

or generate your own one.

Sergei Baklan thanks for your efforts to help those of us seeking to have the ability

to apply bullets in Excel where we feel they are most useful.

 

I would like to remind all, including all Microsoft programmers of one little simple matter and that is:  We here are speaking of doing things on COMPUTERS.  PC's were originally planned to be designed to make life simpler for all human beings who own and operate a PC, which by the way, for those who do not know, means "PERSONAL COMPUTER".  While there are many ways of accomplishing different tasks, the method that should be available in ALL cases is the method that is the absolute simplest and easiest and in this particular discussion of having the ability to insert bullets in Excel where we feel they are needed would be the very same method employed presently in Word which takes me back to my same old forever complaint and that is when new versions of any program, app or whatever are being created, it should never be done with a blank sheet of paper but rather with the latest version presently available in order to do things the best and most simplest of ways.  When beginning with a blank sheet, there are so many capabilities that are often forgotten and my old standby example is when one has two separate spreadsheets, (A & B) and there is a need in B to use the very same data found in A in a specific cell, it used to be that one simply went to the cell in B where you need the data, click on that cell and enter an EQUAL sign (=) then do a TAB+ALT and go to spreadsheet A, to the cell containing the data needed and click on it and then hit ENTER.  WAMMO, the data in A, in a specific cell, will now also appear in B in the cell where it is wanted.  Further, then if one was in need of data in a range of cells all connected, then all you had to do once you have the first cell created, is to drag that cell across and then that range of cells down, and walla, you have the entire range of data found in spreadsheet A specific cells whatever to whatever copied and shown in spreadsheet B where you need it.  However, sometime between being able to follow these steps to copy data into a cell in a separate spreadsheet and current capabilities, that was lost and replaced with a very complex order of steps that require a doctorate degree in Excel to accomplish, all because the capability was either judged to not be needed and then was added in the simplest of manners for the programmers, or the programmer who did it just did not like being told to create the ability to do this or some other unknown reason.  In any events, the original design parameters of original PC's was long forgotten, as happens so many times today, that now the capability is all but forgotten because very few are going to follow the complex path needed to accomplish the task in the easiest of ways because I am completely convinced that programmers creating new versions of programs/apps/or whatever are beginning their tasks with a blank sheet and not creating the new and improved version of previous versions.  Somehow, on God's green earth, we must get this message to one Mr. Bill Gates for he is one and only person who is going to change the process of whatever it is to what it should be.  Any suggestions?

@Temporary User0101 

Hello everyone

This is my very first contribution to this amazing Excel community
The easiest way for me to create bullets on the fly in Excel, if you have a numeric key pad is:
ALT + 7  you get a solid bullet

ALT + 9 you get a hollow bullet
both of them can be formatted, resized, recolored as regular text using options on the Font group of the Home Tab.

Hope this helps
Nabil Mourad