How to Insert Bullet Points in Excel? 5 Easy Methods

(Note: This guide on how to insert bullet points in Excel is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365)

Using bullet points is a great way to list important things in any document. We use them all the time in our reports and PowerPoint presentations. But, have you ever wondered how to add bullet points in Excel?

Well of course it is possible and easy to insert bullet points in Excel. In fact, you can insert multiple bullet points into a single cell, or in separate cells.

In this article, I’ll show you 5 easy ways to add bullet points in Excel.

You’ll learn to insert bullet points by

• Using the ALT key
• Using the Insert Tab
• Using CHAR formula
• Using Custom Formatting
• Copy and Paste from Word or PowerPoint

Watch this short video on How to Insert Bullet Points in Excel

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Insert Bullet Points in Excel Using the ALT key

This is one of the easiest methods to insert a bullet point in Excel. But, it only works if you have a separate numeric pad on your keyboard.

To insert bullet points using the ALT key, select the cell where you want to insert the bullet point.

Now, hold the ALT key and press 7 (or) 9. Once you leave the ALT key, the bullet appears.

Here are some other tips while using ALT to enter bullet points:

ALT + 7 gives a different type of bullet(normal bullet), whereas ALT + 9 gives another type of bullet(hollow bullet). Similarly, adding bullets using ALT + 5 or ALT + 6 gives you different types of bullets.

You can also add a list within a cell. That is, adding bullets in the same cell one after the other. To make a line break within a cell, hold ALT+ Enter.

You can add bullets to cells that already contain data. Double click on the cell to enter into edit mode. Place the cursor in the desired position to insert the bullet. Press ALT + 7 or ALT + 9.

You can drag the fill handle to copy the bullets points to adjacent cells.

Insert Bullet Points in Excel Using the Insert Tab

This is an alternate method to add a bullet point in a cell. In case you do not have a numeric keypad on your keyboard, you can insert bullet points by using the Insert option from the main menu.

Select the cell you want to add a bullet point.

Go to the Insert tab and click Symbols.

The Symbol dialog box opens.

There are a variety of bullet points for you to choose from here, based on fonts. Search for the type of bullet pointer you want. 

Click the drop-down and search for the bullet. 

Select the bullet point and click on Insert. 

Add the text next to the bullet. Or, add multiple texts in a single cell using a line break.

Once, you have added the bullets. You can then copy and paste the bullets onto other cells and lists whenever you want.

Note: Instead of searching for the bullets in different fonts. You can use the default bullet by selecting the font as (normal text) and Character code as 2022 from Unicode(hex). 

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Insert Bullet Points in Excel Using the CHAR formula

If you are using Excel for some time, you will be aware of various shortcut formulas and their functionalities.

You can also use the formula method to insert a bullet point. This is mostly used when you have an existing list and want to add bullets to the list.

To insert bullets using the CHAR function. Select a cell you want to add bullets.

Use the formula =CHAR(149)&” “&(cell_reference) in the destination cell or the formula bar.

Here, (cell_reference) is the name of the cell where the bullet is to be added. In this case B12.

Drag the fill handle of the cell to add bullets to the other cells. 

Note: Change the CHAR number to add different types of bullet points based on your preferences. For example, =CHAR(150) inserts a hyphen. 

Insert Bullet Points in Excel Using Custom Formatting

This method is very helpful when you are working with huge lists and you have to add bullets very often.

To add a custom format. Select a cell or a group of cells. Right-click on the cells and select Format Cells. 

This opens up a dialog box. Select Number > Category: Custom.

In the Type bar, type • @. You can add the bullet point in the type bar by copying the bullet, or ALT + 7 method. Where @ is a variable.

Click Okay.

The text you add into the formatted cells will have bullet points. And, if you want to want to add bullet points to any other cells. Right-click > go to Format Cells > Custom > select •@ and click OK.

You can also drag the formatted cell to apply bullet points to the other cells.

Copy and Paste from MS Word or Powerpoint

If all this seems too much work for you, you can just copy and paste the list, or bullets from other Microsoft Word documents or PowerPoint presentations.

You can just copy the bullet points or you can copy the whole list.

Double click a cell to enter edit mode and paste the copied list. You can see the list populating a single cell with bullet points.

While copying and pasting, the selected list will be copied onto a single cell. If you want to split the list into separate cells, just click on the cell without going into edit mode. Right-click and paste (or) Ctrl + V to copy the list onto Excel.

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Let’s Wrap Up

In this guide, we saw five easy ways to insert bullet points in Excel. You can use the ALT key, Insert tab or use custom formatting to insert bullet points in Excel. Choose the method which suits you best and save time.

If you need more high-quality Excel guides, please check out our free Excel resources centre.

Simon Sez IT has been teaching Excel for over ten years. For a low, monthly fee you can get access to 100+ IT training courses. Click here for advanced Excel courses with in-depth training modules.

Simon Calder

Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA.He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!