Creating and removing numbered lists in Word is easy using the “Numbering” command on the ribbon. However, if you prefer using the keyboard, there is a way to quickly create a numbered list using a keyboard shortcut.

We will add a keyboard shortcut to the command for creating numbered lists. To do so, right click anywhere on the ribbon and select “Customize the Ribbon” from the popup menu.

01_selecting_customize_the_ribbon

The “Customize the Ribbon and keyboard shortcuts” screen displays on the “Word Options” dialog box.

02_clicking_customize

On the “Customize Keyboard” dialog box, select “All Commands” in the “Categories” list.

03_clicking_all_commands

Scroll down in the “Commands” list and select “FormatNumberDefault”.

04_clicking_formatnumberdefault

Put the cursor in the “Press new shortcut key” edit box and press the shortcut key combination you want to use to create a numbered list. We used “Alt + N” because it’s not assigned to anything else in Word. Click “Assign”.

05_press_new_shortcut_key

The new keyboard shortcut is added to the “Current keys” list.

06_keys_assigned_clicking_close

If you made other changes on the “Word Options” dialog box (not a sub-dialog), click “OK” to accept your changes and close the dialog box. Otherwise, click “Cancel”.

07_closing_word_options_dialog

To remove the number from a numbered list item, simply press the keyboard shortcut again. The number and the paragraph indent are removed. You can also press “Ctrl + Q” to remove paragraph numbering, but this leaves the paragraph indented.

Word can also automatically create a numbered list, however you can turn off this feature.