This is when it is necessary to adjust the actual position of the text within the list which is achieved by adjusting the indent markers. The alignment will now be fixed and all text will be aligned at the same pointĭepending on how your numbered list is configured, the above method may fix the alignment issue, however, in other instances it may not.Click the Number alignment drop-down menu and change it to Right.The Define New Multilevel List dialog box will appear.Right mouse click on the line and select Adjust List Indents OR click the Home tab and select the Multilevel List button, then choose Define New Multilevel List.Place your cursor within the first line of the list, numbered I.Alternatively, you can re-create the sample I have used above.
Navigate/select the file you wish to open and click Open If you wish to open an existing document where this issue is being experienced press Alt + F12 on the keyboard.When the numbering gets to II or III then the space between the edge of the numbering and the text becomes too small, the text alignment is then automatically adjusted to allow the numbers to fit correctly. This means the numbers start at the left side of the margin and move to the right. In my example, I have used roman numerals which are set to left alignment. This first method will address an issue where the alignment of your text is directly affected by the alignment you have set your numbering. Now I will show you two methods to fix alignment issues with numbered lists. The Ruler will now be displayed on the screen.Place a tick in the Ruler checkbox within the Show group.To display the ruler, follow these steps:
If you do not have the Ruler visible on the screen you will need to display this so you can see the indent markers on your ruler. The Left Indent (the square underneath the Hanging Indent marker) only applies to the formatting of paragraphs and is not utilised in a number or bullet list. The Hanging Indent marker (the triangle pointing up) determines where the text for the line will begin. The First Line Indent determines the location of the bullet or number at the start of each line in the list. There are three indent markers available, however, only two of these apply to the alignment of your numbered or bullet lists.
The alignment is determined by markers on the ruler called indent markers. It is useful to understand how the alignment of a numbered or bullet list works. This can happen when a numbered list has been modified multiple times and the settings are now causing issues is inherited in an existing document created by someone else, or sometimes for no obvious reason at all. is showing a large space between the numbering and the text for that point. has a small space between the number and the text, but point II. You will see in this example that point I. Here is an example showing a numbered list using Roman numerals: The question in particular, related to why the alignment of text on certain lines of a numbered list was different from other lines. Needless to say, this post is in response to that question and hopefully will provide some information for anyone who may experience the same issue.
The solution was a simple one but as the author commented, how would anyone not familiar with the “lingo” know how to find the solution without help? I recently saw an issue arise on a discussion forum where a user asked a question related to the alignment of a numbered list.