Ask Sam: Change spacing between bullets and list text

This week, I'm pleased to have my first reader question:

In Word 2007, when making a bullet list, how do I increase the spacing between the bullets and the text?

When you create a bullet or numbered list in Word, the bullet or number is separated from the list text by a quarter of an inch. There are several ways to change that distance. The method I've outlined below works in Word 2007 as well as Word 2003.

1. Click and drag to select the entire list. If you've only got one list item, you can simply put the cursor somewhere in that item.
2. Right-click the selection and click Paragraph on the context menu. The Paragraph dialog appears.
3. On the right side of the Indentation section, change the value of the "By" field to the amount of space you want to have between the bullet and the text.
4. Click OK.

Once you've set the Hanging Indent value, each time you press enter while working with that list, the new item will be formatted in the same way. These steps also work for numbered lists.

Thanks for the question! I hope this tip helps.

"Ask Sam" is a weekly feature. If you have questions about using Windows (XP, Vista, or Windows 7) or Word (2003 or 2007), send e-mail to stfalco AT yahoo.com and I'll try to answer your questions here.