Insert Bullet in Excel – How to Add Bullet Points in Microsoft Excel

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Excel is an outstanding tool used worldwide by multinational companies to organize data on their minor to major projects. Though Excel allows you to manage data effectively because it has many functions that can help you sort data according to your needs. For instance, you can add graphs, charts, bullet points, listings, and much more for a better representation of data.

You can insert bullet in Excel to display lists of facts and highlight vital notes as well as other instructions. Mainly, Excel is used for numerals however, it also deals with text data including bulletin boards, to-do lists, workflows, and much more. Using bullet points in Excel gives you a chance to present lists in a better way.

Unfortunately, Excel does not have any built-in feature to insert bullets as you can add in Microsoft Word. Well, it does not mean you cannot insert bullet in Excel.

Insert Bullet in Excel with ALT Key

Using the ALT key allows you to add bullet points in Excel. This method is helpful only when you have a separate pad for numbers on the keyboard. Below are some easy-to-follow steps to add bullet points:

  • Choose the cell in which you need to add bullets.

bullet points alt key

  • Next, press and hold the ALT key from the keyboard and then press 7 or 9. The bullet points will appear once you leave the ALT key.

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Below you will find more tips to add bullet points while using the ALT key:

  • For normal bullets, you may press ALT + 7.
  • For hollow bullets, you may press ALT + 9.
  • For other kinds of bullets, you may press ALT + 5 and ALT + 6.

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Moreover, you can even add a list in the cell. Press and hold the ALT + Enter key to add a line break in the cell.

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Adding bullets to cells that already have data is possible. For this, you need to double-click the cell to activate the edit mode. Now, put the cursor where you need to add the bullet points. Press ALT + 7 or ALT + 9 keys.

Moreover, you can drag the fill handle to copy the bullet points to adjacent cells.

bullet points alt key5

Insert Bullet in Excel with Insert Symbol Dialog Box

Inserting bullet points in Excel is easier with the Insert Symbol option. For this, you may need to follow the steps given below:

  • Click on the Insert button and choose Symbols options.
  • From this, click on Symbol.

bullet points insert symbol

  • Choose the Font, from the Symbols dialog box given under the Symbols tab.

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  • Place the cursor on the symbols list and choose the bullet you need.

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  • Click on the Insert button.

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Once this step is completed, you will notice the bullets are added in the selected cell. Since the bullet is inserted in the cell, you can simply copy and paste it anywhere you need.

Insert Bullet in Excel with CHAR Function

Using the CHAR function, you can add bullets in a cell. When you are interested in applying a formula for the execution of adding bullet points, this method is the best. For this procedure, you need to follow the steps given below:

  • Choose the cell in which you need to insert bullet in Excel
  • Enter =CHAR(149)&” “&A1

bullet char function

  • Drag the formula to the cell where you need to insert the bullet.

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Insert Bullet in Excel with a Custom Format

Sometimes, you need to enter a long bulleted list, for this, you need to use a custom number format. Using this method, you will be able to make a new cell format with a bullet in it.

Let’s follow the steps given below:

  • Choose the list and right-click on it.
  • Click on the Format Cells option given in the right-click menu. Or else you can press CTRL + 1 to open the Format Cells menu.
  • Choose Custom from the Category list given in the Numbers tab.
  • Now, add a bullet symbol in the Type box. Add a space or two and then put the @ symbol.
  • Press OK to add a new Type to the selected cells.

bullet custom format

The recent Type you created will be saved as a new format. To use it another time, you can find it in the Type list. Choosing this Type of list will by default adds bullets to the cells.

Insert Bullets with Keyboard Shortcuts

As already mentioned, shortcut keys are the quickest way to add a bullet in the cell. Below are some shortcut keys you can use to insert bullet in Excel.

ALT + 7 or ALT + 0149 are used to add solid bullets in Excel.

ALT + 9 is used to add an empty bullet.

Other than these bullet keys, you can even add more kinds of bullet points, such as:

bullet shortcut

Drag the fill handle to copy the already added bullet to adjacent cells.

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Choose a cell with the bullet symbol and press CTRL + C to copy it. Now, choose another cell in which you need to add the bullets and press CTRL + V to paste it somewhere else.

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Press ALT + ENTER key to insert more than one bullet point in the same cell.

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Wrap Up

In this post, you get to know more than one ways to insert bullet points in Excel. Each method is unique and effective. You can try any of them without any hesitation.

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