A reader has some questions about customizing numbering in Word:
“In using Word, I sometimes have to create procedures or checklists. Each item gets numbered with Word’s built-in numbering. It works well for the first nine items, with just a couple of spaces between the number and the text. Once I get to 10 and beyond, that extra numeral tabs the text WAY over to the right… it looks atrocious! Is there any way to force Word to a specific, user-defined space after the last numeral?“
I think you may be having an issue with your list indents. Here’s how to fix them. Select the numbered items and then right-click. Select Adjust List Indents.
From here you can adjust the text indentation. If you’d like everything to align perfectly to the left, you can change the number position to 0″ and increase the size of text indent.
Here’s what that looks like.
If it’s set on Nothing, it will look like this.
