How to change the bullet points in your Word document in an instant

Customising bullet points in Word is straightforward and takes just a few clicks. Select your list, go to the Home tab, and click the small arrow next to the Bullets button in the Paragraph group. A bullet library opens, and a live preview shows exactly how each symbol will look in your text before you commit. Simply hover over any option — including a dash — and click once to apply it to your entire list. If none of the default symbols suit your needs, the Define New Bullet Point option lets you choose any character from Word's full symbol set. This means you can customize lists at any time, even weeks after they were first created. The whole process is reversible and requires no specialist knowledge — just a few seconds of your time.

3 Min. reading time

16 February 2026

How to change the bullet points in your Word document in an instant

Ella P. asks:
I created a list of cakes and used bullet points for the first time. It worked really well: One click of the button and there was a bullet point before each paragraph. Now, a week later, I would rather have a dash as a symbol. Is it possible to change the selected bullet points in Word and, if so, how?

Saskia Gießen answers:
Dear Ms. P., this is possible without any problems. Word offers you numerous bullet ...