MS Word - Style Numbering Not working

Question

Hi,

I am trying to apply styles on different section of word document however numbering didn't follow automatically.

I did below

1. Apply Heading 1 style on different sections of document
2. Selected below to define the list number format. Here I selected 1, 1.1, 1.1.1 etc.

3. Selected below to define numbering format

4. Selected below option so numbering can continue when I define new heading 1 or heading 2 etc.

However, numbering didn;t follow automatically and I need to select below every time to reset the counter.

Am I missing something here?

Please advise.

Thanks

Answer 1

Dear respected VikasTD,

Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

As per your description, you must set up the heading numbering as a multilevel list linked to the heading styles. If you select the 1 Heading 1, 1.1 Heading 2, 1.1.1 Heading 3 list type in the New Multilevel List gallery, the list levels will be linked to the styles automatically and will restart after higher levels.

We appreciate your understanding that sometimes the initial suggestions may not resolve the problem very soon. However, we can work together to narrow down and resolve the situation.

Appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Waqas Muhammad

Answer 2

Thanks. Its solved the issue. Key is to define multilevel list correctly

And, to use the styles to apply the numbering, not the buttons on the Home tab.

Please review Shauna Kelly's page.

Answer 3

If you use automatic paragraph numbering or bullets read Shauna Kelly's directions on numbering and bullets. Start with How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010. For large documents you must follow these directions or you will lose your hair!
(Mac version: https://www.brandwares.com/bestpractices/2016/06/outline-numbering-in-word-for-os-x/)

This may seem a bit convoluted at first, but it really is not. Just follow the steps. Shauna Kelly's instructions use the built-in heading styles, but you can use any existing paragraph styles including your custom styles. There are, however advantages to using the built-in heading styles when you create a Table of Contents. Here are some more advantages: Why Use Word's Built-In Heading Styles? by Shauna Kelly Note, you can modify these built-in styles to look exactly the way you want.

If you want, I can provide links to videos demonstrating setting up numbering linked to styles.

The basic idea is that the numbering is set using the Define MultiLevel List dialog with each numbering level being attached to an existing paragraph style. Once you have this set up, you should not use the buttons for numbering in the Ribbon but rather apply the appropriate style for that level.

You can save a document with this as a template for future documents if you want so you will not need to do this every time.

If you are going to use the built-in list styles, start with the ones that say Heading 1, Heading 2, etc. Do any modification to Indents or the appearance of the numbering in the Define New MultiLevel List Dialog

Answer 4

The Set Numbering Value dialog box won't be predictable if you use it with multilevel numbering. In fact, it will be a nightmare to maintain the correct numbering.

As Charles has suggested, set up a multilevel list instead. Ensure that Heading 1 is associated with level 2, that Heading 2 is associated with Heading 2, etc. For more, see https://shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/numbering20072010.html.

Answer 5

Thanks. Its solved the issue. Key is to define multilevel list correctly