Word: When Restart Numbering doesn’t work
August 27, 2009Sometimes, no matter what you do, you just can’t get a numbered list in Word to restart numbering at 1.
Here’s a trick that works sometimes (I don’t guarantee this trick will work every time, but it’s a quick and easy thing to try):
- Put your cursor at the beginning of the first item in the list.
- Press Enter. The first item now moves down one to the second position and the first position becomes a blank line.
- Put your cursor at the beginning of the second item (was the first), and right-click.
- Select Restart Numbering. Your second item should now be number 1.
- Delete the blank line above it.
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Thanks this is a good quick fix, and your right it didn’t work every time but I found if the times it does not work and only holds the change for a second then goes back; try this.
Add yet another line return with the enter key
Then click the Undo icon
It changes it back again, starting over, and stays this time.
This was a good quick fix for me as well. I’m a technical writer by profession, and often have to edit “legacy” documents that contain generations of incorrect formatting and embedded errors that cause seemingly random quirks. Thanks for a useful post!