Microsoft recently announced an exciting new feature for the web version of PowerPoint – automatic bullet formatting for lists. This long-awaited addition brings the web version of PowerPoint closer in functionality to the desktop app and makes creating polished, professional presentations even easier.

In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know to take advantage of PowerPoint’s new automatic list formatting, including:

Why Lists Matter in Presentations

Before we dive into how to use the new automatic formatting, let’s discuss why lists play such an integral role in presentations in the first place. Lists help presenters:

Organize information logically – Lists allow you to group related ideas and talking points. Audiences comprehend logically structured information more easily.
Emphasize key points – The visual formatting of lists draws attention to important concepts. Lists help ensure your main points get through.
Demonstrate a process – Numbered lists can illustrate a sequence of steps. This helps audiences understand processes more clearly.

Improve scannability – Lists make slides more scannable through short bits of text. This caters to modern, easily distracted audiences.

In short, lists improve the clarity, organization, and effectiveness of presentations. PowerPoint’s new automatic formatting takes the effort out of creating professional, polished lists.

How Automatic List Formatting Works in PowerPoint on the Web

Prior to this update, creating a formatted list in PowerPoint on the web was tedious. You had to manually select list styles and apply them each time you wanted a new list.

Now, PowerPoint on the web automatically formats lists as you type based on the symbols and characters you use to start each line:

Typing * and then pressing space creates a bulleted list with round dots
Typing - and space creates a list with hyphens

Typing numbers followed by . or ) then space creates numbered lists

The automatic formatting works for nested lists too! Simply press tab while typing to indent and create a nested level.

Overall, this new capability mirrors functionality that’s been in PowerPoint desktop for a while, finally bringing web up to speed.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating Lists in PowerPoint on the Web

Ready to put this new automatic list creation to work for yourself? Follow these simple steps:

Open or create a PowerPoint presentation in PowerPoint on the web.
Click within a text box where you want your list to appear.

Type * and then press space to start your list. Keep typing list items and pressing enter between each one. The bullets will format automatically!
To create a nested second-level list, type your first list item and press enter. Then press tab and type the nested item. When you press enter this item will indent automatically as part of a second-level nested list.
To switch to numbered lists, type 1. and press space. Just keep typing list items, pressing enter between them, and the numbering will continue sequentially.

And that’s it! The automatic formatting does the work for you. This makes it much faster and easier to create professional, polished lists that engage your audiences.

Additional Tips and Tricks

Beyond basic numbered and bulleted lists, you can take advantage of some helpful tips and tricks:

Press backspace while typing to undo the last auto-formatting, if you change your mind about having a list.

Use different symbols like - and — to create lists with different styles beyond traditional bullets.
Start numbered lists with different numbers by manually typing the starting number, like 7. rather than just 1..

Take some time to explore all the different auto-formatting options available for lists now in PowerPoint on the web. The ability to create lists on the fly makes designing presentations much faster!

Why This Matters for Presenters

This automatic list functionality brings PowerPoint on the web much closer to feature parity with the desktop app. Even better, it caters perfectly to modern remote work and collaboration trends.

Now teams can collaboratively design presentations in the web version of PowerPoint, using automatic list formatting to quickly arrange information. The web app allows for real-time co-editing by multiple people simultaneously.

Overall, this new automatic bullet and number formatting for lists helps presenters by:

Saving time otherwise spent manually formatting
Enabling collaboration through real-time co-editing
Keeping ideas organized with nested hierarchical lists

Emphasizing key points by drawing attention to list items

Next time you’re creating a presentation in PowerPoint on the web, take advantage of this new automatic formatting to easily design clean, professional lists that resonate with your audience.