How to Insert Bullets in Google Sheets

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

In this article, we’ll see how to insert bullets in Google Sheets. We’ll look at different methods as well as a keyboard shortcut for it.

You might have seen often that a list is usually formatted in a way that it includes a symbol preceding each item. A filled circle is mostly used for this purpose. As you can see in the list below.

 

bullets-list

 

This is an example of a bulleted list. It is pretty much a default choice for formatting a list. Now, what if we want to make a bulleted list in Google Sheets? That’s what we aim for in this article, to teach you how to insert bullets in Google Sheets.

So how do we go about this problem?

We aim to discuss different methods to insert bullets in Google Sheets. By the end of this article, you’ll be familiar with more than one technique to transform a spreadsheet based list into a bulleted list.

We’ll discuss several methods to insert bullets in Google Sheets. Some methods are simpler than others. We’ll begin with the Custom Format method, followed by the CHAR formula method. We’ll also see the keyboard shortcut as well as the copy & paste methods.

So, we have a lot of ground to cover. Let’s move on straight to our first method.

 

 

How to Insert Bullets in Google Sheets (Using Custom Format)

In this tutorial, we will learn how to use the Custom Format option in Google Sheets to insert a bullet point. But before we begin this tutorial, you should know that this method changes the appearance of the text while the actual text remains unchanged. 

The screenshot here will clarify this point.

unchanged-formula

 

That being said, let’s now proceed with our tutorial.

  1. We will use a Demo spreadsheet for this tutorial.

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

  1. Select the list that ranges from cell A1:A5.

 insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

  1. In the top menu, navigate to Format.

format-menu

 

  1. In the Format drop-down, navigate to Number > More Formats.

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

  1.  Select the Custom number format in the More Formats menu.

custom-format

 

  1. When the Custom number format menu appears, you need to enter “•@” in it and then click Apply.

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

  1. Once you’ve applied this formatting, the selected list converts into a bulleted list.

bullets-list

 

We’re done. Let’s see another method for inserting bullets in Google Sheets.

 

 

How to Insert Bullets in Google Sheets (Using CHAR Formula)

This method for inserting bullets in Google Sheets involves the use of the CHAR formula. It is a robust and dynamic method because it can reflect a change in the original list. We’ll see this in action in the steps below.

Now before we learn how to use the CHAR function, it is recommended that you get familiar with it by reading through its official documentation.

We’ll be using the CHAR formula to display a bullet symbol in our spreadsheet. The formula is:

=CHAR(8826)

 

Let’s see how to use this formula to format our list as a bulleted list.

  1. Select cell B1 and type in “=” to start the formula.

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

  1. Now complete the formula by typing in.

    =CHAR(8226)&" "&A

    function

 

  1. Press Enter and you’ll see that it displays “Item A” preceded with a bullet symbol.

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

  1. Now, drag the blue box down to B5 to copy the formula for other items as well.

bullet-list

 

  1. One last thing before we end this tutorial is that we have already mentioned that this method is dynamic. To clarify this, let’s make a change to our list. We rename “Item A” as “Item 1”. The list in column B reflects this change.

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

Voila! We have seen two methods to insert a bullet in Google Sheets. Let’s move on to learn a keyboard shortcut for inserting a bullet symbol in a cell.

 

 

How to Insert Bullets in Google Sheets (Using Keyboard Shortcut)

We’ll show you a keyboard shortcut for inserting a bullet symbol in a cell. This keyboard shortcut can be quite handy if you get used to it. The three simple steps to use this shortcut is.

 

  1. Select the cell where you want to insert a bullet.

 

  1. Click on the F2 button on your keyboard to activate the edit mode.

 

  1. Now, hold the ALT key and press 7 on your numeric keyboard.

 

  1. If you want to insert more than one bullet symbol in a single cell, then hold the ALT key and press Enter. You’ll move to a new line within the same cell.

 

  1. Repeat Step 3 to insert a bullet.

bullets

 

You’ve seen the keyboard shortcut and probably the simplest way to introduce a bullet symbol in Google Sheets. Let’s move on to see yet another very convenient method, the Copy & Paste method.

 

 

How to Insert Bullets in Google Sheets (Copy & Paste Method)

One simple method to insert bullets in Google Sheets is to copy from a source and paste it at the desired location in your spreadsheet. You can even copy it from here and paste it somewhere in your spreadsheet.

•✔★😃😍

 

You can insert cool emojis and other special symbols by copy and paste method. Also, you can copy a diverse set of special symbols from this website, CopyChar.

Here is an example of a spreadsheet with some emojis and special symbols.

 

insert-bullets-in-google-sheets

 

Great! We are done. You have seen different methods for inserting a bullet in Google Sheets. 

That should be all you need. We hope you’ve learned how to insert bullets in Google Sheets. Check out our other numerous Google Sheets formulas to create even more complex and useful functions in Google Sheets.

 

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