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In Word for Windows, open Home > Paragraph > Multilevel List > Define New Multilevel List. Select More, choose a list level, and select the paragraph style it should use under Link level to style. Repeat for each level, adjust numbering or indentation if needed, and select OK. The advanced controls are in the desktop app; Word for the web does not provide custom style linking for multilevel lists.
Before you link the levels
Apply the intended paragraph style to each heading first. You can use built-in styles such as Heading 1 and Heading 2, or an existing custom style in the document. A level-to-style link associates a list level with a paragraph style; it does not replace the need to apply that style to the paragraphs you want numbered.
Microsoft recommends built-in heading styles for numbered headings. They provide a consistent hierarchy and support document features such as a table of contents and easier reorganization. Custom styles are an option when the document uses its own style system, provided the styles already exist in the document.
Link each multilevel list level to a style
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Select text in the list or a paragraph intended for the numbered outline.
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Go to Home > Paragraph > Multilevel List > Define New Multilevel List.
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Select More to reveal the detailed settings.
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Choose Level 1, then choose its paragraph style from Link level to style.
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Select each additional level in turn and link it to the style intended for that level. For example, link level 1 to Heading 1 and level 2 to Heading 2, or use the corresponding custom styles already in the document.
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When the level mappings are set, select OK.
For a conventional outline, Microsoft’s example uses Heading 1 for top-level numbering (1, 2, 3) and Heading 2 for second-level numbering (1.1, 1.2, 1.3). The numbering pattern depends on the number-format settings you choose.
Set numbering and indentation in the same dialog
After selecting a level, you can adjust its number format and layout in the expanded dialog. Change only the settings that the document needs:
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Number format and style: Choose how the level’s number appears.
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Restart behavior: Set whether a level restarts after another level.
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Alignment and indentation: Set number alignment, number position, and text indent. Use Set for All Levels when you want shared alignment and indentation adjustments.
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Follow number with: Choose a tab, a space, or nothing after the number.
These settings control the list’s appearance and sequence; they are separate from the style mapping. Select OK when the numbering and layout are configured.
Windows desktop, Mac, and Word for the web
Microsoft’s detailed Define New Multilevel List procedure applies to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, and Word 2021 on Windows. Microsoft directs Mac users to separate list-formatting guidance, so the Windows menu path and dialog instructions should not be assumed to match the Mac interface.
Word for the web supports standard bullet, numbering, and multilevel-list formats, but advanced list customization—including custom styles and the level-linking controls described here—requires the desktop app. If you cannot find Define New Multilevel List or Link level to style in the web app, open the document in desktop Word.
Keep heading formatting consistent
To change how linked headings look throughout the document, modify the heading style rather than formatting each heading paragraph separately. Microsoft explains that a customized heading style can be updated to match selected formatting and then reused wherever that style is applied. This keeps the visual formatting attached to the style while the multilevel list controls its numbering.
If the numbering does not follow the intended headings
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Confirm that the intended paragraph style is applied to the heading paragraphs.
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Reopen Home > Paragraph > Multilevel List > Define New Multilevel List, expand More, and inspect the style mapping for each level.
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If the controls are missing in Word for the web, use desktop Word for the advanced customization.
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