Right now, all eight sublevels are aligned with the left margin. In other words, when Heading 1 updates to 2, the sublevel number will start over at 1, generating 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and so on.įigure F Choose to restart numbering in subsections.ĭo not click OK yet - you’re still not done. Doing so forces Word to start renumbering Heading 2 paragraphs after each new Heading 1 paragraph. In most cases, you’ll want to set the After option to the previous heading, as shown in Figure F. Check the Restart Numbering After option, if you want sublevel numbers to start at 1.The Link Level To Style setting should be Heading 2.Choose a Number Style and make any necessary changes in the Number Format control.Beginning with Heading 2, add the scheme to the sublevel headings, as follows: You just added a numbering scheme to the main heading style, Heading 1. Figure E You can add text to your numbering scheme.ĭo not click OK - you still have to define the numbering style for the sublevels. Always name your new schemes to avoid confusion.įigure D This dialog presents all of the settings you’ll need to add numbers. Give the new numbering scheme a descriptive name, such as NumberedHeadings.Change the Follow Number With setting to Space.(Since you began by modifying this style, it should be the default.)
Most everything you need is built in and can be easily modified. You could create a new set of styles, but for our purposes, Word’s existing heading styles, Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on, provide a good foundation. Admittedly, this advice isn’t always practical, but it’s the best way to start if you can. It can be done, but changing styles that are already in use almost always has far-reaching repercussions. Working with an existing document and all its in-use styles can be troublesome. If possible, open a new document to create your numbered style.
How do you modify heading styles in word pdf#
Note: This article is also available as a PDF download. To avoid surprises, follow these 10 steps to add a numbering scheme to a style. Unfortunately, that can get you into even more trouble, if you don’t know what you’re doing. Or you can opt for the more efficient solution and create and apply a numbered style. You can enter the numbers manually and hope nothing changes - lots of luck with that one. You have two choices when faced with the task of numbering headings in a Word document. If you want to incorporate automatic numbering in your document headings, the quickest and most foolproof route is to create a custom style. 10 steps to creating a numbered heading style in Word