Bullet Points in Excel

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All-purpose technique

This does require a full-size keyboard. If you want a single way to insert a bullet point everywhere this is it. Hold the Alt key down and then press the number keys on the numeric keypad 0149 and the bullet point will appear.

This is an old school technique, but it still works.

Added 27 November 2025:

Thanks to Alex Blakenburg on Linkedin who said Alt + 7 (7 on the numeric keypad) is quicker.

Note: This only inserts a single bullet point.

This will work in

• the Formula Bar

• TextBoxes

• Notes

• Comments

• Shapes

 TextBoxes or Shapes

Because textboxes and shapes allow the entry of text, they are set up to handle text features. If you right-click inside a textbox or shape you can access the standard Bullets interface – see image below.

This adds extra bullet points when you press Enter. To stop them being entered right-click again and select the Bullets option again.

Symbols

Another way to access a bullet point is via the Symbol dialog. On the right side of the Insert ribbon tab is the Symbol icons – image below

The Symbol dialog below opens.

A bullet point can be inserted using this dialog. Select the bullet symbol and click the Insert button. Press Esc or click the Close button to exit the dialog.

Note: This also only inserts a single bullet point.

You can use a keyboard shortcut Alt N U to open this dialog.

Once you have inserted a bullet point you can use a keyboard combination to insert another one. Press in sequence Alt N U to open the Symbols dialog – it remembers the last symbol inserted so press Enter and then press Esc to close. This can be done quite quickly. Alt N U Enter Esc.

If you know other ways to enter a bullet point in Excel, please leave a comment.