Add or change bullet characters

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to add, change, or remove bullet characters in Adobe InDesign to control list appearance and ensure consistent formatting across documents.

Add a new bullet to the Bullet Character grid if you don’t want to use an existing one. Since bullet characters vary by font, choose whether the bullet should remember the font.
If you select a bullet from a specific font, such as Dingbats, note the font. If you use a standard bullet character, most fonts provide their own version. Bullets that reference only a Unicode value display a red u indicator.

Change a bullet character

Select the bulleted paragraphs you want to modify.

Go to Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph.

Select the panel menu icon, then select Bullets and Numbering.

From List Type drop-down menu, select Bullets.

Pick a different bullet character from the grid.

Select OK.

Add a bullet character

Go to Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph.

Select the panel menu icon, then select Bullets and Numbering.

From the List Type drop-down menu, choose Bullets, and then select Add.

Select the glyph you want to use as the bullet character. Different font families and styles contain different glyphs.

Select Remember Font with Bullet to retain the chosen font and style.

Select Add, then select OK. Bullet characters are stored with the document, like paragraph and character styles. When you paste or load styles from another document, associated bullet characters also appear in the Bullets and Numbering dialog box.

Remove a bullet character

Go to Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph.

Select the panel menu icon, then select Bullets and Numbering.

From the List Type drop-down menu, choose Bullets.

Select the bullet character to remove, then select Delete. The first preset bullet character cannot be deleted.

Select OK.