Format lists in Keynote on Apple Vision Pro

Keynote automatically formats what you’re typing as a list if you begin a sentence with a dash or with a number or letter followed by a full stop and a space. You can also select text, then apply a list format to it.

You can change the number or letter style, change the indentation, and create your own text and image bullets. If you create a list the formatting of which you want to use again in the same presentation, you can save it as a new list style.

Create and format a list

Double-tap the text box or shape where you want to add a list.
Type a dash, or type a number or letter followed by a full stop and a space (for example, 1. or A. ), then enter the first item in your list.
Tap Return, then continue entering list items, tapping Return after each.
Each new line automatically begins with the same character you started with. Numbers and letters are incremented accordingly.
To end the list, select the text where you want to end the list, tap in the format bar that appears, then tap None.
To format a list, select a bullet or symbol, tap in the navigation bar at the top of the window, then tap Text.
Do any of the following:
- Change the indentation level (hierarchy) of the selected items: Tap an outdent or indent button below Bullets and Lists.
- Adjust the line spacing: With all list items selected, tap Line Spacing, then tap or next to Spacing to decrease or increase the spacing.

If you don’t want Keynote to automatically format text as a list when you begin a sentence with a dash, or with a number or letter followed by a period, tap in the navigation bar at the top of the window, tap Settings, tap Auto-Correction, then turn off Auto-Detect Lists.

Change the number or letter sequence

You can use numbers or letters in various formats to designate levels of hierarchy in an ordered list.

Do one of the following to select the list items the number or letter of which you want to change:
- Select one list item: Tap the bullet or symbol next to the list item.
- Select multiple list items: Double-tap after the text in the last item you want to select, then pinch and drag the selection handles to include all the items you want to change.
Tap in the navigation bar at the top of the window, then tap Bullets & Lists.
Tap a number or letter style (such as Lettered or Numbered) to apply it to the selected text.
Tap next to the style.
Tap Format, then choose a number or letter sequence.
Tap , then use the Edit List Style controls to change the indent, colour and size of the letters or numbers.
To use nested numbers or letters (for example, 3., 3.1., 3.1.1.), turn on Tiered Numbers.
To create non-sequential numbering, turn off Continue Numbering, then tap or to set the starting number.

Note: Line spacing isn’t included in a list style.

Create custom bullets

You can use a variety of text and image bullets to add a custom look to a list. Any text characters, emoji and images can act as bullets.

Do one of the following to select the list items the bullets of which you want to change:
- Select one list item: Tap the bullet or symbol next to the list item.
- Select multiple list items: Double-tap after the text in the last item you want to select, then pinch and drag the selection handles to include all the items you want to change.
Tap in the navigation bar at the top of the window, then tap Bullets & Lists.
Tap next to the bullet style you want to change.
Tap Text Bullet or Image Bullet, then do one of the following:
- For text bullets: Tap a bullet style to apply it. To use a different character, tap “Tap to add” next to Custom Bullet, tap the character or emoji you want to use, then tap Return.
- For image bullets: Tap an image bullet to apply it. To use a custom image, tap Custom Bullet, then choose an image, or tap “Insert from” and choose an image.
To change the bullet size or alignment, tap Back and use the Edit List Style controls to make changes.
When you’re finished, tap the slide to close the controls.

Update or revert a list style

Changing the appearance of a list — by changing the bullet or number style or the spacing of indents, for example — results in style overrides, which are indicated by an asterisk next to the list style name.

If you want to keep the overrides without updating the style, do nothing. The text retains your changes and an asterisk appears next to the list style name whenever you select or edit the list.

You can also update the list style with your changes so every item that uses the style gets an update. If you don’t want to keep the overrides, you can revert the list item back to the original list style.

Tap the bullet, letter, or number for a list item with an override, then tap in the navigation bar at the top of the window.
When an item with an override is selected, you see an asterisk next to the style name in Bullets and Lists.
Tap the style name, then do one of the following:
- Remove the overrides and revert to the original list style: Tap the style name (avoiding the Update button). The formatting changes are removed and the item matches the formatting of other list items that use this style.
- Update the style to use the overrides: Tap Update. All list items that use this style are updated to match the new formatting.

Note: List styles include only the formatting you set using the Edit List Style controls in Bullets and Lists.

Create, rename or delete a list style

Select any text in a list that uses the style you want to rename or delete.
Tap in the navigation bar at the top of the window, then tap Bullets & Lists.
Tap in the top-right corner of the Bullets & Lists controls.
Do one of the following:
- Create a new style: Tap in the top-left corner of the controls to create a duplicate of the style used by the text you selected. Type a new name for the style, then change its formatting.
- Rename a style: Tap the style name, then type the new name.
- Delete a style: Tap , then tap Delete. If the style is used somewhere else in the presentation, a dialogue asks you to choose a replacement style.
- Rearrange the styles in the list: Pinch and drag (to the right of the list name) to a new location.