How to add bullet points in Excel
To add a bullet point in an Excel cell, hold Alt and type 7 (or 0149) on the numeric keypad, which inserts •. For a list inside one cell, press Alt + Enter between items. To bullet a whole column at once, use the custom format "• "@.
Quick answer
Alt + 7 or Alt + 0149 on the keypad. Formula: =CHAR(149) (Windows) or =UNICHAR(8226).
Step by step
Double-click the cell
Enter edit mode so you can type inside the cell.
Insert the first bullet
Hold Alt, type 7 on the numeric keypad and release. Add a space and the first item.
Start a new line
Press Alt + Enter to break the line inside the same cell, then add the next bullet the same way.
Wrap the text
Turn on Home → Wrap Text and widen the row so every line shows.
Bullet a whole column with a number format
Typing bullets one at a time gets old fast. Select the column, press Ctrl + 1, choose Custom and enter "• "@ for text, or "• "General for mixed values. Every cell now displays a bullet and a space, while the stored text stays clean for sorting, filtering and lookups.
Bullets with formulas
To turn a range into one bulleted cell, combine TEXTJOIN with CHAR(10) for line breaks: =TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10),TRUE,"• "&A2:A6), then turn on Wrap Text. In Windows Excel CHAR(149) returns • because 149 is the bullet in the Windows-1252 code page. On a Mac or when sharing workbooks across platforms, UNICHAR(8226) is the safer choice.
Alt + 7 vs Alt + 0149
Both give the same •. Alt + 7 is the short code from the original PC character set; Alt + 0149 uses the Windows code page. Some laptops need Fn held to reach the embedded keypad, and without any keypad you can copy a bullet from the bullet point symbols page instead. On a Mac, Option + 8 types •.
Text boxes and SmartArt
If the list is for a presentation-style sheet rather than data, Insert → Text Box gives you Word-style list bullets with automatic indents. Keep bullets inside cells for anything that will be filtered, printed as a table or exported.
See also bullet points in Word, the bullet point • reference and our guide to symbols in Excel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortcut for a bullet in Excel?
Alt + 7 or Alt + 0149 on the numeric keypad inserts •. There is no Bullets button for cells.
How do I make a bulleted list in one Excel cell?
Type a bullet and the first item, press Alt + Enter for a new line, and repeat. Turn on Wrap Text.
What is the CHAR code for a bullet point?
=CHAR(149) in Windows Excel, or =UNICHAR(8226) on any platform.