How to Add Bullets in Google Sheets

Last Updated: December 23, 2021

For some reason, Google Sheets does not include the button found in both Google Docs and Google Slides that creates a bulleted list. Despite this, there are a few workarounds you can use to quickly add bullet points to your spreadsheet. This wikiHow article will teach you how to insert bullets into cells in Google Sheets.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Using Keyboard Shortcuts

1
Open a Google Sheet. You can open an existing Google Sheet or create a new one at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/my-drive.
2
Click on a cell. The selected cell should now be outlined in blue.

Advertisement
3
Press Alt + 7 for Windows or ⌥ Option + 8 for Mac. This keyboard shortcut will create a bullet point in your cell.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- To quickly add bullet points to other cells, click and drag the blue square in the bottom-right corner of the bulleted cell, then let go once you have covered the desired number of cells.
- If you would like to make a bulleted list in a single cell, create a new line by pressing Alt + Enter for Windows or Option + Return for Mac, then create another bullet. Repeat this sequence until you have the right number of bullets.
Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Using the CHAR Function

1
Open a Google Sheet. You can open an existing Google Sheet or create a new one at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/my-drive.
2
Click on a cell. The selected cell should now be outlined in blue.
3
Type =char(9679) and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return. CHAR is a function in Google Sheets that imports a specific character from a table, and 9679 is the cell that corresponds to a bullet point.
- To quickly add bullet points to other cells, click and drag the blue square in the bottom-right corner of the bulleted cell, then let go once you have covered the desired number of cells.
Advertisement

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Using Copy and Paste

1
Search for bullet points. You will be able to copy and paste many of the bullet points you find online directly into your Google Sheets.
2
Find a website that lists bullet point icons. There are many sites that provide lists of unicode characters. Unicode is a system that assigns a specific number to a character so it will be the same across all platforms. In this case, using Unicode bullet points ensure that they will be visible on any device you use.
3
Copy the desired bullet point. You can copy a bullet point by highlighting it, then pressing Control + C on Windows or Command + C on Mac. Alternatively, you can right-click the highlighted bullet, then select Copy.
- Some sites have created buttons that will automatically copy a bullet for you once you click on it.
4
Open a Google Sheet. You can open an existing Google Sheet or create a new one at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/my-drive.
5
Click on a cell. The selected cell should now be outlined in blue.
6
Paste your bullet point into the cell. You can paste your bullet by pressing Control + V on Windows or Command + V on Mac, or by right-clicking inside the cell, then selecting Paste.
- To quickly add bullet points to other cells, click and drag the blue square in the bottom-right corner of the bulleted cell, then let go once you have covered the desired number of cells.
- If you would like to make a bulleted list in a single cell, create a new line by pressing Alt + Enter for Windows or Option + Return for Mac, then paste another bullet. Repeat this sequence until you have the right number of bullets.
Advertisement