Quick answer: On Windows, hold Alt and type 7 on the numeric keypad for a bullet (•); Alt + 0149 gives the same character. On a Mac, press Option + 8. In HTML, write • — or just copy it:
There is an important distinction to get straight first. A bullet point can mean two different things: the Unicode character • (U+2022), which you type into a line of text, or a bulleted list, which is formatting applied by a word processor or by HTML. They look alike and behave completely differently. This guide covers both.
Type a bullet on Windows
The bullet has two Windows Alt codes, and both produce the identical character:
- Turn Num Lock on.
- Hold Alt.
- Type 7 on the numeric keypad — or 0 1 4 9.
- Release Alt.
The short code Alt + 7 comes from the old DOS code page 437, while Alt + 0149 comes from Windows-1252. That is why one has a leading zero and one does not, and why you must not add or drop a zero. Both need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on; the number row above the letters will not work. Our guide to Alt codes explains the two code pages in full.
If your keyboard has no numeric keypad
Laptops usually have no keypad, so use one of these instead:
- Emoji and symbol panel: press Windows + . (period) or Windows + ;, open the Symbols tab and find the bullet under general punctuation.
- Character Map: search the Start menu for “Character Map” or run
charmap, then copy the character.
Both are covered in our walkthrough of the Windows Character Map and emoji panel. You can also search the Alt code finder for any character and see whether it has a usable code at all.
Type a bullet on a Mac
Press Option + 8. That is it — no keypad, no setup, and it works in every app that accepts text, on US, UK and Australian Mac layouts alike.
Two neighbors are worth knowing: Option + Shift + 9 gives the middle dot (·), a smaller dot used as a separator, and Option + ; gives the ellipsis (…). If you want to browse instead, open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search for “bullet”.
The bullet character vs a bulleted list
This is where most confusion starts. In Microsoft Word and Google Docs, the bullets at the start of list items are not characters you typed. They are a paragraph property. The document stores “this paragraph is a list item”, and the app draws the marker. You cannot place your cursor on one, select it, or delete it with Backspace — deleting removes the list formatting instead.
That has real consequences:
- Copying a formatted list into a plain-text field (a chat box, a form, a code editor) usually drops the markers entirely, or converts them to hyphens.
- The typed character • survives anywhere, because it is real text.
- Search and find-and-replace can find a typed •, but cannot find a list marker.
So: use a real bulleted list for actual lists in documents, and the • character when you need a dot inside a line — separating items in a single line of text, in a headline, in a social media bio, or in a spreadsheet cell.
In Microsoft Word
For a list, use the Bullets button on the Home tab, or start a line with * followed by a space and let AutoFormat convert it. For the character itself, use Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, or type 2022 and press Alt + X to turn the code point into the character. More options are in our guide to inserting symbols in Microsoft Word.
In Google Docs
Use Format > Bullets & numbering for a list. For the character, use Insert > Special characters and search for “bullet” — or draw a filled circle in the sketch box and pick from the matches. Docs also auto-converts a line starting with * and a space; that behavior lives under Tools > Preferences > Substitutions. See inserting special characters in Google Docs.
Bullets on iPhone and Android
Switch to the numbers and symbols keyboard, then press and hold a key to reveal alternatives. On iOS, pressing and holding the hyphen key offers the bullet alongside the dashes; on most Android keyboards, including Gboard, the bullet appears in the secondary symbols page or behind a long press on a related punctuation key. The exact arrangement differs between keyboard apps.
The dependable method on either platform is a text shortcut. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement, paste • as the phrase, and set a shortcut such as bullt. Our guide to typing symbols on iPhone and Android covers the same technique for other characters.
Bullets in HTML
Web pages have the same split. For a genuine list, use markup and let CSS draw the markers:
<ul><li>First item</li><li>Second item</li></ul>
This is the right choice for accessibility: screen readers announce the number of items and the reader’s position in the list, which a line of typed dots cannot convey. Change the marker with the CSS list-style-type property rather than by typing characters.
When you want the character inside a sentence — a separator in a byline, for example — write it as text:
| Character | Name | Unicode | Named entity | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • | Bullet | U+2022 |
• |
• |
| · | Middle dot | U+00B7 |
· |
· |
| ◦ | White bullet | U+25E6 |
none | ◦ |
| ‣ | Triangular bullet | U+2023 |
none | ‣ |
| ⁃ | Hyphen bullet | U+2043 |
⁃ |
⁃ |
On a UTF-8 page you can paste • directly and skip entities altogether. Entities matter mainly when the encoding is uncertain, as in some email templates and XML feeds. Note that several of the characters above have no named entity at all, so the numeric form is the only option for them.
Other dots you might actually want
The bullet is one of a family, and picking the right one saves trouble later:
- Bullet (•) — the standard list marker and in-line separator.
- Middle dot (·) — smaller and vertically centered; the usual separator in bylines and breadcrumbs. Alt + 250 or Alt + 0183 on Windows, Option + Shift + 9 on Mac.
- Black circle (●) — noticeably larger; good for legends and status dots.
- White circle (○) — the hollow counterpart, Alt + 9 on Windows.
- Check mark (✓) — for lists where items are completed rather than merely listed.
- Black star (★) — a decorative alternative marker.
The full set lives in the punctuation category, with more circles and dots in the shapes category. You can also search every character by name or description in the symbol finder.
Why your bullet isn’t appearing
- Nothing happened with the Alt code. Num Lock is off, or you used the top-row numbers. Alt codes require the numeric keypad.
- You got a different symbol. Check the leading zero. Alt + 7 and Alt + 0149 both give •, but Alt + 07 and Alt + 149 do not.
- The bullets vanished when you pasted. You copied a formatted list into plain text. Retype the lines with the • character if you need the dots to survive.
- Backspace deletes the whole line. You are editing a list marker, not a character. Turn the list formatting off first.
- You see a box instead of a dot. The font lacks the glyph. Our guide on why symbols show as boxes covers the fix.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Alt code for a bullet point?
Alt + 7 or Alt + 0149, typed on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. Both produce • (U+2022).
How do I type a bullet point on a laptop without a number pad?
Use the Windows emoji and symbol panel (Windows + .), Character Map, or copy the character. On a Mac, Option + 8 needs no keypad.
Should I use • or a real bulleted list?
Use a real list for anything that is genuinely a list — it is better for accessibility, spacing and consistency. Use the • character when you need a dot inside a line of running text, or in a place that only accepts plain text.
What is the difference between • and ·?
The bullet (•, U+2022) is larger and designed to start a list item. The middle dot (·, U+00B7) is smaller and used as a separator between words or items on one line.
Why do my bullets turn into hyphens?
Some apps convert list formatting to hyphens when producing plain text, because there is no way to represent the formatting. Pasting the • character itself avoids the conversion.