When a Hyphen Turns Into a Bullet Point
Word's AutoFormat As You Type feature was designed to save time, automatically detecting patterns like "-" or "1." at the start of a line and converting them into a bulleted or numbered list. But if you are writing plain text, code snippets, or a document where dashes are meant literally, this "helpful" behavior gets in the way constantly, forcing you to undo it line after line.
This Only Affects Future Typing
Unchecking these two boxes only stops Word from applying the automatic conversion going forward β it will not touch any bulleted or numbered lists you have already created, whether by this feature or by using the List buttons on the ribbon directly. Existing formatting stays exactly as it is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this remove list formatting I already applied?
No. This setting only prevents new automatic conversions while you type; it does not affect lists that already exist in your document.
Can I undo an automatic conversion right after it happens?
Yes. Pressing "Ctrl + Z" immediately after Word auto-formats a line will undo just that formatting change and leave your typed text as-is.