How Do You Add Custom Bullet Points to Slides?

Adding custom bullet points to slides goes beyond the standard dot or square and allows you to personalize your presentation visuals. While quick keyboard shortcuts can add basic bullet points, customizing them involves using the formatting options within your presentation software.

Adding Standard Bullet Points

Standard bullet points are useful for quickly creating lists. Most presentation software offers keyboard shortcuts to apply or remove them.

In Google Slides, you can easily toggle standard bullet points for selected text:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + 8 on Windows.
• Press Cmd + Shift + 8 on Mac.

Similarly, for a numbered list in Google Slides, you can use Ctrl + Shift + 7 (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + 7 (Mac). These shortcuts are a fast way to structure your text into lists using the default bullet or numbering style.

Customizing Bullet Points

To add custom bullet points – changing their appearance, color, size, or even using a unique symbol or image – you typically need to access the list formatting options provided by your presentation software. This process varies slightly depending on whether you are using Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, or other software.

Customization options often include:

• Changing the Bullet Symbol: Choose from a variety of symbols (arrows, checkmarks, diamonds, etc.) or even specific characters.
• Modifying Color and Size: Adjust the color and size of the bullet symbol independently from the text color and size.
• Using Images or Icons: Some software allows you to use small images or icons as bullet points, perfect for branding or visual themes.

How to Customize Bullets (General Steps)

While the exact menu names differ, the general steps to customize bullet points are similar across major presentation applications:

1. Select the text containing the bulleted list you want to customize.
2. Look for a "Format" menu or a "Bulleted List" option in the toolbar.
3. Within the list formatting options, find settings related to "Bullet Style," "Symbol," "Picture," or "Options."
4. Choose your desired custom symbol, color, size, or select an image to use as a bullet.
5. Apply the changes.

Software-Specific Customization Examples

Google Slides:

1. Select the bulleted text.
2. Go to Format > Lists > Bulleted list options.
3. Here you can select different standard bullet shapes. To use a custom symbol or image, Google Slides has slightly limited built-in options compared to PowerPoint, often requiring workarounds like using special characters from the 'Insert' menu directly in the text or using add-ons for true custom images. You can easily change the color and size of the standard bullet shapes here or via the text color/size options if the bullet is treated as a character.

Microsoft PowerPoint:

1. Select the bulleted text.
2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the dropdown arrow next to the Bullet Points icon.
3. Select Bullets and Numbering....
4. In the dialog box, you can choose different standard bullets, or click Customize... to select symbols, or click Picture... to use an image file as a bullet point. Here you also control color and size specifically for the bullets.

By accessing these formatting menus, you can move beyond basic list styling and apply custom bullet points that enhance the visual appeal and message of your slides.