Convert automatic numbering and bullets to plain text

I have a word document with automatic numbering and bulleting.

I have selected the text where I need to convert automating numbering and/or bulleting to normal text.

In addition I need to keep both the formatting and numbers/bullets of the selected text.

What I have already tried:

• cut the paragraphs and special pasted them (but it breaks formatting);
• unpressed the "numbering"/"bulleting" button (but it erases all numbers and bullets);
• used VBA-macro (but it returns an error):

Code (error, method or data member not found):

Sub convertNumbersAndBulletsToText()
   Selection.ConvertNumbersToText
End Sub

What would you recommend me to do in order to keep both formatting and numbers/bullets?

You have practically done everything yourself!

This code will work:

Sub convertNumbersAndBulletsToText()
   Selection.Range.ListFormat.ConvertNumbersToText
End Sub

Your example returns error because ConvertNumbersToText method doesn't work with Selection. It works with Range!

(look here: Change selected automatic numbered list to plain text in word)

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Beware!

If you want to carry out many changes, you may find it easier to make them with ActiveDocument (look below).

But if want to do it manually (or through a loop),
then you'd better loop from the last element you want to convert till the first one
(not vice versa, because auto-numbers would then increment by one all the time)!

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Small Tips

Personally I would recommend you to use this code instead:

Sub convertNumbersAndBulletsToText()
   Dim myRange As Range
   Set myRange = Selection.Range
   myRange.ListFormat.ConvertNumbersToText
End Sub

• Why this one? It is a little bit more flexible! Instead of Selection.Range you could use any other type of Range (ActiveDocument, ActiveDocument.Paragraphs, myRange.SetRange etc)

  • Here are some links from msdn to give you basic examples of Ranges: 1) Range Object (Word) (msdn), 2) Range.SetRange Method (Word) (msdn).

• Just for your information, you don't need to save VBA if you don't want to. You can use Immediate Window to launch VBA.

  • Press alt+f11 (VBA-editor), then ctrl+g (Immediate Window).
  • Paste the code bellow, press enter.
  • Voilà!

Code (for Immediate Window):

ActiveDocument.ConvertNumbersToText

(It converts auto-numbers and auto-bullets to normal numbers and bullets everywhere in ActiveDocument).

• The result of any VBA here would be number+tab+text. If you want to have number+space+text you can:

  • either at the very end replace (press ctrl+h) this one .^t (dot and tab) for . (dot and whitespace),
  • or at the very beginning 1) select the list, 2) right click on it, 3) click "Adjuct list idents", 4) click "Follow number with: Space". (Look here: Adjust the spacing for a single list item (support.office))

• You may need to have a leading zero in (auto-)numbering, then you can press ctrl+f9, write SEQ MyList \# "000" inside curly brackets, press alt+f9 to finish (look here: Insert fields in Word (support.office)). But this goes beyond the question, though you may find word fields really useful in some cases.

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To sum up:

You can replace both bullets and numbers for plain text in Word:

• for Selection (look above);
• for ActiveDocument (look above);
• with a Range (examples in msdn);
• with a loop (examples are welcomed). But bear in mind that you are to loop from the end of the document to the beginning.