How to Stop Google Docs from Automatically Formatting Bulleted Lists

The Unexpected Indentation

Google Docs is packed with auto-formatting features designed to anticipate what you are trying to write and save you keystrokes. One of the most common features is automatic list creation. If you type an asterisk (*) followed by a space, or a hyphen (-) followed by a space, Google Docs will immediately assume you are starting a bulleted list. It will auto-indent your text, change your asterisk into a perfectly round black dot, and prepare to add another bullet when you hit Enter.

While this is incredibly helpful when you actually want a list, it is infuriating when you don’t. If you are writing a technical document and need to use an asterisk to denote a footnote, or a hyphen to denote a negative number at the start of a line, Docs will stubbornly hijack your formatting and turn it into a bullet point. To maintain absolute control over your document’s layout, you must disable the auto-list feature.

How to Disable Auto-Bulleted Lists

You can turn off automatic list generation in the Preferences menu.

1. Open a document in Google Docs.
2. Click on Tools in the top menu bar.
3. Select Preferences from the dropdown list.
4. In the Preferences window, ensure you are on the General tab (not the Substitutions tab).
5. Look down the list of checkboxes for the option labelled Automatically detect lists.
6. Click the checkbox to remove the checkmark.
7. Click the blue OK button to save your changes.

From now on, typing an asterisk and a space will result in exactly that: an asterisk and a space. Google Docs will no longer attempt to force your text into a bulleted structure, allowing you to format your document exactly as you intend.