The Unwanted Formatting
Google Docs tries to anticipate your formatting needs to speed up document creation. One of its most aggressive features is automatic list generation. If you begin a new line by typing a hyphen (-), an asterisk (*), or a number followed by a period (1.), and then press the spacebar, Google Docs instantly assumes you want to create a structured list. It automatically indents the text, changes the character into a formal bullet point, and begins auto-numbering subsequent lines. This is a massive headache if you are simply trying to write a mathematical equation (like 1.5), type a dashed line, or manually format your own text without the editor hijacking the layout.
Disabling Auto-Lists
To maintain absolute control over your formatting and stop Google Docs from automatically creating lists or bullet points when you type specific characters, you must disable the auto-list feature.
Open the Google Doc where you are working. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on Tools. Scroll down the dropdown menu and select Preferences. A new dialogue box will appear on your screen. Ensure you are on the General tab (the default view on the left). Look down the list of checkboxes for the option explicitly named Automatically detect lists. By default, this box is checked, empowering the editor to hijack your text. Click the box to uncheck it. Click the blue OK button at the bottom to save your changes. From now on, you can type asterisks, hyphens, and numbered strings freely; they will remain exactly as plain text unless you manually click the bullet point icon in the toolbar.