I was using Microsoft Word 2003 to put together a manuscript to study. Part of this includes having line numbers along the left side, starting with 5 and counting up in increments of 5. I figured out how to do line numbers easily enough: just go to File -> Page Setup -> Layout -> Apply to: [if you want to apply it to a certain section] -> Line Numbers…
But this made the line numbers appear in Times New Roman, while the rest of my document was all in Trebuchet MS. This didn’t match up. I performed several Google searches, and couldn’t find my answer until I luckily stumbled into an article called Line Number Font Doesn’t Follow Default Paragraph Font. It’s for older versions of Word, but it got me started in heading the right direction. The reason Line Numbers have their own font is that they have their own style. This is keep the document professional: the line numbers should remain constant even as the paragraph styling changes.
I found that there’s a little “Styles and Formatting” button immediately left of the drop-down menu that shows your currently-active style. Click that, and you get a list of formatting definitions. Ta-da: Line Number is in that list! Hit the dropdown, choose Modify…, and you’ll be good to go.
Thanks for this, Elliot.
Thanks so much for this info…I was having trouble figuring out how to format line numbers. I work with people with disabilities, low vision/blind included, and one of the accommodations is that the font on documents has to be large enough and easy enough to read. Thanks again!
Awesome! Totally works! Thank you so much!!
That Styles and Formatting sidebar is a very useful part of Word 2003, isn’t it? Don’t forget that you can adjust it to see “formatting in use” (for the current document) or “all styles”, using the dropdown menu at the bottom of it. The Line Number Style will be listed in “All Styles”.
Just wanted to tell you THANK YOU! It helped!
Thanks, worked like a charm!
Thanks so much! I was so close to figuring this out (I had selected Styles & Formatting), but I just didn’t know where to go from there. You were a life-saver!! Thanks so much!!
Andrea
This was a great tip. Worked perfectly. Thanks.
Thanks so much. This tip is really useful!
Man! You rock! You deserve a virtual doughnut with your morning coffee!
Genius.
Very useful. Thank you.
MUCHAS GRACIAS DESDE ESPAŅA
THANK YOU
Absolutely fabulous I found this!
Thank you thank you thank you!
Thank you!
Hi,
I have very much the same question for Word 2007.
Can anyone update these instructions for Word 2007.
It is just driving me crazy.
Thanks,
Jeff
Thanks a zillion!!!
JUST FANTASTIC. FROM BRAZIL. thank you. Genius.
this is great !! thanks a lot !!!
couldn’t find it anywhere !!!
WOW!!! Elliott, BIG THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so grateful for people like you who share their tips… THANKS!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You saved me! Totally appreciate this tip.
thank you so much!
)))))
I can not find the line number style in 2007
I figured it out You need to click on the arrow in the styles tab then select options and in the window under select which styles to view scroll to all styles and the Line number style should show up in the style selection and follow the above to modify the style.
also see: http://word.tips.net/Pages/T000619_Formatting_Line_Numbers.html
Thanks a lot for this tip. I use microsoft Word for Mac and found that you had to select BOLD in the Style menu to get NON-BOLD on the document – I guess a programmer missed this : )