How to make numbered and bulleted lists in Markdown
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A numbered list is a number, a full stop and a space:
1. First step
2. Second step
A bulleted list uses -, * or +. Dashes are the most common and the
easiest to scan in raw source.
Both need a blank line between them and the paragraph above, otherwise the first item is swallowed into that paragraph.
You do not have to number correctly
Markdown takes the first number as the starting point and renumbers the rest sequentially. So this:
1. One
1. Two
1. Three
renders as 1, 2, 3. It looks odd at first, and it is genuinely useful: you can insert or reorder items without renumbering anything by hand.
Nesting
Indent a child item past its parent’s marker. Two spaces is enough for bullets; numbered lists need three, because the marker itself is wider. Under-indenting is the usual reason a nested list renders flat.
More than one paragraph in an item
Leave a blank line, then indent the continuation to line up with the item’s text — not its marker. The same rule lets you put a code block, a quote or an image inside a list item.
Task lists
- [ ] and - [x] render as checkboxes. This is a GitHub Flavored Markdown
extension, not original Markdown, so it works on GitHub and in most modern
editors but is not universal.
Common questions
- How do I write a numbered list?
- Start each line with a number, a full stop and a space — "1. First item". The list must be separated from the paragraph above it by a blank line, or it renders as ordinary text.
- Do the numbers have to be in order?
- No. Markdown reads the first number to find the starting point and then renumbers sequentially, so writing 1. on every line produces a correctly numbered list. That makes reordering items painless, since you never renumber by hand.
- How do I nest a list inside another list?
- Indent the nested items so they line up past the parent's marker — two spaces is enough for bullets, three for numbered lists. Getting the indentation wrong is the usual reason a nested list renders flat.
- How do I put a paragraph inside a list item?
- Leave a blank line, then indent the paragraph to match the text of the item above it. The same indentation rule lets you put code blocks, quotes or images inside an item.
- How do I write a checklist?
- Prefix each bullet with [ ] for unchecked or [x] for checked. This is a GitHub Flavored Markdown extension rather than original Markdown, so it works on GitHub and in most modern editors but not in every renderer.
- Why did my list start at the wrong number?
- The first marker sets the start, so a list beginning with "3." starts at three. If you meant to continue an earlier list that was interrupted by a paragraph, most renderers treat it as a new list instead.