How to Change Bullet Colors in PowerPoint

To change bullet color in desktop PowerPoint, select your list items, open Home > the Bullets arrow > Bullets and Numbering, choose a Color, and select OK. On Windows, open the Bulleted tab before choosing the color. This changes the bullets independently of their text.

These desktop steps apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 and PowerPoint 2024 on Windows and Mac. On the web and mobile apps, you can change bullets through text formatting when their color follows the text.

Select and recolor bullets on Windows or Mac

Place the cursor at the beginning of a list item to change that bullet, or select several items to change them together. To recolor the entire list, select all its items. Repeat the process separately when you want different colors for different bullets.

On Windows, select Home, open the arrow beside Bullets, and choose Bullets and Numbering. Select Bulleted, open Color, and choose your color. Select OK to apply it.

On Mac, open Home > the Bullets arrow > Bullets and Numbering. Under Color, choose your color, then select OK. Your list text keeps its existing color.

Change bullets and text together

On Windows, select the complete list-item text, including its first character, then select Home > Font Color. Choose a color, or select More Colors and use Standard or Custom for another shade. This changes the selected text and any bullets that inherit its color.

An inherited bullet color follows the paragraph's first text character, so include that character in your selection. A bullet with a separately assigned color can stay unchanged when you recolor the words. If that happens, use Bullets and Numbering > Color to assign the bullet the color you want.

You can also use the floating Mini toolbar on Windows when it is enabled. Select the text with your mouse, including the first character, then choose Font Color and a color on the toolbar. This also depends on the bullet inheriting its text color.

Change colors on the web or mobile

In PowerPoint for the web, select the list-item text, including its first character, then open Home > the Font Color arrow. Choose a color, or select More Colors for a custom shade. The selected text changes, and the bullet changes only if it follows the text color.

For separate bullet coloring, select Open in Desktop App, which requires licensed desktop PowerPoint to be installed. Select the list items and open Home > the Bullets arrow > Bullets and Numbering. On Windows, select Bulleted; on either desktop platform, choose a Color and select OK. Save the presentation when you finish.

On iPhone or iPad, select the list-item text, including its first character. Select Show ribbon > Home > Font Color, then choose a color. This changes the text and bullets that inherit its color.

On Android, select the list-item text, including its first character, then open More options > Home. Expand Font Color and choose a color. If the bullet retains its separately assigned color, use the desktop bullet-color dialog to change it independently.

Copy an existing bullet color

On Windows, select the source paragraph, including its paragraph mark, so the copy includes paragraph formatting. Select Home > Format Painter, then paint over the destination paragraph. Other copied formatting accompanies the bullet formatting.

To apply the formatting to multiple destinations, double-click Format Painter before painting over them. Press Esc when you finish. Use the bullet-color dialog instead if color is the only formatting you want to change.

For the keyboard route, select the source paragraph or text object containing the bullet formatting you want. Press Ctrl + Shift + C on Windows or Command + Shift + C on Mac. Select the destination paragraph or text object, then press Ctrl + Shift + V on Windows or Command + Shift + V on Mac.

Apply bullet colors across slides

Open View > Slide Master in desktop PowerPoint. Select the top master to change formatting for its associated slides, or select a layout beneath it to target that layout. Select the sample list level or levels you want to recolor.

Open Home > the Bullets arrow > Bullets and Numbering, then select Bulleted on Windows. Choose a Color and select OK. Finish with Slide Master > Close Master View on Windows, or Slide Master > Close Master on Mac.

These changes apply through the relevant master, layout, and placeholder formatting. Individually formatted bullets can retain their own colors, so a master change may not recolor every existing list.

Change bullets linked to theme colors

On Windows or Mac, select Design > the Variants arrow > Colors, then choose another color set. Bullets linked to those theme colors follow the change. Other elements using the same theme colors change too, while explicitly assigned colors can remain.

To edit a particular theme color on Windows, select Customize Colors. In Create New Theme Colors, change the corresponding color, such as Accent 1, using More Colors if needed. Enter a Name and select Save.

On Mac, select Customize Colors and choose the relevant color box, such as Accent 1. Choose its replacement in Colors, then close Colors. Enter a Name and select Save.

In PowerPoint for the web, select Design, choose a theme, then choose a variant under Variants. This changes the overall design, including theme-linked bullet colors. Bullets with explicitly assigned colors may remain unchanged.

On Android, select Edit > Home > Design > Themes, then choose a theme. On iPad, select Design > Themes and choose a theme. On iPhone, select Edit, the ellipsis button, then Home > Design > Themes, and choose a theme.

Reuse bullet colors with templates

After customizing master or layout bullet colors, save a template in desktop PowerPoint. On Windows, select File > Save As or Save a Copy. Set Save as type to PowerPoint Template, enter a File name, and select Save.

To reuse your Windows template, select File > New > Personal and open it. On Mac, select File > Save as Template, enter a name, and select Save. If you need help creating the slides themselves, follow the steps to make your first PowerPoint presentation.

You can also start with an organization template containing the required bullet formatting. Your administrator must supply it first, and Microsoft requires an eligible Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 organization for this feature.

On Windows, select File > New, open the folder bearing your organization's name, right-click the template, and select Create. On Mac, select File > New from template, open your organization's folder, and double-click the template.

Assign a bullet color with VBA

For automation, you can assign a separate bullet color with VBA in current Windows desktop PowerPoint where macros are permitted. Select the list text, then select View > Macros and enter a macro name. Choose your presentation under Macro in and select Create. Inside the generated procedure, add this line to assign red:

ActiveWindow.Selection.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet.Font.Color.RGB = RGB(255, 0, 0)

Return to PowerPoint. If the Developer tab is missing, select File > Options > Customize Ribbon, check Developer under Main Tabs, and select OK. Select Developer > Macros, select your macro, and select Run.

The macro assigns the bullet color independently of the text. If your organization restricts macros, use the desktop bullet-color dialog for the same color change.

Fix bullets that keep the wrong color

If an existing slide does not pick up an edited master or layout, select Home > Layout and choose the edited layout again. You can also select Home > Reset to restore layout formatting. This can reset other customization, so use the bullet-color dialog when you only need to change a bullet's color.

If changing text color leaves the bullet unchanged, the bullet may have a separately assigned color. To make it follow the paragraph's first text character again, you can restore that behavior with VBA on Windows where macros are permitted. Select the list text, open View > Macros, enter a macro name, choose the presentation under Macro in, and select Create. Add this line inside the generated procedure:

ActiveWindow.Selection.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet.UseTextColor = msoTrue

Return to PowerPoint and select Developer > Macros, choose the procedure, and select Run. The selected bullets now follow each paragraph's first text character instead of retaining a separate color. Include that character whenever you change the list text's color.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you change the color of a custom symbol bullet?

Yes, custom symbol bullets use the same Color control in the desktop Bullets and Numbering dialog. You can recolor them without replacing the symbol.

Can you recolor an existing picture bullet the same way?

Microsoft's bullet instructions document Picture as a way to use a picture as a bullet and Color for changing the color of bullets or numbers, but they don't give steps for recoloring an existing picture bullet. If you want a different look, select Picture again and choose another picture.

Do you need an update or an extra tool to change bullet colors?

No update or companion tool is required for these methods in the supported PowerPoint editions. You can use the controls already included in PowerPoint.

Can you ask Copilot to change bullet colors?

Microsoft's Copilot guide documents broader editing, such as reformatting slides with consistent colors, fonts, and layouts. Use the desktop bullet-color control when you need a precise bullet-only change.