Checklist Formatting
Checklist formatting should keep each task and its checkbox easy to scan. Microsoft Word distinguishes interactive checkbox controls from print-only box bullets and recommends hanging indentation when checklist items wrap to more than one line.
Keep each checklist item visually tied to one checkbox, and use hanging indentation for wrapped lines. In Word, interactive checkboxes and print-only box bullets are different mechanisms.
Key details
Important caveats
Indent Boundary
For items that wrap to additional lines, Word supports hanging indentation so continuation lines align with the item text rather than the checkbox.
Interactive Boundary
In Microsoft Word, an interactive checklist uses check box content controls; a print-only checklist can use a box symbol as the bullet.
Platform Boundary
These controls and exact measurements are product behavior, not universal prose rules.
Further guidance
Practical Application
Keep one checkable action visually tied to one checkbox. For wrapped items, use hanging indentation so continuation lines align with the item text rather than the box. In Word, choose interactive checkbox controls for on-screen checking and box-style bullets for print-only checklists; they are different mechanisms.
Reader Check
Does each checkbox correspond to exactly one understandable action, and do wrapped lines remain visually grouped with that checkbox?
Worked Example
Instead of placing a checkbox on one line and the task on the next, keep “☐ Verify the final page count before export” as one item with any wrapped continuation aligned under the task text.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Make a checklist in Word (opens in a new tab)Microsoft Support · Interactive and print checklist construction plus hanging indentation for wrapped items