Writing & StyleStyle guide
Nested Lists
Nested lists express hierarchy by placing child items under a parent item. In Microsoft Learn Markdown, indentation defines the nesting level, and ordered and unordered list types can be combined; exact markup behavior remains platform-specific.
Use nesting only when items genuinely belong under a parent item, and follow the publishing system’s indentation/markup rules.
Key details
Core Issueshowing parent-child hierarchy inside a list without flattening all items to one level
Phrase Rolelist formatting and information structure
Registerprofessional and technical writing
Important caveats
Hierarchy Boundary
A nested item should be subordinate to the parent item rather than merely the next item in sequence.
Platform Boundary
Indentation and marker behavior are authoring-system specific; Microsoft Learn Markdown is one documented implementation.
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.
- Markdown reference for Microsoft Learn — Contributor guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Current Microsoft Learn contributor reference for Markdown authoring, including headings/navigation, conceptual images and icons, includes, lists/checklists, nonlocalized strings, alerts, comments, tables, and other Learn extensions.