Word 2010 Multilevel list - Numbers disappear

Anonymous
2013-02-18T18:03:37+00:00

I am using Word 2010 with Windows 7.

I have an 82 page document that has headings numbered with a multilevel list.  I use a defined styles for each level and have used outline functions to assign levels to each heading.  Once the style is set and levels assigned I have used the multilevel list to give each a number.  In numerous heading levels I had to set the number using the 'set numbering value'.

Once I completed the entire file I created a .pdf of the file and saved the file.  I also restricted the styles to just those used in the document.

When I open the file about half of the numbers are gone.

This has happened twice.

I really need help!

thanks.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-07-21T16:18:24+00:00

    If you are applying style sets to the document, note that these do not work reliably with numbered and bulleted styles. Avoid them and modify styles directly in the document instead

    I'm having a very similar problem, and your statement here seems to be key. I'd like to confirm that this is indeed a bug. I inherited hundreds of documents that used a template where different styles are unrelated (single-level) lists. I modified the template so that these styles are multi-level. They now restart numbering as desired. When I apply the new template to the existing docs, it destroys the multilevel lists. Am I to understand that there's no way to avoid this (short of rebuilding the multilevel lists in every document)?

    Answers to likely questions: Windows 7, Word 2010, yes I cleared Automatically Update Styles, yes the styles have the exact same names.

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  2. Stefan Blom 353.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2014-02-10T20:22:56+00:00

    Yes, recreating the numbering should do it—unless the underlying cause is something else (such as a poorly designed add-in).

    Try with one template first, and verify that it works the way you hope for.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-02-10T19:44:21+00:00

    I assume the best bet would be to completely start from scratch, but that would be mind-bogglingly difficult (1 of the 12 or so templates I have is 24 pages and full of cross-references). 

    If I recreate the numbering in a new document, then copy and paste, and assign the new multilevel list style, is that likely to take care of it, or will copy/pasting without removing the formatting likely pull the corruption with it? Is there a particular way to reduce the risk of problems?

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  4. Stefan Blom 353.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2014-02-10T19:36:31+00:00

    The symptom suggests minor document corruption. It's very difficult to determine the underlying cause. But I recommend that you recreate the template and then recreate its numbering.

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-02-10T15:43:51+00:00

    Yes, this seems to happen each time the numbering breaks, but don't know what causes it. 

    Do you think recreating the numbering is likely to solve the issues, or that it will continue to happen even after recreating it? This is what I'm afraid of, since I still don't know why this happens.

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