w:startOverride (Numbering Start Override Value)

Overrides the starting value of a numbering level within a w:num instance, without modifying the shared abstract numbering definition.

Parent elements

w:lvlOverride

Description

w:startOverride specifies a custom start value for a particular list level within a concrete w:num definition. It overrides the w:start value declared in the referenced w:abstractNum level, affecting only the specific w:num instance — all other w:num references to the same abstract definition continue to use the original start value.

It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.9.23.

w:startOverride must appear inside a w:lvlOverride element within a w:num definition.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
`w:val`	`xsd:integer`	Any non-negative integer	The new starting value for the overridden level.

Examples

<!-- This list starts at 5 instead of 1 -->
<w:num w:numId="2">
  <w:abstractNumId w:val="1"/>
  <w:lvlOverride w:ilvl="0">
    <w:startOverride w:val="5"/>
  </w:lvlOverride>
</w:num>

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Wordprocessing;

var num = new NumberingInstance(
    new AbstractNumId { Val = 1 },
    new LevelOverride(
        new StartOverrideNumberingValue { Val = 5 }
    )
    { LevelIndex = 0 }
)
{ NumberID = 2 };

Notes

w:startOverride is the preferred way to reset or change list numbering mid-document without breaking other lists that share the same w:abstractNum.
Once a w:startOverride is applied to a w:num, subsequent paragraphs referencing that w:numId count from the overridden value.
To restart numbering at 1, set w:startOverride w:val="1" in the w:lvlOverride.