How to change enumerate list starting number in LaTeX?

In LaTeX, the default behavior for an enumerate list is to start at 1. However, if you wish to initiate the list from a different number, you can employ the \setcounter command to adjust the value of the enumi counter.

For instance, if you want the list to commence from 5, you can utilize the command \setcounter{enumi}{4} before specifying the first item. Alternatively, if you prefer the numbering to initiate from 0, you can achieve this by using \setcounter{enumi}{-1} with \begin{enumerate}.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

\noindent List numbering starts from 5:
\begin{enumerate}\setcounter{enumi}{4}
  \item This item number is five
  \item This item number is six
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}
List numbering starts from 0:
\begin{enumerate}\setcounter{enumi}{-1}
  \item This item number is zero
  \item This item number is one
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}

\end{document}

Output:

Set a list starting number with \addtocounter

You can modify the starting number of an enumerate list using the \addtocounter command in a similar method described earlier. Like

\addtocounter{enumi}{<num>}

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

\noindent List numbering starts from 6:
\begin{enumerate}\addtocounter{enumi}{5}
  \item This item number is six
  \item This item number is seven
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}
List numbering starts from 0:
\begin{enumerate}\addtocounter{enumi}{-1}
  \item This item number is zero
  \item This item number is one
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}

\end{document}

Output:

List item count continues from the previous list

If you prefer not to set the list number manually but want to commence numbering for a new list right after the last item number of the preceding enumerate list, you can accomplish this using the resume option.

Additionally, you have the option to manually specify the starting number of the list with the start option. To implement these features, it is necessary to load the enumitem package in the preamble.

An example will make it easy to understand.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{enumitem}
\begin{document}

\noindent This is the first list:
\begin{enumerate}
  \item First Item
  \item Second Item
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}
This is the second list:
\begin{enumerate}[resume]
  \item continue... after previous number
  \item Item number is five
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}
This is the third list [new start]:
\begin{enumerate}[start]
  \item New list with a new start
  \item Item number is two
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}
This is the fourth list start from 6:
\begin{enumerate}[start=6]
  \item This item number is six
  \item This item number is seven
  \item continue...
\end{enumerate}

\end{document}

Output: