Whether you'd like to move a single line or an entire paragraph, you can use the tab selector and the horizontal ruler to set tabs and indents. Optional: Download our practice document. Watch the video below to learn more about how to use indents and tabs in Word.
The indent markers are located to the left of the horizontal ruler, and they provide several indenting options:. First-line indent marker adjusts the first-line indent.
Hanging indent marker adjusts the hanging indent. Left indent marker moves both the first-line indent and hanging indent markers at the same time (this will indent all lines in a paragraph) To indent using the indent markers.
Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent, or select one or more paragraphs. Types of tab stops:. Left Tab left-aligns the text at the tab stop. Center Tab centers the text around the tab stop. Right Tab right-aligns the text at the tab stop. Decimal Tab aligns decimal numbers using the decimal point.
Bar Tab draws a vertical line on the document. First Line Indent inserts the indent marker on the Ruler and indents the first line of text in a paragraph. Hanging Indent inserts the hanging indent marker and indents all lines other than the first line. Although Bar Tab, First Line Indent, and Hanging Indent appear on the tab selector, they're not technically tabs.
To add tab stops. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to add tab stops to.
If you don't select any paragraphs, the tab stops will apply to the current paragraph and any new paragraphs you type below it. Removing tab stops It's a good idea to remove any tab stops you aren't using so they don't get in the way. To remove a tab stop, first select all of the text that uses the tab stop. Then click and drag it off of the Ruler. Word can also display hidden formatting symbols such as spaces ( ), paragraph marks ( ), and tabs ( ) to help you see the formatting in your document. To show hidden formatting symbols, select the Home tab, then click the Show/Hide command. Use the Tab key to indent the beginning of each paragraph in the body of the cover letter.
These start with I am exceedingly interested, While working toward, and Enclosed is a copy. When you're finished, the first page should look like this.
By The old-fashioned idea of a basic tab stop is that when you press the Tab key, the cursor jumps to the next tab stop that’s set on the ruler and then you start typing. In Office 2011 for Mac, this kind of tab stop is the left tab stop. These days, tabs do a lot more than just act as a position to stop the cursor. Tabs work at the paragraph level; when you set tab stops, they work with the currently selected paragraphs.
You can select an entire document before you set tabs if you want your tab stops to work for the whole thing. The actual steps to set a tab stop are simple:. Select one or more paragraphs. If you want to select the entire document, choose Edit→Select All from the menu bar or press Command-A. Click the Tabs menu and choose one of the five tab stops. Click in the horizontal ruler wherever you want a tab stop. Each time you click, the symbol for the tab stop you chose is placed into the ruler.
When you work with tabs, be sure to toggle paragraph marks on and off with the Show All Non-Printing Characters button on the Standard toolbar. This button is simply labeled Show on the toolbar. When paragraph marks are turned on, you see an arrow pointing to the right appear in the text whenever you press the Tab key. Your paragraph behaves differently for each of the five kinds of tab stops.
Here are descriptions of each kind of tab stop:. Left: By default, each document has a left tab stop every 1/2 inch, unless you click in the ruler to add your own stops. Center: After you set a center tab stop, press the Tab key to move to the stop. When you start typing, your text is centered below the tab stop. Right: After you set a right tab stop, press the Tab key to move to the right tab stop and start typing. Use a right tab to right-align text, perhaps when making a column. Decimal: As the name implies, use this tab stop when you’re typing decimal numbers.
Word lines up the numbers at the decimal point. Even if you don’t type an actual decimal point, Word assumes the decimal point.
Bar: Danger: Using a bar tab stop may cause inebriation. Okay, not really. A bar tab stop is much the same as a left tab stop, except Word puts a vertical bar at the tab stop. After you set a bar stop and start typing, your text is to the right of the bar.