How to Fix Hanging Indentation in Word
Plus other indentation options you have
How much time have you spent trying to fix hanging indentation in Microsoft Word? Have you ever asked yourself, “Why, oh, why, is the first line hanging out like a diving board to the left of every paragraph? Why would anyone ever want to format paragraphs that way?”
Users can choose from three built-in indentation styles in Microsoft Word. We’ll discuss why you’d want to choose each one, how to select and apply an indentation style to your document, and how to fix hanging indentation that isn’t working the way you want.
3 Styles of Indentation in Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word offers three styles of indentation:
First-line indentis a style you often see inbooksand newspapers. The first line of every paragraph is indented.
Hanging indentis most commonly used forcitations. If you’re writing a bibliography or works cited in the Chicago, APA, or MLA citation styles, you’ll use the hanging indent.
No identis the default indentation style for Microsoft Word documents. Every line of your paragraph will be the same distance from the left margin.
This indentation style is frequently found in business documents, from letters to reports.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which indentation style works best for your document.
Selecting an Indentation Style
Selecting an indentation style in Microsoft Word is simple. You can set an indentation for the current paragraph or for the entire document.
If you’re using the Microsoft Word application on a PC running Windows, follow these steps to set an indentation style.
Note: If you choose First-line or Hanging indents, you can adjust how far the line will be indented underBy.
The steps are largely the same for Mac users.
Again, if you choose First-line or Hanging indents, you can adjust how far the line will be indented in theBysection.
If you’re using Microsoft Word in a browser, here’s how to set an indentation style.
How to Indent a Single Paragraph Using the Tab Key
If you want to apply a First-Line Indent to a single paragraph, here’s the easiest way.
The first line of the paragraph will be indented, and you’ll see a tab stop on the ruler, showing you the exact depth of the indent.
How to Use the Ruler to Indent
You can use a tab stop on the ruler to apply a first-line indent to a single paragraph or every paragraph in the document.
On the desktop app, check the box to display theRuler.
How to Set Left and Right Indents
If you want to indent all lines of a paragraph a set distance in relation to either the left or right margin, here’s how.
How To Make First Line Indent the Default
By default, Microsoft Word will not indent paragraphs. If you’re using the desktop app for Windows or Mac and you want to make first-line indent the default, follow these steps:
What are Mirror Indents?
You may have noticed the checkbox forMirror indentsin the image above. When that box is checked, you’ll notice that the Left and Right Indentation settings change to Inside and Outside.
The idea is that you can apply indentation relative to the inside or outside margin for a two-sided printed book. That way you can prevent text from being obscured by the book’s binding.
However, if you’re designing the layout of a book, you should be using a page layout program likeAdobe InDesignor Quark Xpress. Just because youcando something in a word processor like Microsoft Word doesn’t mean you should. Therefore, we recommend leaving the Mirror indents box unchecked.
The Increase and Decrease Indentation Buttons
Microsoft Word also provides buttons to quickly increase or decrease the indentation of the current paragraph. These buttons move the entire paragraph farther away from the margin or closer to it.
Access these buttons in theParagraphsection of theHomemenu, regardless of whether you’re using the desktop app or the browser version of Microsoft Word.
Go Forth and Indent As You See Fit
Now you know more than you ever thought you would about indenting paragraphs in Microsoft Word. Give yourself a pat on the back.
Maggie Marystone is a freelance technology writer, human rights worker, and storyteller based in Chicago.Read Maggie’s Full Bio
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