Setting Paragraph Indents

Quickly indent lines of text to precise locations from the left or right margin with the horizontal ruler. Indent the first line of a paragraph (called a first-line indent ) as books do to distinguish paragraphs. Indent the second and subsequent lines of a paragraph from the left margin (called a hanging indent ) to create a properly formatted bibliography. Indent the entire paragraph any amount from the left and right margins (called left indents and right indents ) to separate quoted passages.

Indent Paragraph Lines Precisely

Click the paragraph or select multiple paragraphs to indent:

• To change the left indent of the first line, drag the First-line Indent marker.

• To change the indent of the second and subsequent lines, drag the Hanging Indent marker.

• To change the left indent for all lines, drag the Left Indent marker.

• To change the right indent for all lines, drag the Right Indent marker.

  As you drag a marker, the dotted guideline helps you position the indent accurately. You can also press and hold Alt to see a measurement in the ruler.

  

Did You Know?

You can indent using the Tab key . You can indent the first line of a paragraph by clicking at the beginning of the paragraph, and then pressing Tab. You can indent the entire paragraph by selecting it, and then pressing Tab.

Indent a Paragraph

Click the paragraph, or select multiple paragraphs to indent.

Click the Increase Indent button or Decrease Indent button on the Formatting toolbar to move the paragraph right or left one-half inch.

Set Indentation Using the Tab Key

Click the Tools menu, and then click AutoCorrect Options.

Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.

Select the Set Left- And First-Indent With Tabs And Backspaces check box.

Click OK.