If the Ruler is not displayed at the top of the document, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select the Ruler checkbox.
TURN OFF FIRST LINE INDENT IN WORD 2016 MANUAL
Paragraph marks, tabs, spacing and manual page breaks will display but will not print.Ĭreating a hanging indent using the RulerĪ common way to create a hanging or first line indent is to use the Ruler. Click Show/Hide ¶ in the Paragraph group.To view hard returns or paragraph marks and other non-printing characters in Microsoft Word: If you want to create a hanging or first line indent in a multi-line paragraph, there should not be hard returns at the end of each line of text.
TURN OFF FIRST LINE INDENT IN WORD 2016 HOW TO
Recommended article: How to Keep Text Together in Word (Paragraphs, Lines or Words)ĭo you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person Word courses >Ī paragraph in Word is anything with a hard return after it (you have pressed Enter or Return). A hanging indent is typically used for bullets and numbering or to cite a reference. Either way, the first line of a paragraph is indented or outdented. The term is often used to refer to a first line indent. A hanging indent is created when the first line of a paragraph is at a location to the left of the subsequent lines in the paragraph. You can create a hanging indent in Microsoft Word using the Ruler, the Paragraph dialog box or a keyboard shortcut. Microsoft Word can be maddening, but it can be much less so if you just make the program’s built-in formatting solutions work for you.Create a Hanging Indent in a Microsoft Word Documentīy Avantix Learning Team | Updated May 16, 2022Īpplies to: Microsoft ® Word ® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows) That ensures you automatically have a properly-spaced indent each time you hit Tab at the start of a new paragraph. Choose the AutoFormat As You Type tab and then tick the checkbox for Set left- and first-indent with tabs and backspaces. Choose Proofing and then click AutoCorrect Options. Instead, you can set your indentation with the Tab key. The problem with that method is that not every letter takes up the same amount of space, so things get misaligned. You may also have a bad habit of entering spaces instead of tabs when you want to indent. You can also use that setting to create even more sophisticated spacing options. If you select 12 pt in both Spacing Before and Spacing After, you’ll have a space before and after each paragraph. From there, you can define the spacing before and after your paragraph. Start by right-clicking on a paragraph, selecting Paragraph, and going to Indents and Spacing. You can get much more consistent-and automatic-spacing by changing your paragraph settings. Many of us have gotten used to creating an extra space between paragraphs by just hitting Return twice-so much so that it is probably just muscle memory by now. This will help you better spot your problems. When you turn that on, you can see all the formatting-spaces, tabs, indents, hard returns, and more-that is already in your document. On your Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Show/Hide button. Here are some easy-to-implement suggestions that will help you get the most out of Microsoft Word’s formatting abilities while minimizing your frustration with the program.īefore you do anything else, make sure to show your formatting marks.
Fortunately, for many common annoyances and user mistakes, there are easy fixes. Microsoft Word is invaluable for lawyers, but it also comes with a lot of quirks.