There are two types of indents that can be adjusted: paragraphs and bullet points. Each has a separate way of adjusting (increasing and decreasing) the indent size. Below are the different ways you can move the indentation in Microsoft Word. Show
First line indent with tabThe first line indent can always be created using the Tab on the keyboard. To change the first line indent size or indent the full paragraph, continue reading the below suggestions. Tip Pressing Tab multiple times increases the indent each time it's pressed. Indent paragraph with shortcut keyA complete paragraph can be indented with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+M and pressing the keyboard shortcut more than once will indent the paragraph further. Tip To reverse the indent, you can also press Ctrl+Shift+M. Adjusting indents using the rulerTo adjust a paragraph indent size, use the Ruler, which is below the menu bar and resembles the picture shown below. If this feature is not visible, see our document on how to enable the Ruler.
Towards the left side of the Ruler, look for indent markers that resemble an hourglass, like the image shown below. The top marker (down arrow) controls the first line indent, and the middle marker (up arrow) controls the hanging indent (the indent for lines after the first line in each paragraph). The bottom marker (small box) controls the left indent. To adjust these indents, you can click-and-drag each marker to the right or left. Tip To change the indentation for an entire document, select all text in the document (press Ctrl+A), then adjust the indent spacing in the ruler as detailed above. Note If a large indent is created when pressing the Tab and adjusting the indent on the Ruler doesn't work, adjust the Left Tab Stop in the Ruler. Changing indents in the Paragraph windowAnother way to adjust the indents is to view the Paragraph settings. To view this window, double-click the markers in the ruler, click Format and then Paragraph. You can also place the cursor in the paragraph, right-click with your mouse, and chose Paragraph. As seen below in the Paragraph window, under the Indentation section, the left and right indent settings can be adjusted. You can also adjust the first line indent and hanging indent size under the Special option in the Indentation section. At the bottom of the Paragraph settings window, you can preview the look of the indent sizes you are setting and make changes accordingly until you get it the way you want. Adjust the indent on the Ribbon in Word 2007 and laterIf you're using a newer version of Microsoft Word that uses the Ribbon, such as Word 2007 or 2013, do the following.
To view the Paragraph window mentioned in the above section, click the small down arrow indicated by the red arrow in the picture below. Adjusting the bullet and numbering indentationTip The easiest method of adjusting the bullets and number list in all versions of Word is to adjust the left indent through the Microsoft Word ruler bar. Note To adjust the spacing between the bullet and the text in a list, you may need to adjust the Left Tab Stop in the Ruler. Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and later
Microsoft Word 2000 and earlier
You can also access the Bullet and Numbering window by placing your text cursor on a bulleted or numbered line and right-clicking in the Word document. In the pop-up menu, select the Bullets and Numbering option. |