This article is based on legacy software.
This document will help you to use paragraph formatting options to achieve the look that you want for your document.
Adjusting Paragraph Alignment
Word paragraphs can be aligned with the left or right margin, centered between the two margins, or justified. To adjust alignment, use the Paragraph dialog box, the Formatting Palette, or the keyboard. Instructions for all three methods follow.
Adjusting Paragraph Alignment: Paragraph Dialog Box Option
Select the paragraph(s) you want to adjust
From the Format menu, select Paragraph…
The Paragraph dialog box appears.
Select the Indents and Spacing tab
From the Alignment pull-down list, select the desired option
Adjusting Paragraph Alignment: Formatting Palette Option
To display the Formatting Palette:
From the View menu, select Formatting Palette
The Formatting Palette appears.
To adjust the alignment:
Select the paragraph(s) you want to adjust
Adjusting Paragraph Alignment: Keyboard Option
Select the paragraph(s) you want to adjust
Press the appropriate keyboard shortcut
Alignment
Shortcut
Left
[command] + [L]
Center
[command] + [E]
Right
[command] + [R]
Justify
[command] + [J]
Adjusting Line Spacing
Instead of pressing extra returns at the end of each line of text, you can add space between lines by adjusting the line spacing. This is a more efficient and precise way of adding white space.
Place your insertion point in the paragraph
From the Format menu, select Paragraph…
The Paragraph dialog box appears.
Select the Indents and Spacing tab
Under Spacing, from the Line spacing pull-down list, make the desired selection
NOTES:
Options include Single, 1.5 lines, Double, At least, Exactly, and Multiple.
The At least, Exactly, and Multiple options require that you enter the amount of space between lines in the At text box.
Adjusting Paragraph Spacing
Instead of pressing extra returns, add additional space before and after paragraphs by adjusting the paragraph spacing. This can be especially useful when you do not want a blank line the same height as the text.
To display the Formatting Palette:
From the View menu, select Formatting Palette
The Formatting Palette appears.
To adjust the spacing:
Select the paragraph(s) you want to adjust
From the Formatting Palette, under Alignment and Spacing, under Paragraph Spacing, in the Before and After text boxes, type or use the nudge buttons to select the desired spacing value
Working with Indents
Rather than tabbing in the first line or every line of a paragraph, you can create an indent, an amount of space between the text and the page margin. You can adjust the indent for an individual paragraph, the indent for a group of paragraphs, or the margins for the entire document. If you are setting margins for the entire document, refer to Adjusting Your Document’s Margins.
Word offers three types of indents: normal indents, first line indents, and hanging indents. A normal indent inserts a specified amount of space between the page margin and all the lines in a paragraph. A first line indent inserts space between the first line and the page margin so it looks like you used a tab. A hanging indent uses a normal indent for the first line and then moves subsequent lines farther to the right. Paragraph indents can be set using the Paragraph dialog box or the Ruler.
Working with Indents: Paragraph Dialog Box
Place your insertion point in the paragraph you want to adjust
HINT: If you are adjusting more than one paragraph, select all the paragraphs you want to apply the change to.
From the Format menu, select Paragraph…
The Paragraph dialog box appears.
Select the Indents and Spacing tab
Under Indentation, in the Left and Right text boxes, type the desired measurements (in inches)
If you want a different indent for the first line, from the Special pull-down list, select First line or Hanging
If you selected a first line or hanging indent, in the By text box, type the amount of space for the indent
The amount of space is measured in inches.
Working with Indents: Ruler
Instead of using the Paragraph dialog box, you can make indent adjustments using the Ruler. Shown here is a graphic of the Ruler.
Tab Type
Appearance of the Ruler
Appearance of the Text
Normal Indent
A Normal Indent
looks like this
Hanging Indent
A Hanging Indent
looks like this
First Line Indent
A First Line Indent
looks like this
To set the indent:
If the Ruler is not displayed, from the View menu, select Ruler
Place your insertion point in the paragraph you want to adjust
HINTS:
If you are adjusting more than one paragraph, select all the paragraphs you want.
For information on the different types of indents, refer to Working with Indents.