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Important Note: Although tabs can be used to indent paragraphs, Word’s built-in indent options are more efficient and reliable for longer documents. See “Three Ways to Indent Paragraphs in Microsoft Word” for more information. Before starting the tutorial, let’s look at the different types of tab stops you can use in Word. Five Types of Tab Stops in WordWord includes five different tab stops:
This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time. Watch more than 150 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel. The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. The steps also apply to Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010. How to Change Word’s Default TabBy default, Word moves your cursor half an inch to the right when you press the Tab key on your keyboard. However, you can change the length of your default left tab stop without creating a new tab. The following steps only affect your current document. If you want to change the default tab for all future documents, you have to modify your normal.dotm template. We will cover that advanced topic in a separate tutorial.
The steps below use the ruler. You can also create and adjust tabs using the Tabs dialog box. However, that process is less user-friendly than the ruler method, so it will be presented in a separate, advanced tutorial. How to Create Tabs on the RulerSkip to step 3 if your ruler is already visible.
If you don’t select all or part of your document before creating your new tab, it will only apply to the paragraph your cursor is currently in or newly created content.
Note that you can place multiple tab stops on the ruler. Each time you press the Tab key, your cursor will move to the next stop. How to Change Tabs on the Ruler
How to Delete Tabs on the Ruler
Pro Tip: If you accidentally delete a tab, immediately press Ctrl + Z on your keyboard to undo the deletion. Related ResourcesHow to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word Three Ways to Insert Accent Marks in Microsoft Word How to View the Word Count in Microsoft Word Updated April 13, 2022 What is tab selector in MS Word?The tab selector (tab indicator) – a small button located in the left corner of the horizontal ruler that supplies the user with a variety of tab marker (tab stop) options (left, right, center, etc.).
Which of the following tabs on the ribbon contains the command to add a quick part to a document?To open the Quick Part Gallery, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Quick Parts.
Which of the following is one way to move a tab stop?Move or Remove a Tab Stop
Click and drag a tab stop along the ruler to reposition it. As you drag a tab stop to a new position on the ruler, the text affected by that tab stop will move with it. Click and drag a tab stop off the ruler to remove it.
Which of the following tabs on the ribbon contains the commands to add a table image or chart?The Insert tab is used to insert or add extra features to the document, such as pictures, shapes, pages, symbols, etc. Icons and text are used to identify these options.
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