How To Add A Hanging Indent On Word

Create a Hanging Indent in a Microsoft Word Certificate

past Avantix Learning Team | Updated May 16, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft^®Word^® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You tin create a hanging indent in Microsoft Discussion using the Ruler, the Paragraph dialog box or a keyboard shortcut. 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. The term is often used to refer to a get-go line indent. Either style, the first line of a paragraph is indented or outdented. A hanging indent is typically used for bullets and numbering or to cite a reference.

Recommended article: How to Go on Text Together in Discussion (Paragraphs, Lines or Words)

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A paragraph in Word is anything with a hard return later it (you lot have pressed Enter or Render). If yous want to create a hanging or first line indent in a multi-line paragraph, at that place should not be difficult returns at the cease of each line of text.

To view hard returns or paragraph marks and other non-printing characters in Microsoft Word:

Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
Click Evidence/Hide ¶ in the Paragraph group. Paragraph marks, tabs, spacing and manual folio breaks volition display just volition not impress.

Creating a hanging indent using the Ruler

A common mode to create a hanging or starting time line indent is to use the Ruler. If the Ruler is not displayed at the tiptop of the certificate, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select the Ruler checkbox.

To create a hanging using the Ruler:

Select the paragraph(due south) y'all desire to indent. If you are changing only ane paragraph, simply click in it.
On the Ruler, drag the First Line Indent marker (top triangular marker) to the position where y'all desire the beginning line of text in the selected paragraph(southward) to start.
Drag the bottom triangular mark to the position where you lot want the 2d line and all subsequent lines in the selected paragraph(s) to start (the box beneath will move with information technology).
If you want the triangular markers to motion at the same fourth dimension, drag the box beneath the bottom marker. If the top and bottom markers are at the same location, this is chosen a nested indent.

In the following examples, the get-go line indent mark and the left indent marker are at different locations on the Ruler:

Creating a hanging indent using the Paragraph dialog box

To create a hanging or first line indent using the Paragraph dialog box:

Select the paragraph(southward) you lot desire to indent.
Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
Click the dialog box launcher on the lesser right of the Paragraph group. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
Enter the desired corporeality for the left indent (which will affect all lines in the paragraph except the kickoff one (enter in inches or centimeters depending on your measurement organization units).
Under Special, select Hanging or First Line from the drop-down card then in the By box, enter the desired amount for the hanging indent.
Click OK.

In the following example, indents have been entered for the Left and First Line in the Paragraph dialog box (in this case, entered in inches):

Hanging or first line indent entered in Paragraph dialog box in Word.

Creating a hanging indent using a keyboard shortcut

You can press Ctrl + T to utilise a hanging indent to a paragraph. This shortcut volition move all lines except the first one to the adjacent tab finish. If there are no user-defined tab stops in the paragraph, Word indents to the outset default tab cease. If you proceed pressing Ctrl + T, Word will go along indenting by tab stop to the right.

Press Ctrl + Shift + T to subtract or remove the indent (motility to the left).

If yous click at the commencement of a paragraph and press Tab, Word will indent the starting time line to the offset user-defined tab finish or the first default tab stop.

Other ways to indent paragraphs

When you apply bullets or numbering, Microsoft Discussion changes the indents of the first and subsequent lines in a paragraph or paragraphs automatically.

If you are comfortable using styles in Word, yous can apply, modify or create styles that include hanging or first line indents. If you are working on a long document with a lot of indented paragraphs, this is the best arroyo.

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