How to Indent in Word

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 26, 2025 Tested

While writing, it is important to use indents before the start of a new paragraph. This keeps it looking nicely formatted. This wikiHow teaches you different ways to indent paragraphs in Microsoft Word.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Indenting a Sentence

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You can do this by double-clicking the file on your computer.
This inserts a standard indent, which is 0.5” wide.

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Once you reach the end of the line, Word will automatically arrange your text so that only the first line contains that 0.5” space.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Indenting an Entire Paragraph

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You can do this by double-clicking the file on your computer.
To do this, click the mouse before the first word, then drag the cursor (don’t let go of the button!) all the way to the end. When you lift your finger from the button, the paragraph should appear highlighted in blue.
3
Press Tab ↹ on the keyboard. The entire selected paragraph will move 0.5” to the right.
- To move the paragraph another 0.5”, press Tab ↹ again.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using a Hanging Indent

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1
Open your document in Microsoft Word. You can do this by double-clicking the file on your computer.
- A hanging indent indents the second line of a paragraph instead of the first. This type of indent is most often used in bibliographies and reference pages.
To do this, click the mouse before the first word, then drag the cursor (don’t let go of the button!) all the way to the end. When you lift your finger from the button, the paragraph should appear highlighted in blue.
A pop-up will appear.
It’s in the “Indentation” section.
The second line in the paragraph will move 0.5” inward.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do you get out of indention and return to normal typing?

Ammar D

Community Answer

Press Enter, then press Backspace. It should get you back into unindented typing.

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