Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Indent a sentence
• Method 2 of 3: Indent an entire paragraph
• Method 3 of 3: Indent the second line

While writing, it is important to indent before the start of a new paragraph. This keeps the layout beautiful. This wikiHow teaches you several ways to indent paragraphs in Microsoft Word.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Indent a sentence

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word. You can do this by double-clicking the file on your computer.
2. Press Tab ↹ on the keyboard. This adds a standard indent of 1/2 inch.
3. Type your sentence. Once you reach the end of the line, Word will automatically arrange your text so that only the first line will be indented by 1/2 inch.

Method 2 of 3: Indent an entire paragraph

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word. You can do this by double-clicking the file on your computer.
2. Highlight an entire paragraph. To do this, click with the mouse for the first word and then drag the cursor (do not release the button!) To the end. When you release your finger from the button, the paragraph should be selected in blue.
3. Press Tab ↹ on the keyboard. The entire selected paragraph will move 1.25 to the right.
   • To move the paragraph another 1/2 inch to the right, press again Tab ↹.

Method 3 of 3: Indent the second line

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word. You can do this by double-clicking the file on your computer.
   • Hanging indentation indents the second line of a paragraph instead of the first. This indentation is mostly used in bibliographies and reference pages.
2. Highlight an entire paragraph. To do this, click with the mouse for the first word and then drag the cursor (do not release the button!) To the end. When you release your finger from the button, the paragraph in blue should be selected.
3. Right click on the selected area. A popup will appear.
4. Click Paragraph….
5. Click on the drop-down menu under "Special". The options are in the "Indentation" group.
6. Select Hanging.
7. Click OK. The second line in the paragraph will be indented 1/2 inch.