What is a first line indent?
An indentation or indent is an empty space at the beginning of a line of written or printed text. There are several types of indents that can be used in the Word document: Show
Customize the paragraph format1. Click the paragraph you want to format or select multiple paragraphs. 2. Do one of the following:
3. In the Paragraph dialog box, choose or type the appropriate values for Left, Right or Special (First line or Hanging) indents: Use the rulerTo do so, click in the paragraph you want to format or select multiple paragraphs, and then drag the First Line Indent marker left or right to the desired location. Use shortcutsYou can press Ctrl+T to create a hanging indent that aligns body text with the first tab marker. (By default, tabs are set every 0.5 inch.) You can press Ctrl+Shift+T to "unhang" an indent, regardless of how the hanging indent was created. Press Ctrl+Shift+M to decrease a paragraph's indent by one tab stop. By default, tab stops are set every 0.5 inch. Press Ctrl+M to increase a paragraph's indent by one tab stop. By default, tab stops are set every 0.5 inch. You can instantly add a full line space before a paragraph by selecting the paragraph(s) you want to format and pressing Ctrl+0 (zero). If you select multiple paragraphs, pressing Ctrl+0 adds a blank line space before each paragraph in the selection. Indenting text adds structure to your document by allowing you to separate information. Whether you'd like to move a single line or an entire paragraph, you can use the tab selector and the horizontal ruler to set tabs and indents. Optional: Download our practice document. Watch the video below to learn more about how to use indents and tabs in Word. Indenting textIn many types of documents, you may want to indent only the first line of each paragraph. This helps to visually separate paragraphs from one another. It's also possible to indent every line except for the first line, which is known as a hanging indent. To indent using the Tab key:A quick way to indent is to use the Tab key. This will create a first-line indent of 1/2 inch.
If you can't see the Ruler, select the View tab, then click the checkbox next to the Ruler. Indent markersIn some cases, you may want to have more control over indents. Word provides indent markers that allow you to indent paragraphs to the location you want. The indent markers are located to the left of the horizontal ruler, and they provide several indenting options:
To indent using the indent markers:
To indent using the Indent commands:If you want to indent multiple lines of text or all lines of a paragraph, you can use the Indent commands. The Indent commands will adjust the indent by 1/2-inch increments.
To customize the indent amounts, select the Layout tab near the desired values in the boxes under Indent. Using tabs gives you more control over the placement of text. By default, every time you press the Tab key, the insertion point will move 1/2 inch to the right. Adding tab stops to the Ruler allows you to change the size of the tabs, and Word even allows you to apply more than one tab stop to a single line. For example, on a resume you could left-align the beginning of a line and right-align the end of the line by adding a Right Tab, as shown in the image below. Pressing the Tab key can either add a tab or create a first-line indent, depending on where the insertion point is. Generally, if the insertion point is at the beginning of an existing paragraph, it will create a first-line indent; otherwise, it will create a tab. The tab selectorThe tab selector is located above the vertical ruler on the left. Hover the mouse over the tab selector to see the name of the active tab stop. Types of tab stops:
Although Bar Tab, First Line Indent, and Hanging Indent appear on the tab selector, they're not technically tabs. To add tab stops:
Removing tab stopsIt's a good idea to remove any tab stops you aren't using so they don't get in the way. To remove a tab stop, first select all of the text that uses the tab stop. Then click and drag it off of the Ruler. What does a first line indent look like on word?The first-line indent is as it sounds; the first line of a paragraph is slightly indented in comparison to the remainder of the text in the paragraph. Adding the first-line indent makes it easy for your reader to identify where a new paragraph or topic starts.
What does it mean to indent a line?To indent is to begin text with a blank space between it and the margin. When you're writing an essay, you can indent the first sentence of each paragraph.
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