How Do You Set Tab Stops in Word? Everything You Need to Know

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Learn to set and change as many tabs as you need (for PC and Mac)
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Do you need to set a new tab (or three) in Microsoft Word? We’re here to help! Setting tabs in your Microsoft Word document will let you align the text on a page, allowing you to organize your text and give it a neat, uniform look. You can even set tab stops to the right, left, or both sides of the document—and doing so is, thankfully, super easy. In this simple guide, we’ll show you how to set tabs in Word using either the ruler or Tabs menu, so read on to learn more!

Quick Steps for Setting Tabs in Word

  1. Open the Paragraph dialog launcher in the Home tab.
  2. Click the Tabs button to open the Tabs menu (or go to Format > Tabs on Mac).
  3. Set the position and alignment of your new tab stop.
  4. Click the Set button to finalize your choices (or + on Mac).
  5. Press OK to close the Tabs menu.
Section 1 of 4:

How to Set a Tab in Word Using the Ruler

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  1. You can double-click the Microsoft Word icon on your desktop to launch the application. Then, when you’ve loaded or created the document you want to set tabs in, ensure the ruler at the top of the document is visible. It should be on by default; if it’s not, enable it by doing the following: [1]
    • Click the View menu at the top of the screen.
    • Select Ruler from the drop-down menu that appears.
    • With that, you should see a ruler at the top of your document!
  2. 2
    Select all lines or paragraphs you want to have a tab stop. Use your cursor to highlight any content that you want your new tabs (or tab stops, as they’re also called) to apply to. If you don’t select anything, the tab stops you create will apply to your current line or paragraph—nothing above that.
    • This step is only relevant if you’re working with an already started document with content written. If you’re working with a blank document, go to the next step.
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  3. At the top-left corner of the document, you’ll see the tab selector on the left side of the ruler. Click on it, and you’ll be able to select the type of tab you want to create (or, on Mac, click until the symbol changes to the type of tab you want). The tab selector button looks like a white square with a short, dark “L” inside (PC) or a white square with an arrow pointing right (Mac) by default. [2]
    • The types of tabs include:
      • Left tab - aligns text to the left. Its symbol looks like an L (PC) or arrow pointing right (Mac).
      • Right tab - aligns text to the right. Its symbol looks like an inverted L (PC) or arrow pointing left (Mac).
      • Center tab - centers text on the tab. Its symbol looks like an upside-down T (PC) or arrow pointing up (Mac).
      • Decimal tab - aligns lists of decimal numbers. Its symbol looks like an upside-down T with a dot (PC) or an arrow pointing up with a dot (Mac).
      • Bar tab - creates a vertical bar. Its symbol looks like a straight, vertical line (PC and Mac).
  4. Now, it’s time to choose where you want your text to appear (based on the tab you set on the ruler). Simply click anywhere at the bottom edge of the ruler to set where you want the tab. [3]
    • Need to create multiple tab stops? Repeat these steps (selecting text, clicking the tab selector, and setting the tab position on the ruler) to create as many tabs as you want.
  5. 5
    Use the Tab ↹ key to move your text. All that’s left to do is align your text according to the tab stops you’ve created, which you can do by moving your cursor right in front of the text you want to adjust and clicking (so you can see the blinking type indicator there). Then, press the Tab key on your keyboard; this will move your selected text to the nearest set tab stop.
    • If you have more than one tab stop, you can keep pressing the Tab key until your text aligns with the tab stop you want to use.
  6. If you need to adjust your new tab further, simply drag the tab you set left or right along the ruler. When you find the right spot, leave it there! [4]
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Set a Tab in Word via the “Tabs” Menu

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  1. 1
    Open the Tabs menu in Word. The process is a little different based on whether you’re using a Windows or macOS computer, so follow the proper steps according to your platform! [5]
    • Windows:
      • Click on the Home tab (at the top-left of the screen) and click on the small launcher symbol in the Paragraph box.
      • The launcher symbol looks like a partial square with an arrow inside it.
      • In the Paragraph dialog box that opens, click on the Tabs button to open the Tabs menu.
    • Mac:
      • Select the Format tab at the top of the screen and scroll down to Tabs on the drop-down menu.
      • Click Tabs to open the Tabs menu in Word.
  2. 2
    Enter a measurement in the “Tab stop position” field. This will determine where on the ruler your new tab stop will be, just like manually moving a new tab stop to a specific spot on the ruler in the previous method. You can also choose the tap stop’s Alignment (left, right, center, and so on) and Leader , if necessary. [6]
    • On Mac, this text field is just called “Tab stops” instead of “Tab stop position.”
  3. 3
    Click Set (PC) or + (Mac). To confirm the values you’ve entered and selected for your new tab, press the buttons listed above— Set for PC users or the + (plus sign) for Mac users. [7]
    • If you need to create multiple tabs, you can do it all at once (without leaving the Tabs dialog box)!
      • Simply enter the value you want for your tab and confirm it ( Set for PC or + for Mac), then enter the values for the next one and confirm those as well.
      • You can enter as many tabs as you like as long as you confirm each set of values before entering the next to save them!
  4. 4
    Click the OK button. Once you’ve set the new tab, click OK to close the Tabs box and see your new tab on the Word document’s ruler. Congratulations—you’re all set!
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Delete Tab Stops in Word

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  1. 1
    You can easily delete tab stops using the ruler tool in Word. Display the ruler (if it’s not already visible at the top of your document) and highlight the text using the tab stop you want to delete. Then, click and hold the tab stop in question, and drag it off the ruler. When you can’t see it on the ruler any more, just release the cursor, and you should be all set! [8]
  2. 2
    You can also delete tab stops by pulling up the Tab menu. Re-open the Tabs menu in Word via the Paragraph dialog box (PC) or the Format menu (Mac). To delete just one tab, click on it and press the Clear button (PC) or the – (minus) button (Mac). To delete every tab in your document, press the Clear all button. [9]
    • When you’re done, press the OK button to close the window.
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Section 4 of 4:

Types of Tap Stops in Word

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  1. There are five main types of tab stops in Microsoft Word. When you’re making a new tab in the Tabs menu, you can pick a tab stop type based on where you want to align your text! The tab options include: [10]
    • Left tab - Aligns text to the left of the tab stop.
    • Right tab - Aligns text to the right of the tab stop.
    • Center tab - Centers text on the tab stop.
    • Decimal tab - Aligns a list of decimal numbers with the decimal point as a reference.
    • Bar tab - Creates a vertical bar (line) on the page at the specified position.

Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I change tabs?
    Community Answer
    To move left, press Ctrl + Tab; to move right, press Ctrl + Shift + Tab. Or you can just click on the tab you want.
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  • Question
    Can I set tabs when I have already made a Word document?
    Community Answer
    Yes you can. Your Word document just needs to be aligned in paragraph format, then you are able to drag the tabs where you would like them.
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  • Question
    How do I delete a tab in a Word document?
    Community Answer
    Click the tab stop on the ruler and drag down. Also, you can double-click the tab stop, select the position of the tab stop you want to delete, click clear, and click OK.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://library.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/2021-06/MS+Word-How+to+Display+the+Ruler+in+a+Word+Document+accessible_1.pdf
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/using-the-ruler-in-word-775014ca-7bb9-4b75-ba19-4478c4a836d1
      3. ↑ https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/t/tabstop.htm
      4. ↑ https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word2016/indents-and-tabs/1/
      5. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-or-add-tab-stops-06969e0f-2c81-4fe0-8df5-88f18087a8e0
      6. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-or-add-tab-stops-06969e0f-2c81-4fe0-8df5-88f18087a8e0
      7. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-or-add-tab-stops-06969e0f-2c81-4fe0-8df5-88f18087a8e0
      8. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-or-add-tab-stops-06969e0f-2c81-4fe0-8df5-88f18087a8e0
      9. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-or-add-tab-stops-06969e0f-2c81-4fe0-8df5-88f18087a8e0
      1. ↑ https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word2016/indents-and-tabs/1/

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