Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Paragraph Formatting Shortcuts.

Paragraph Formatting Shortcuts

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 17, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


Many people find it easier to use keyboard commands than to constantly stop and use the mouse. Word accommodates these people by providing several shortcuts you can use to format paragraphs. The following table lists several keyboard shortcuts you can use for your paragraph formatting:

Shortcut Meaning
Ctrl+1 Single-spaced paragraph
Ctrl+5 1 1/2-line paragraph spacing
Ctrl+2 Double-spaced paragraph
Ctrl+L Left-aligned paragraph
Ctrl+E Centered paragraph
Ctrl+R Right-aligned paragraph
Ctrl+J Justified paragraph
Ctrl+0 Add or remove one line of space before the paragraph
Ctrl+M Increase indent one tab stop
Shift+Ctrl+M Decrease indent one tab stop
Ctrl+T Increase hanging indent by one tab stop
Shift+Ctrl+T Decrease hanging indent by one tab stop

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5953) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Paragraph Formatting Shortcuts.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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