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: Changing Default Tab Stops.

Changing Default Tab Stops

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 18, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

Normally, Word assumes that when you press the Tab key in a paragraph that you want to move the insertion point to the next half inch. This assumes, of course, that you have not set any tabs for the current paragraph. If you want to change the default tab stops for the document in which you are working, you can do so as follows:

Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
Click the icon at the bottom-right of the Paragraph group. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
Click the Tabs button. Word displays the Tabs dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Tabs dialog box.

Change the value in the Default Tab Stops control. You can change it in .01-inch increments, from 0.01 inches to 22 inches.
Click on OK.

Remember that the change you make affects the current document and only those paragraphs that don't have any explicit tab stops set.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (7067) 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: Changing Default Tab Stops.

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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Maintaining Leading Zeroes

When merging ZIP Codes from a data source such as Excel, you might find that Word ends up dropping out leading zeroes in ...

Discover More

Checking Lock Status of Cells

When you first create a worksheet, all the cells in that worksheet are formatted as locked. As you unlock various cells ...

Discover More

Gradient Prints as Stripes

When you print a graphic that includes a gradient, you may not get exactly the output you expect. This tip examines two ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Clearing All Tabs in a Document

Need to get rid of all the tab stops in a particular document? It's easy to do when you apply the technique outlined in ...

Discover More

Setting Decimal Tabs in a Table Using the Keyboard

Most people use the mouse to set tab stops in the paragraphs in a table. If you prefer to not use the mouse, then you'll ...

Discover More

Automatically Changing Tab Stops in the Footer

If you use a tab stop in your footer to align information at the right margin, you may not get what you expect when you ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is five minus 3?

2024-03-28 10:07:51

Andrew

GFIN Sunny,

The simple way is to select the column, and then set a manual tab for all the cells in that column at the space you want the title to start. Then when you edit the name, the titles should still line up.

Andy.

2024-03-28 03:29:38

GFIN Sunny

Within a Table of Name and Title in same Column, delineated by Tab(s) depending on the length of Name, I need help to easily change Name without affecting position of Title.
Is it possible to find and replace with appropriate number of Tab(s)?
Since this is a Word Template originated by another department, I cannot change the Template.

2023-08-22 10:11:23

Adrienne

Andrew, thanks for your response. I need to look up how to change the Normal template.

2023-08-21 09:37:30

Paul

"Remember that the change you make affects the current document and only those paragraphs that don't have any explicit tab stops set."
If you asked 100 people which paragraph(s) in which document(s) would be affected, exactly zero would answer correctly. Microsoft should explain this in a pop-up tip.

2023-08-21 09:15:07

Andrew

Adrienne, you make this change in the template on which your documents are based - usually this will be the Normal template (Normal.dotm).

Andy.

2023-08-18 13:29:00

Adrienne Scher

How can I change the default tab settings for all documents? Not just for the one I'm in. I don't want to have to reset them for every document. Thanks!

2021-04-24 22:50:36

Linda Smithers

I think this will help me greatly.

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.