Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: Indent and Justify Command.
WordPerfect has a command, F4, which indents a paragraph from the left margin and justifies it. Some folks would like to see such a command in Word, but there is no single command that will perform this operation. You can indent a paragraph by pressing Ctrl+M (indents the left margin to the next tab stop) and you can justify it by pressing Ctrl+J (makes sure the text extends all the way from the left to the right margin). This two-step approach to the desired formatting is the best one can do, without creating a macro to combine the two steps.
There is one advantage to doing this formatting in Word over doing it in WordPerfect, however. In WordPerfect you need to select the entire paragraph before pressing F4, but in Word you only need to make sure that the insertion point is within the paragraph you want to format.
An even better approach in Word is to create a style that defines how you want the formatted paragraph to appear. Simply follow the steps for creating a style (as described in other issues of WordTips) and make sure that the style has the desired indents, justification, line spacing, font size, etc. Then, you can apply all these attributes in one simple step by applying the style to the paragraph.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9450) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Indent and Justify Command.
Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!
Word has historically allowed you to specify how it should handle justification of text on a line. This feature is not ...
Discover MoreWord can help you do quite a bit of complex formatting to your lists, both bulleted and numbered. Using the steps ...
Discover MoreThere are times that you just want to begin a paragraph (perhaps a heading) at the top of a new page. Word allows you to ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-11-22 11:04:35
John Leslie
When using Word, occasionally a short page of code appears and then vanishes. I have been unable to eliminate it (I've used repair to no avail.) The code doesn't seem to affect anything but I'm sure it was not the developer's intention to send a few lines of code flying through the air.
Any suggestions?
P.S. I'm a fan ... for more years than you'll guess.
2016-11-22 08:27:16
Laura
WordPerfect is far superior in so many ways. Much more user friendly as well. My WordPerfect is F7 not F4 for indenting/justifying paragraph. Styles in Word is very cumbersome and messy to use in my opinion. Very time consuming when several people have had their hands in the document as well. WP can just search for codes and remove/replace.
2016-11-22 07:38:51
Jeff Chimovitz
This was a particularly helpful tip. It shows the strength of styles
2013-12-23 11:57:39
Marilyn Paik
WordPerfect is far superior to Word in so many ways. As to the indent, you do not have to select a paragraph, you merely place the cursor at the beginning of the text you want to indent. If you want to indent both ways, all you have to do is press SHIFT-F4 and that indents a paragraph both right and left, something that in Word takes several steps.
2013-12-23 10:42:14
Marilyn
I believe the "F4" reference should be to "F7" in WordPerfect. Using CTRL+F7 results in a left and right indent for the selected or following text.
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: 
Comments