Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Indenting a Paragraph to the Next Tab Stop.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 19, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365
Using the tools on the Home tab of the ribbon, you can quickly and easily indent a paragraph to the next tab stop for that paragraph. If there are no explicit tab stops set for the paragraph, then it will be indented to the next default tab stop (usually 1/2 inch). To indent a paragraph to the next tab stop, follow these steps:
If you are the type of Word user that prefers to use the keyboard whenever possible, just place your insertion point in the paragraph you want to indent and then press Ctrl+M. Word indents the paragraph to the next tab stop, as desired. (You can press Ctrl+M multiple times to increase the indent or press Ctrl+Shift+M to decrease the indent.)
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9592) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Indenting a Paragraph to the Next Tab Stop.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
If you have several paragraphs you want to keep together on the same page, there are settings in the Paragraph dialog box ...
Discover MoreThe Format Painter is a handy tool for quickly copying formatting from one place to another. Used incorrectly, though, ...
Discover MoreWord allows you to format a paragraph so that it is on the same page as whatever paragraph follows it. You may want, ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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