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: Displaying the Ruler.

Displaying the Ruler

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 5, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


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The ruler appears at the top of every Word document window. The ruler is used to adjust formatting and align elements of your page. It is very helpful if you are using Word with a mouse.

Word allows you to control whether this ruler is displayed or not. To do this, simply display the View tab of the ribbon. Note the Ruler check box in the Show group. If the check box is selected, the Ruler is displayed; if it is not selected, the Ruler is hidden.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10198) 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: Displaying the Ruler.

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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What is 6 + 1?

2023-04-29 21:27:44

Tom

i have Word version 2202, which is for the office i work in. the horizontal ruler does not show when you open word each time. you can make it display again, but when you close word and open it again, the ruler will be gone. can't find a solution. have heard of registry solutions but that is not an option for me since most of those things are locked to users at my company (I think).


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