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: Setting the Right Indent of a Paragraph in a Macro.

Setting the Right Indent of a Paragraph in a Macro

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated September 16, 2021)

Macros are often used to process large amounts of text in some way or another. If you are using a macro to do processing, you may want part of that processing to include setting the right indent applied to a paragraph. If you are programming in VBA, you can use the RightIndent property to set this value, as shown here:

Selection.Paragraphs.RightIndent = 144

The RightIndent property is always applied to a paragraph object. This means you can apply it to either a single paragraph or a range of paragraphs. In the above example the property being set belongs to all the paragraphs currently selected in the document.

You must also always specify the indent in points. In the above example, the left indent is set to 144 points, which is equivalent to two inches.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12600) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Setting the Right Indent of a Paragraph in a Macro.

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...

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What is 8 + 2?

2016-02-22 17:28:03

Bernadette Brien

Where are the instructions found in your email on how to this new function ie indentation

Thx. B. Brien

2013-04-30 18:00:10

Ken Endacott

Page layout is usually measured in inches or centimeters and it would be desirable to specify indents in these units.
To set a right indent of 2 inches the statement would be:
Selection.Paragraphs.RightIndent = InchesToPoints(2)
To set a right indent of 2.54 cm the statement would be:
Selection.Paragraphs.RightIndent = CentimetersToPoints(2.54)

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