Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 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: Setting the Left Indent of a Paragraph in a Macro.

Setting the Left Indent of a Paragraph in a Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 11, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

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 left indent applied to a paragraph. If you are programming in VBA, you can use the LeftIndent property to set this value, as shown here:

Selection.Paragraphs.LeftIndent = 72

The LeftIndent 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 72 points, which is equivalent to one inch.

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 (13323) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Setting the Left 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Finding All Instances of a Value

Searching for information in an Excel worksheet generally goes very smoothly. There can be times, however, when the ...

Discover More

Indexing Based on a Range of Letters

Word provides many options for creating indexes. One option allows you to specify that the index contain only entries ...

Discover More

Maintaining Destination Formatting on a Linked Excel Table

Word, as part of the Microsoft Office Suite, allows you to link data from other programs in the suite. If you link an ...

Discover More

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!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Moving the Insertion Point to the Beginning of a Line

If you need to move the insertion point within your macro, then you'll want to note the HomeKey method, described in this ...

Discover More

Determining a Paragraph's Style in VBA

When processing a document via a macro, it is often helpful to understand what style has been applied to a paragraph. You ...

Discover More

Quickly Clearing Array Contents

An array of variables is a powerful element of VBA programming. If you want to clear what is stored in an array, here's a ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is nine minus 5?

2022-11-10 02:19:00

Andrew

Thank you for sharing your knowledge; it's helped me more than once.


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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.