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 Left Indent of a Paragraph in a Macro.
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.
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, and 2013. 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.
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2014-12-01 11:35:58
Jay Stevens
For legal writing, quotes are generally indented on both the left and the right. To mirror the indent 1/2 inch on both sides and set to single space, use:
Sub DoubleIndent()
With Selection.ParagraphFormat
.LeftIndent = .LeftIndent + 36
.RightIndent = .RightIndent + 36
.LineSpacing = LinesToPoints(1)
End With
End Sub
To cancel the indent and return to double spacing, a second macro can be created, as follows:
Sub UnIndent()
With Selection.ParagraphFormat
.LeftIndent = 0
.RightIndent = 0
.LineSpacing = LinesToPoints(2)
End With
End Sub
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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: 
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