A hanging indent in Word is when the first line of a paragraph is not indented, but all subsequent lines are. This is really useful for things like bibliographies, reference lists, or citations. There are a couple of ways to get this done, so let’s take a look.
Method 1: Using the Paragraph Dialog Box
This method is usually the most precise and gives you the most control.
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First, you’ll need to select the paragraph (or paragraphs) you want to apply the hanging indent to.
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Next, find the “Paragraph” group on the ribbon. It’s usually in the “Home” tab. Click the tiny arrow in the bottom right corner of this group to open up the Paragraph dialog box.
- Inside the “Indentation” section, you’ll see a “Special” dropdown menu. Open that and select “Hanging”. If you need to change the indent amount, you can adjust it using the “By” field.
- Click “OK” to apply the hanging indent. You can see a preview of how it will look in the “Preview” section before clicking “OK”.
Method 2: Using the Ruler
This method is a bit more hands-on, using the ruler to visually adjust the indent.
- Make sure the ruler is showing. Go to the “View” tab and check the “Ruler” option in the “Show” group if it’s not already visible.
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Now, highlight the paragraph you want to format.
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Look at the ruler at the top. You will see an upward-pointing triangle. This is the hanging indent marker. Click and drag it to the right to get your desired indent distance.
In this example, the lines are indented by 0.5 inches, as seen on the ruler.
