How to Use the Word Ruler

The ruler appears below the Ribbon and along the left side of the window. By default, the ruler marks the size of the page in inches and Word uses an 8.5" x 11" page. The darker areas of the ruler mark the margins. The light area marks the text area. To see the ruler, it must be set to display and you must be in Print Layout, Web Layout, or Draft view.

The ruler has four paragraph markers: Left Indent, Right Indent, First Line Indent, and Hanging Indent. You can use the ruler to control your indents.

A Left Indent : Moves the Hanging indent and the First Line Indent markers at the same time. This moves the entire left side of paragraphs away from the margin. By default, the Left Indent marker is aligned with the left margin.

B Right Indent : Moves the entire right side of paragraphs away from the margin. By default, the Right Indent marker is aligned with the right margin.

C First Line Indent : Moves the first line of paragraphs away from the margin. By default, the First Line Indent marker is aligned with the left margin.

D Hanging Indent : Moves the second line and all subsequent lines of paragraphs away from the margin. By default, the Hanging Indent marker is aligned with the left margin.

You click and drag paragraph indent markers to indent paragraphs. If you wish, you can indent into the margins. If you want to measure precisely, the amount you are indenting by, hold the Alt key as you click and drag. If you accidentally click on the ruler a tab stop may appear ( , , , , or ). To remove it, click the tab stop and drag it downward.

In the upper left corner of the text area, is a Tab Selector button. Clicking this button cycles through several tab stop markers and the First Line Indent and Hanging Indent markers. Use these markers to format your document quickly.

Tab Stops

The Tab key enables you to move horizontally across the page to a designated position, called a tab stop, quickly. Each time you press the Tab key, you move to the next tab stop. You can use the ruler to create tab stops. Word provides five types of tab stops: Left , Center , Right , Decimal , and Bar . Tab stops are useful when you want to create columns of information.

EXAMPLE: Tab Stops
Item     →	Quantity              →	Unit Price in Dollars
Mechanical Pencils      →	20            →	2.00
Staplers     →	2            →	10.00
Computers     →	10            →	800.00

 

Tab Stops
Tab Stop	Purpose
Left	Left aligns text
Center	Centers text
Right	Right aligns text
Decimal	Aligns text at the decimal point
Bar	Creates a vertical bar

To place a tab stop on the ruler, click the Tab Selector button until the type of tab stop you want appears and then click the bottom of the ruler where you want to place the tab stop.

Display the Ruler

1. Choose the View tab.
2. Check the Ruler box in the Show group. Word displays the ruler.

Create a Left Indent

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent, or select the paragraphs you want to indent.
2. Drag the Left Indent button to where you want the left indent. Word creates a left indent.

Create a Right Indent

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent, or select the paragraphs you want to indent.
2. Drag the Right Indent button to where you want the right indent. Word creates a right indent.

Create a First Line Indent

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent, or select the paragraphs you want to indent.
2. Drag the First Line Indent button to where you want the first line indent. Word creates a first line indent.

Or

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent, or select the paragraphs you want to indent.
2. Click the Tab Selector button until the First Line Indent button
3. Click the bottom of the ruler at the spot where you want to place the first line indent. Word creates a first line indent.

Create a Hanging Indent

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent, or select the paragraphs you want to indent.
2. Drag the Hanging Indent button to where you want the hanging indent. Word creates a hanging indent.

Or

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent, or select the paragraphs you want to indent.
2. Click the Tab Selector button until the Hanging Indent button
3. Click the bottom of the ruler where you want to place the hanging indent. Word creates a hanging indent.

Create Tab Stops

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph you want to add tab stops to, or select the paragraphs you want to add tab stops to.
2. Click the Tab Selector button until you reach the type of tab stop you want.
3. Click the bottom of the ruler where you want to place the tab stop. Word creates a tab stop.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have all the tab stops you want.

I do not want to use inches. How do I change the ruler's unit of measure?

1) Choose the File tab. A menu appears along the left side of the window. 2) Click Options. The Word Options dialog box opens. A menu appears along the left side of the dialog box. 3) Click Advanced. 4) Scroll down to the Display section. 5) Click the down-arrow next to the Show Measurements in Units of field and then click the unit of measurement you want to use. 6) Click OK. Word changes the unit of measurement.