Set Tab Stops

If you want to change Word's tab stops, in the Paragraph dialog box, click the Tabs button to open the Tabs dialog box. You can assign a default or you can set tab stop positions.

Assign a Default Tab Stop

If you assign a default tab stop, each time you press the Tab key Word moves the distance you assigned. For example, if you assign a default stop of one inch, each time you press the Tab key Word moves one inch.

Set Tab Stop Positions

If you set tab stop positions, each time you press the Tab key Word moves to the next position. For example, if the first time you press the Tab key you want Word to move to .5 inches, you set a tab stop position at .5. If the second time you press the Tab key you want Word to move to 2.5 inches, you set a tab stop at 2.5 inches. Tab stop positions override the default.

You can use the Alignment options to set the alignment for each tab stop position. Choose from Left, Center, Right, Bar, and Decimal. The Tab Stops table explains each option.

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

If you want to create a table of contents or a layout similar to a table of contents, use a leader. A leader might have text on the left, followed by a dotted line, a dashed line, or a solid line (the leader), and text on the right. In the case of a table of contents, the text on the left would be the chapter titles and the text on the right would be the page numbers.

EXAMPLE: Table of ContentsTable of Contents Chapter 1...................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2.................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 3.................................................................................................... 25

Create a Default Tab Stop

1. Choose either the Home tab or the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group. The Paragraph dialog box opens.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click the Tabs button. The Tabs dialog box opens.
5. Enter the default tab stop in the Default Tab Stops field.
6. Click OK. Word creates your tab stops.

Create Tab Stop Positions

1. Choose either the Home tab or the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group. The Paragraph dialog box opens.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click the Tabs button. The Tabs dialog box opens.
5. Type the first tab stop position in the Tab Stop Position field.
6. Select an alignment in the Alignment section.
7. Click Set.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 for each tab stop you want to create.
9. Click OK. Word creates the tab stop positions.

Clear Tab Stops

1. Choose either the Home tab or the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group. The Paragraph dialog box opens.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click the Tabs button. The Tabs dialog box opens.
5. Click the tab stop position you want to clear.
6. Click the Clear button. Word deletes the tab stop.
   Note: To clear all tab stops, click the Clear All button.
7. Click OK. Word deletes the tab stops.

Create a Leader Tab Stop

1. Choose either the Home tab or the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group. The Paragraph dialog box opens.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click the Tabs button. The Tabs dialog box opens.
5. Type the location where you want a tab stop in the Tab Stop Position field.
6. Select an alignment in the Alignment section.
7. Click Set.
   Note: Repeat steps 5 through 7, if necessary.
8. Select the type of leader you want in the Leader section.
9. Click OK.
10. Type your text.
11. Press the Tab key.
12. Type your text.

How do I create a table of contents like the one in the example?

1) Type Table of Contents. 2) Choose the Home tab. 3) Click the Center button in the Paragraph group. 4) Press the Enter key. 5) Press the Align Left button in the Paragraph group. 6) Click the dialog box launcher  in the Paragraph group. The Paragraph dialog box opens. 7) Choose the Indents and Spacing tab. 8) Click the Tabs button. The Tabs dialog box opens. 9) Type 6" in the Tab Stop Position field. 10) Select Right in the Alignment area. 11) Select 2 in the Leader area. 12) Click OK.

Type the table of contents. 1) Type Chapter 1. 2) Press the Tab key. 3) Type 1. 4) Press the Enter key. 5) Type Chapter 2. 6) Press the Tab key. Type 10. 7)  Press the Enter key. 8) Type Chapter 3. 9) Press the Tab key. 10) Type 25. 11) Press the Enter key.

Tip

You can use styles to create a table of contents. Using styles is preferable because using styles provides additional benefits, such as one-click page number updating and the ability to use the Navigation pane to move around your document. See Lesson 4 to learn more about styles and how to create a table of contents.