Word offers tab stops as a feature for formatting paragraphs, as tab stops align the text in your document to the left and right.
Word has default tab stop settings, but you can set custom tabs.
In addition, you can press the tab key on your keyboard, which will then insert the tab character into your document. This moves the insertion point for your text to the tab stop.
You can use tab stops to evenly distribute the text between the left and right margins. By default, Word sets tab stops every half-inch.
2 ways to set Left tab Stops
- Use paragraph settings.
- Use the horizontal ruler.
We will explain how to do the above in simple, step-by-step instructions.
Let us begin.
Method #1: Use Paragraph Settings
Use this method when you have to be very precise in selecting the size of the tabs you will apply to your document.
Step #1: Open a Word document
Open your Word document.
Select the text where you want to set the left tab stop, by clicking and dragging over the text with your mouse pointer.
Step #2: Set up paragraph setting
Click on the ‘Home’ tab in the top menu bar to change the ribbon.
Click the launcher icon next to ‘Paragraph’, which is a small downward pointing arrow to the right of the word Paragraph.
This opens the ‘Paragraph’ dialog box.
Step #3: Set up Tab stop positions
Click on the Tabs… button at the bottom of the dialog box.
The Tabs dialog box will open.
Under Tab stop position:, enter your first desired tab stop position as a number. This could either be millimeters, pixels or characters, depending on your preference and regional area.
Click on the ‘Set’ button to accept the tab stop position.
Enter the next tab stop position under Tab stop position:.
Again, click on the ‘Set’ button to accept the tab stop position.
Set as many tab stops as you would like to introduce.
By default ‘Alignment’ Left will be selected when you open this window, however you can also choose other options, such as right and center.
Click on the OK button to close the dialog box.
Now Word introduces all the left tab stops in the document, as you can see in the example below.
Method #2: Use the Horizontal Ruler
Use this method when you feel comfortable applying tabs visually, without needing to be extremely precise with the size of the tabs.
Step #1: Open a Word document
Open your Word document.
Select the text where you want to set the left tab stops.
Step #2: Show horizontal ruler
Click on the ‘View’ tab in the top menu bar to change the ribbon.
In the section ‘Show’, click on Ruler, making sure there is a tick mark in the square on the left.
Word will now display the horizontal ruler at the top of your document, beneath the menu ribbon.
Step #3: Set the type of tab stop
To the extreme left of your document window, underneath the ribbon, you will see a small ‘Tab type’ icon which initially looks like the letter L.
Repeatedly click on this ‘Tab type’ in the bottom left corner below the ribbon, until it shows the left tab stop, which looks like the letter L.
Step #4: Introduce left tab stops in the ruler
Click directly underneath or on the ruler to introduce as many left tab stops as you want.
Word will now introduce all the left tab stops in the document.
Conclusion
We have shown you two simple methods to introduce left tab stops in your document.
You can add as few or as many as you want.
You can also read our related article describing how to add Right Tab Stops.