Background

This tipsheet explains how to change indentation for any line using the ruler in Word 2011 to allow greater control of Word document formatting.

Example

I want my first sentence to look like this.

But my second sentence to look like this.

And my third sentence to look like this.

And finally I want to go back to here.

Enabling Ruler View

The ruler is the long bar underneath the toolbar above the page as shown below:

To enable the ruler:

1. Click the View dropdown menu at the top of the screen.
2. Select the Ruler option.

Using the Ruler view to change indentation 

1. Highlight the sentence or line that you want to change the indentation of.
2. Click and drag the bottom, upward-pointing arrow on the ruler.

1. Make sure to select the bottom arrow if you are only changing indentation for one line. The top arrow changes the entire margins. The upward-pointing arrow on the right side controls how far you want the line to extend.
2. Remember to highlight the text you’re working with. Otherwise, any changes you make will apply to the entire document.

Maintained by the IT Help Desk - Last revised 3/7/16