How to do a Hanging Indent on Microsoft Word

A hanging indent is a paragraph formatting style where the first line starts at the left margin and subsequent lines are indented to the right. Hanging indents are commonly used in bibliographies, references lists, outlines, and other places where differentiation of paragraphs is required.

In Microsoft Word, creating a hanging indent is simple once you know where to find the settings. There are a few different methods you can use depending on your preferences.

When to Use Hanging Indents

Hanging indents have several key uses:

• Bibliographies and reference lists – Styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago require entries in the bibliography or references list to have a hanging indent. This allows the reader to easily distinguish between different sources.
• Outlines and lists – Hanging indents help outline numbered or bulleted lists stand out on the page. The indent helps guide the reader’s eye down the list.
• Coding – When writing code samples, hanging indents improve readability by indicating code blocks. The indented lines are easily identifiable as code.

How to Create a Hanging Indent in Word

There are three main ways to create hanging indents in Word: using the ruler, the Paragraph dialog box, or keyboard shortcuts.

Use the Ruler

1. Highlight the text you want to indent.
2. Click and drag the bottom triangle on the ruler to the right. This will create a hanging indent.

The ruler method is great for quickly formatting short sections of text. However, it doesn’t allow precise control over the indentation amount.

Use the Paragraph Dialog Box

1. Highlight the text you want to indent.
2. Go to the “Home” tab and click the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the “Paragraph” section.
3. In the “Indentation” section, use the “Special” drop down to select “Hanging.”
4. You can enter the exact indentation amount in the “By” input box.
5. Click “OK.”

This method gives you more precision and control compared to using the ruler.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Highlight the text you want to indent.
2. Press CTRL + T on your keyboard. This will automatically apply a 0.5 inch hanging indent.

Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to quickly apply a hanging indent to text.

Adjusting Indentation Amount

The default hanging indent amount in Word is 0.5 inches. However, indentation requirements can vary depending on the style guide or your preferences.

To change the indentation amount:

• Ruler – Drag the bottom triangle marker to adjust.
• Paragraph Dialog Box – Enter a new amount in the “By” input box.
• Keyboard Shortcut – The CTRL + T shortcut always indents 0.5 inches. To customize, use the Paragraph dialog box instead.

Hanging Indents in Google Docs

To create a hanging indent in Google Docs:

1. Highlight the text you want to indent.
2. Click “Format” in the menu bar and select “Align & indent.”
3. Under “Indentation options,” choose “Special indent” then “Hanging.”
4. Enter an indentation amount and click “Apply.”

This will apply the same style hanging indent with precision indentation amounts.

Removing Hanging Indents

To remove a hanging indent:

1. Select the text with the existing indent.
2. Open the “Paragraph” dialog box.
3. Under “Indentation,” change “Special” to “(none).”
4. Click “OK.”

This will return the text to having a standard indent on the first line only.

Hanging Indents Improve Readability

Using hanging indents is an effective way to organize and differentiate text in Microsoft Word. Whether you’re creating a properly formatted bibliography or improving the readability of an outline, applying hanging indents only takes a few simple clicks.

Mastering hanging indents ensures your documents look professionally formatted. Review the step-by-step instructions above to quickly apply this useful formatting style to your Word documents.