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How to Create a Hanging Indent in Word

Get the formatting right for references, works cited, and bibliographies

By Aaron Peters Aaron Peters Writer Villanova University Aaron Peters is a writer with Lifewire who has 20+ years experience troubleshooting and writing about consumer and business technology. His work appears in Linux Journal, MakeUseOf, and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 17, 2020 Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Southern New Hampshire University Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Word Excel Powerpoint Outlook

What to Know

Go to Home, select the Paragraph dialog box launcher. Go to Indents and Spacing, select the Special drop-down box, choose Hanging.Or, go to the View tab, select Ruler, highlight the paragraph, then move the bottom slider on the ruler.Apply to a style: Select the indented text. In the Styles group, right-click Normal and select Modify to create a custom hanging indent. This article explains three ways to set up a hanging indent in Word. Instructions apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.

How to Set up a Hanging Indent

Here are the basic steps for setting up a hanging indent. Open the document, select the paragraph you want to format as a hanging indent, then go to the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, select the dialog box launcher. In the Paragraph dialog box, select the Indents and Spacing tab. In the Indentation section, select the Special drop-down arrow and choose Hanging. In the By text box, enter a positive value using quarter-inch increments. The Preview section at the bottom of the dialog box shows how the text will look. Select OK. The paragraph you selected has a hanging indent. Place the cursor at the end of the paragraph and press Enter to create a new paragraph with a hanging indent. Alternatively, you can set a hanging indent using the ruler (located under the Ribbon). If you don't see it, go to the View tab. In the Show group, select Ruler. Select the paragraph that will have the hanging indent. Move the bottom (up-arrow) slider on the ruler to shift the text in the second row and below.

Use a Hanging Indent for References Works Cited or Bibliography List

Indenting all but the first line of a paragraph is a common style for bibliographical references and other citations. Here's how to create it. Highlight one or more entries that you want to have a hanging indent. Right-click the highlighted text, then select Paragraph. In the Paragraph dialog box, go to the Indentation section, select the Special drop-down arrow, then choose Hanging. In the By text box, enter a positive number in quarter-inch increments. Select OK. The entries you selected reflect the hanging indentation.

Apply a Hanging Indent to a Style

A style is a collection of formatting properties, such as bold, italics, double spacing, color, and size. You can add a hanging indent to a style, which you can later use instead of going through the process above each time you want to create a hanging indent. Here's how to do it: Open the document, then go to the Ribbon and select Home. In the Styles group, right-click the Normal style. From the menu, choose Modify. In the Modify Style dialog box, go to the Name text box and enter a new name for the style. Select the Format drop-down arrow and choose Paragraph. In the Paragraph dialog box, select the Special drop-down arrow and choose Hanging. Then, set the distance for the indentation. Select OK in each open dialog box to save your changes and close the dialog boxes. The hanging indent is applied to all text that uses the selected style. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Do a Hanging Indent in Google Slides How to Remove a Page Break in Word How to Indent in Word and Use Tabs and Rulers How to Insert a Document in Word How to Use APA Format in Google Docs How to Make a Brochure in Microsoft Word How to Delete a Blank Page in Word How to Indent Text or Decrease Quote Level in iPhone Mail How to Show the Ruler in Word Listing All the Macro Commands Available in Word How to Create Your Own Certificates With Word Templates How to Fix Spacing in Word How to Indent in Excel How to Reveal Formatting Marks and Codes in Word Change the Orientation of a Single Page In Word How to Use Excel's AutoFormat Feature Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies