Tab Doesn't Line Up with Hanging Paragraph

ID: Q125491

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1

SYMPTOMS

When you press the TAB key at the beginning of a hanging paragraph, the text does not align with the rest of the paragraph. Instead, the tabbed text moves to the default tab position.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the setting "Don't add automatic tab stop for hanging indent" is selected.

RESOLUTION

Use Method 1 if you want to change the appearance of all hanging paragraphs in the document; use Method 2 if you want to change only one paragraph.

Method 1: Enable the automatic tab stop with the following steps:

          1. From the Tools menu, select Options.

          2. Select the Compatibility tab.

          3. Clear the "Don't add automatic tab stop for hanging indent"
             box.

Method 2: Set the tab manually with the following steps:

          1. Move the insertion point into the paragraph whose tab setting
             you want to change.

          2. From the Format menu, choose Tabs.

          3. Type the Tab Stop Position you want to use.

          4. Choose OK.

MORE INFORMATION

When you press the TAB key in a paragraph that has a custom hanging indent, Word typically moves the tabbed text to the same position as the rest of the paragraph.

In most cases, a tab in a hanging indent aligns at the same position as the indent of the second line of the paragraph and matches the setting for the hanging indent under Format Paragraph.

For example, Word usually aligns a hanging paragraph like this:

1. <Tab>    text text text text text text text text text text text text
            text text text text text text text text text text text text

However, when the "Don't add automatic tab stop for hanging indent" option is selected, pressing the Tab key after the "1." produces this effect:

1. <Tab> text text text text text text text text text text text text text

            text text text text text text text text text text text

KBCategory: kbusage KBSubcategory: kbformat Additional reference words: 6.0 6.0a 6.0c winword hanging indent indents word6 tab tabs align line up options

Keywords          : kbformat 
Version           : 6.0 6.0a 6.0c
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: February 6, 1998