How to do hanging indent on the Word? Complete guide?

Hanging indentation is created by indenting (spacing) the first line of a paragraph from the left margin and the subsequent lines from the second margin. It ensures that the information is consistent and readable. It is also used for bulleted and numbered lists. So, let’s check how to form a hanging indent in the Word:

What is a hanging indent?

So, what is a hanging indent, A hanging indent, sometimes called a second line indent, offsets the second line. This indentation is usually five spaces and is converted to half an inch. Hanging indents also are most often used in academic journals to make it easier for readers to see the breaks between citations.

Why use hanging indentation?

Hanging indentation is typically used in bibliographies, citations of works, and reference lists. The following style guides require it:

• American Psychologic Association (APA)
• AP Communication Style Book
• Chicago Manual of Style
• Modern Speech Association (MLA)

Hanging indentation is typically used in academic works. However, even in business documents, you may use hanging indents. This indentation is useful because it separates citations visually and enables you to read the author and work names quickly.

How to put a hanging indent in Word?

Highlight the text or Paragraph and press Ctrl+T to create a new hanging indent. Word automatically indents it to the next default tab stop if the text does not have a different tab stop (usually 0.5 inches). After that, each time you press this shortcut, the hanging indent increases by one.

You can also have the option to click Shift+Ctrl+T to undo the hanging indent you just created.

This is the simplest method to make a hanging indent on a citation page in Word.

How to do Hanging Indentation on Word for Mac?

Follow the following steps

Step 1

Highlight a paragraph in the document.

Step 2

Click Format in the main menu and choose Paragraph to open the Paragraph dialog box. So, this dialog box enables you to format all paragraphs, including page breaks and spacing.

Step 3

If the Indentation and Spacing tab is not selected, click it. The Paragraph dialogue pack has two tabs: “Indentation and spacing” and “Line gaps and page gaps.”

Step 4

Click the “Special” pull-down menu in the Indent section and then select “Hanging.”

Step 5

Click the By field and enter the value to use for the hanging indent in inches. By default, a half-inch hanging indent is applied.

Step 6

Click the OK option to use the hanging indent to the desired text.

Use keyboard shortcuts to create a hanging or first line indent

You can use Ctrl+T to apply a hanging indent to a paragraph. This shortcut moves all lines except the first to the next tab stop. Word indents to the first defaulting tab stop if no user-defined tab ends in the Paragraph. So, if you hold down Ctrl+T, Word will continue to indent to the right in tab stop units.

Press Ctrl+Shift+T to reduce or remove the indent (shifting to the left).

So, if you push a paragraph at the start and push the TAB key, Word indents the first line to the first user-defined tab stop or the first default tab stop.

How to Enable Hanging Indentation in Chrome OS

I also remember the Chromebook user. Chrome OS is designed to work fast and effortlessly with a focus on web applications and cloud storage. So, we suggest employing the lightweight Microsoft Word web app. Sign on with your Microsoft account to access it here.

Follow the following steps

Step 1:

 With the Word document open via the Microsoft online service, highlight the text you want to change to a hanging indent.

Step 2:

Look to the right of the top menu options and find the three-dot icons for more settings. Then, select it.

Step 3:

You can start from the drop-down menu that appears select Special Indent. Then choose Hanging. The indentation should now be applied.

Step 4:

Please note that the documents you created in this web app are stored in OneDrive and easily accessible from other computers.

Other ways to indent paragraphs

When you bullet or numbering, Microsoft Word automatically changes the indentation of a paragraph’s first and second lines.

If you are accustomed to using Word styles, you can apply, modify, or create styles that include hanging or first-line indentation. It is best to work with long documents with many indented paragraphs.

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