

Type the Cmd+T (Mac) or Ctrl+T (Windows). Click and drag the mouse to select the text where you’d like to apply the hanging indent.Ģ. If that’s what your style guide recommends, then you can use this method.ġ. The keyboard shortcut for a hanging indent is Cmd+T in Mac and Ctrl+T in Windows.īy default, the succeeding lines are indented by 0.5 inch. It’s best to use this method if you’ve already typed or pasted all the citations in your document. In this section, I'll explain the steps for each method: Method 1. There are three methods you can use to make a hanging indent. Let’s get started by making a hanging indent in Microsoft Word. Check the style you’re using to know if you should use first line indents of paragraph spacing. Now that word processing software like Microsoft Word makes it easy to increase the spaces between paragraphs, first line indents are no longer in popular use.īut the Chicago Manual of Style, APA, and other style guides still recommend first line indents instead of extra spacing between paragraphs. The rest of the lines are set to the left margin.įirst line indents visually separate one paragraph from another. As the name implies, only the first line of the paragraph is indented. First Line Indent: Another Type of IndentationĪ more common kind of indentation is the first line indent. They’re helpful because they visually separate citations, making it easy to quickly scan through the author names or works titles. But even in a business document, you may also decide to use hanging indents. Hanging indents are usually used in academic and scholarly works. American Psychological Association (APA).Hanging indents are typically used in bibliographies, citations of works, and reference lists. It’s also known as a “second line indent” and “reverse indent.”


What Is a Hanging Indent and Why Would You Use It?Ī hanging indent is when the first line of the paragraph is flush at the margin, and all succeeding lines of the paragraph are indented. If you’re on a different version, the interface may look a little different for you. Note: In this tutorial, I’m using Microsoft Word for Mac version 16.46. Plus, I'll share a bit about how premium Word templates can help you work more quickly and produce a better-looking document. I’ll walk you through each of those methods and when to use one or the other. You’ll also learn the steps for adding a first line indent.Īs you’ll soon see, you can use different methods to make indents and hanging indents in Word. This tutorial shows you, step-by-step, how to add a hanging indent in Word. Word templates like this newsletter template can be modified by adding indents. In that way, indents help make your document more pleasant to look at and easier to read. They're used to set off one paragraph from each other. While preparing a document in Word, you may find yourself having to add a hanging indent or first line indent.
