Tabs are a paragraph-formatting feature used to align text. When you press the Tab key, Word inserts a tab character and moves the insertion point to the tab setting, called the tab stop. You can set custom tabs or use Word’s default tab settings.

Tabs are set to distribute text evenly between the left and right margins. Word’s default tabs are set every half-inch. These tabs are indicated at the bottom of the horizontal ruler by tiny tick marks.

If you don’t want to use the default tabs that are set at half-inch tabs, you have two choices. Change the distance between the default/existing tabs or create custom tabs.

1. Left-aligned,

2. Centered,

3. Right-aligned, and

4. Decimal-aligned.

Custom tab settings are indicated on the horizontal ruler by tab markers.

There are two ways to set tabs. By either using the Tabs Dialog Box or using the ruler.

Setting tabs by using the ruler is an easy, two-step process. Click the Tab Alignment button on the left of the ruler to choose the type of alignment and then click the position on the ruler to set the tab.

You can adjust tabs inserted in a document by using either the Tabs dialog box or the ruler (by clicking and dragging).

1. Step One - Go to the View menu and select Ruler. (Only do this if the ruler is not already visible)

2. Step Two - Locate the small box at the left end of the ruler. Click the box until the type of tab you want to insert (left, right, center, decimal) appears. If you can't tell what a tab is from the picture on the button, press the right mouse button and hover over the box.

3. Step Three - Click on the horizontal ruler in your document window in the position where you want to place the tab. A tab mark appears on the ruler.

4. Step Four - Press the Tab key to advance to your new tab stop.

It's easiest to set tabs with the ruler, but you can be more precise with the Tabs command.

Step One - Select the text to which you want to apply tabs.

Step Two - Go to the Format menu and select Tabs.

Step Three - Select the alignment you want for the tabs you are setting (left, right, center, and so on).

Step Four - Enter a number in inches in the Tab Stop Position box.

Step Five - Click the Set button to set the new tab stop.