Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Indenting a Paragraph to the Next Tab Stop.

Indenting a Paragraph to the Next Tab Stop

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 15, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Using the toolbar, you can quickly and easily indent a paragraph to the next tab stop for that paragraph. If there are no explicit tab stops set for the paragraph, then it will be indented to the next default tab stop (usually 1/2 inch). To indent a paragraph to the next tab stop, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure the insertion point is in the paragraph that you want to indent, or that you have selected text in all the paragraphs you wish to indent the same.
  2. Click on the Increase Indent tool.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1172) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Indenting a Paragraph to the Next Tab Stop.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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