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: Quickly Displaying the Tabs Dialog Box.
A handy shortcut to quickly display the Tabs dialog box (See Figure 1.) is to double-click on the ruler just below the markings appearing there. Make sure you double-click at the bottom of the ruler, not at the top. (If you double-click at the top, the Page Setup dialog box appears.)
Figure 1. The Tabs dialog box.
You should note that when you double-click on the ruler, you may also inadvertently set a tab stop. If you want to delete the newly placed tab stop, you can do so at the Tabs dialog box.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (994) 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: Quickly Displaying the Tabs Dialog Box.
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Tabs don't normally show up in your printed document, but Word allows you to still search for them. All you need to do is ...
Discover MoreIf you don't explicitly set tab stops in a paragraph, Word relies upon a default tab stop distance. You can adjust that ...
Discover MoreNeed to delete some tabs tops in a paragraph? It's easy to do using the Tabs dialog box, as described in this tip.
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2016-04-28 15:32:52
With just about any version of Word of the past 15 years, to set a paragraph (or multiple paragraphs) to be right-aligned (that is, flush right), right-click within the paragraph (or selection of paragraphs.) In the context menu that appears, click Paragraph to open the Paragraph dialog box where you can set alignment, indentations, spacing, line and page breaks, tabs, and so forth.
2016-04-27 12:09:08
Awyatt
Rick: If you don't have a Format menu, then you probably aren't using a version of Word that this tip is designed for. See the information at the beginning and end of the tip for a link to a tip that should work for you.
-Allen
2016-04-27 11:56:30
I want to flush right. I cannot double click under the ruler because it won't let you do that at the right margin. So I'm supposed to go to the Format Menu? THERE IS NO FORMAT MENU!!
Why can't we all just go back to WordPerfect?
2015-06-14 17:10:20
I can't add a graphic image to a comment, but anyone who'd like to recreate my Tab toolbar button can click my name to send me an email. I can email you back a simple graphic that shows how to draw the button that I created. It is very easy.
2015-06-13 20:57:07
Rick M
Very helpful, many thanks.
2013-09-07 05:30:41
The absence of a tab button on the standard toolbar probably hinders the average user from discovering how tabs really work. Many users treat tabs like some oddly behaved giant spacebar.
I place the built in Tab toolbar button onto a toolbar, and don't have to worry about accidentally setting a tab or invoking page setup. The button doesn't have a button image associated with it, so I created a nice icon for it that makes its purpose unmistakable.
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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: 
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