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.

Quickly Displaying the Tabs Dialog Box

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 8, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


4

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.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Improper Index References

When indexing a document, you may get some funny results once in a while. If you get single index entries when you were ...

Discover More

Adding a Background to Your Document

Document backgrounds come in handy if you plan on converting the document to a Web page. Here's how you can add a ...

Discover More

Conditionally Highlighting a Milestone Cell

Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out the exact formula you should use to properly apply a conditional formatting ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Automatically Setting Right Leader Tabs

If you have a constant need to define tabs at the edge of the right margin, you'll love the macro-based technique ...

Discover More

Setting Tab Stops Using the Tabs Dialog Box

Aligning different lines in your document is easy. Using the tab stops feature in Word, you can set four different types ...

Discover More

Setting Decimal Tabs in a Table Using the Keyboard

Most people use the mouse to set tab stops in the paragraphs in a table. If you prefer to not use the mouse, then you'll ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 + 5?

2022-10-11 18:34:18

Steven Wells

For Eva, using post-2003 Word, Microsoft makes a great many "button-worthy" commands available for the QAT. No need for a macro to get a button for access to the Tabs dialog box.
On some (perhaps most/all) ribbon versions, select the File tab and click Options. Note the order of points of interest in the Options dialog.
(see Figure 1 below)

Figure 1. Place a Tabs button on the QAT.


2022-10-11 18:22:53

Steven Wells

If Microsoft had placed a Tab toolbar button on the toolbar, users might have explored or discovered details about tabs. I add the built-in tab command to a button on my toolbar and use the button editor to make an unmistakable button.
(see Figure 1 below)

User with later ribbon versions of Word can add the tab command to the QAT, but don't have the free-form image editor. (One of the reasons to enjoy pre-ribbon Word.)

Figure 1. Edit a Tab toolbar button image


2022-10-11 05:00:34

Steven Wells

If Microsoft had placed a Tab toolbar button on the toolbar, users might have explored or discovered details about tabs. I add the built-in tab command to a button on my toolbar and use the button editor to make an unmistakable button.
(see Figure 1 below)

User with later ribbon versions of Word can add the tab command to the QAT, but don't have the free-form image editor. (One of the reasons to enjoy pre-ribbon Word.)

Figure 1. Edit a Tab toolbar button image


2022-10-10 10:55:56

Eva Whitley

I wonder why MS didn't make this a button that could be put on the QAT? I know I could make a macro to do that, but I do wonder how they decide which commands are "button-worthy."


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.