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: Automatically Changing Tab Stops in the Footer.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 9, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Most of Chuck's documents have footers that have right-aligned information at the right margin. This information is aligned through the use of tab stops. (The footer contains information aligned to the left margin and to the right.) If Chuck changes the margins for the document, the footer no longer aligns at the right margin; it aligns at the old right margin (the one he changed). Chuck wonders if there is a way to have Word change the tab stops in his footer automatically whenever he changes the right margin for the document.
The short answer is that there is no way to do this by using tab stops; they are always calculated as a distance from the left margin. Even if you change the right margin, you aren't changing the distance of the tab stop from the left margin.
The solution is to not use tab stops. Instead, insert a two-column, one-row table in your footer. Set the width of the table to 100% and make sure the information in the right-most cell is right aligned. When you later change the margins of the document, the table automatically adjusts width and your information is correctly aligned.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8513) 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: Automatically Changing Tab Stops in the Footer.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
When press the Tab key while entering info into a table, Word dutifully moves to the next table cell. If you don't want ...
Discover MoreTab stops can be helpful when you want to align text within a paragraph. However, you might also want an easy way to get ...
Discover MoreMost 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 MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
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:
Comments