Using the Ruler | How to become an Expert of MS Word - Class 6 PDF Download

The ruler

• You can adjust the width of margins, tabs, and indents in your document using the ruler.
• The ruler is helpful when you need to create several columns, show column placement, or show the distance between columns.

Hiding and displaying the ruler:

• Click View on the menu bar.
• Select Ruler.
• The ruler will appear at the top of the document.
  

• If you switch to Print Layout view (Choose View → Print Layout View), a vertical ruler displays along the left-hand side of the screen. To hide this vertical ruler, switch to a different layout view.)

Setting Tabs, Indents, & Margins Using The Ruler

Tabs

• Left tab
  : This moves text toward the right edge of the page as you type.
• Center tab
  : This centers text around the tab.
• Right tab
  : This moves text toward the left edge of the page as you type.
• Decimal tab
  : This aligns decimal numbers using the decimal point.

For Example:

• Bar tab
  : This draws a vertical line on the document.
• Indent
  : This inserts the indent marking anywhere along the ruler.
• Hanging Indent
  : This inserts a hanging indent anywhere along the ruler.

To Place a Tab or Indent on The Ruler:

• Click the cursor anywhere in the block of text you want to format.
• Click the tab selection button (upper-left of the ruler).
• Click the ruler where you want your tab or indent to be set.
• If you set up a new tab, press the Tab key to move your text to the new tab.
• If you set up a new indent, place the cursor at the new indent location.

Adjusting Tabs & Margins on The Ruler

To Move an Existing Tab or Indent on The Ruler:

• Point the mouse on the tab or indent you want to move.
• Click and hold the left mouse button until a dotted line appears below the tab.
• Drag the mouse to move the tab or indent to a new location.
• Release the left mouse button.

To Remove a Tab From The Ruler:

• Point the mouse on the tab you want to remove.
• Click and hold the left mouse button until a dotted line appears below the tab.
• Drag the mouse off of the ruler.
• Release the left mouse button.

To Adjust a Margin Using The Ruler:

• Point the mouse on the margin you want to move.
• Click and hold the left mouse button once a double arrow appears over the margin or until a dotted line appears below.
• Drag the mouse to increase or decrease the margin.
• Release the left mouse button.

Remember that you can also increase or decrease your Indents by using the Increase Indent/Decrease Indent buttons on the Formatting toolbar.