Word 2013: Tab Stops

Stop using the space bar to align your text in your Word documents. Use Tab Stops for a perfectly clean and lined up look. Typically, when you hit the Tab key your cursor moves 1/2" to the right, but guess what? This is totally customizable. Here's an in-depth explanation about how Tab stops work, as well as how to show and hide characters!

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Microsoft Word 2013 tab stops tabs have
been around for practically as long as
people have been typing tabs are the
original method for arranging
information in rows and columns
although we can now use tables and word
there are still many situations the call
for tabs to be used a tab stop is a
user-defined place in a paragraph or tab
text needs to line up with the text on
the line above in order to form columns
when you press the tab key on your
keyboard a tab space is created that is
one-half inch
you can also create and set your own tab
stops there are several different kinds
of tab alignments that control how a tab
stop will line up with the text on the
previous row
there are also options for setting the
leader character leader characters are
used to make it easy for people to read
across the tab information you'll see a
little bit later how I'll do that to
create this menu a trail of periods is
most often used you can set tab types
from the ruler by clicking the tab
button located at the far left of the
ruler here you can see a left align tab
stop on each new line of text all the
atoms in the column will align teach
others left
this creates a centerline tab stop
so on each new line of text all the
items in the column will align to each
other center
this creates a write a line tab stop
so that means on each new line of text
all the items in the column will align
to each other's right
this creates a decimal line tab stop on
each new line of text all the items in
the column will align to each other's
decimal points and this creates a bar 0
line tab stop that creates a vertical
line on each new line of text all the
items in the column will align to each
others bars
this is used to simulate table column
borders
there are two other functions on this
button but they aren't tab stops there
are alternative methods for setting
first line in dense and hanging indents
i'll click backspace to bring the word
drink all the way back to the left
margin and i'll show you how you can use
the ruler to create tabs here you can
see I have a left tab stop
so what I'll do is go to the ruler
and maybe click on one inch when i do
that i get a left tab
so when i press the tab key it jumps
right to one inch
I could set another one where ever I
want for example 5 inches and if I press
tab again it will go to the 5 inch mark
but it's left aligned
maybe I'd like to make this right
aligned so to remove a tab stop from the
ruler
I'll just left click and pull away to
make a right align tab stop
I'll simply click until I change the
symbol and i'll click on five now when I
press tab
it's a write a line tab stop and I'll
pull this one away as well
another method is to right-click and
choose paragraph i could also access
this paragraph dialog box by using the
launcher on the home ribbon from here
i'll click on the tabs button here i can
set my tab stop position my alignment as
well as a leader and as i showed you
before by pressing the tab key my
default tab stops are set at one-half
inch so from before when I set that one
inch left tab stop manually you can see
that in my list but maybe I'd like to
create a different tab stop
maybe add five and a half inches so i'll
type in 5.5 but i'll make this one right
aligned and I need to click set
so now it's in my list and then i'll
click ok so from here i'll press tab on
my keyboard
I'll jump right to 5.5 inches and i'll
begin typing my text to make this menu
next I want to take the names of my
drinks and move them to the right a
little bit then have a leader all the
way over to the price and then i'll use
a decimal line tab stop to line up the
price is perfectly every time i press
enter
I create a new paragraph and sometimes
people show hidden characters
this can be easier to work with tab
stops when you can see them on the
screen a tab is a character of like a
space character it doesn't print and
normally can't be seen
you can display hidden characters by
clicking the button and the paragraph
section of the home ribbon the icon of
the show/hide button is the pilcrow
paragraph breaks created when you press
ENTER appear as paragraph symbols in
your document spaces appears mid-level
dots between other characters and tab
spaces
appear as arrows so like I said
technically espresso was on a new
paragraph
so when i launched the box and click on
tabs
I don't have any tab stops in my list
these tabs stop positions are specific
to each paragraph
i'll begin creating some tab stop
positions so here i'll type in . 5 i'll
make that left aligned for the drink
name and that will need to click set
next I'll create a tab stop position at
5.5 inches but i'll make this decimal
aligned and i'll use this leader and
i'll click set again and ok now when I
press tab
I'll get the leader and I can begin
typing in my prices and notice the tab
stop alignment at five and a half inches
and the decimal point in one dollar
eighty four cents lines up exactly with
that
so if i move to my next paragraph you'll
notice i don't have any tab set here
but what i can do is click cancel and
i'll select all of these paragraphs
right click and access my tabs box from
here i'll type in the tab stops that
like I'll do half an inch left tab
alignment
click set and i'll do another one at 5.5
with the decimal alignment and this
leader
always remember to click set and then
i'll click ok so now i can press tab
I'll get the leader and i can type in my
price
and remember i still have that left tab
stop at half an inch so i can always go
over here and click tab and I can also
click here press tab and continue to
type in my prices so things look pretty
good
they're all lined up at exactly five and
a half inches right on the decimal
maybe I'd like to move price single /
double so i'll click here and i can
simply drag this over to exactly where I
want I could also select all these
paragraphs
click through here until I find the
barline tab and assign it right here
howdy select hide my characters and
finish up some formatting and that's tab
stops in Microsoft Word 2013