How to Create, Change, and Delete Tabs in Microsoft Word

Learn how to create, change, and delete tabs in Microsoft Word. This tutorial also shows how to change your default tab.
These steps are for Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:11 Five Types of Tab Stops in Word
2:34 Create Tabs on the Ruler
3:55 Change Tabs on the Ruler
4:12 Delete Tabs on the Ruler
4:39 Change Word's Default Tab
=== Companion Blog Post/Transcript for this Video ===
How to Create, Change, and Delete Tabs in Microsoft Word
erinwrightwriting.com/tabs-in...
=== Videos and Blog Posts Mentioned in this Video ===
How to Indent Paragraphs in Microsoft Word (Video)
• How to Indent Paragrap...
=== Related Information ===
How to Use Microsoft Word Playlist: • How to Change Your Use...
How to Use the Ruler in Microsoft Word
• How to Use the Ruler i...
Please visit my blog at erinwrightwriting.com for more easy-to-follow tips on writing, editing, and document software.
Thank you for watching!
#microsoftword #microsoft365
All Rights Reserved © 2024 Erin Wright

[@erinwrightwriting]

You can find the companion blog post listing all the steps shown in this video at erinwrightwriting.com/tabs-in-microsoft-word/. Thank you for watching!

[@tahlilahmed5667]

Thanks a lot, but i use Office 2019, my tab key moves the cursor right so what does cause that?

[@erinwrightwriting]

@@tahlilahmed5667 That's a great question! By default, the Tab key always moves the cursor to the right. However, you can adjust the amount the cursor is moved by setting tab stops in the ruler or changing the default in the Paragraph dialog box.

[@Claptonfan]

By far, I mean BY FAR, the clearest and most user-friendly and helpful explanation I have ever seen and heard!! Thank you.

[@erinwrightwriting]

That is so kind of you to say! Thank you for watching!

[@glendatexan9019]

I found this very helpful in explaining how to manage tabs. Also, I didn't realize about the Bar Tab until you clicked on it -- that falls into the "learn something new every day" category! Thank you.

[@erinwrightwriting]

The "learn something new every day" category is one of my favorite categories. 🙂 Thank you for watching!

[@johnq3543]

Thank you Erin. This is the first of your tutorials I have seen and you had me at hello! I look forward to learning from you.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I am delighted to hear that! Thank you for watching!

[@vanessarobinson3457]

This is an excellent, short tutorial with elevated yet comprehensive vocabulary.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I appreciate your positive feedback! Thank you for watching!

[@poucedeleon]

Erin, Great video. This is a topic I did not understand and you explained it clearly and the volume for perfect.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I appreciate your kind words! Thank you for watching!

[@adoreshorses7480]

Amazing explanation, very clear and this helped me a lot. Thank you!

[@erinwrightwriting]

I really appreciate your kind words! Thank you for watching!

[@Javeedimrankhan]

Thank you so much for this video

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@markrutledge5855]

Very helpful video. The step by step approach is easy to follow. Much appreciated.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I am so glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!

[@mehrak2]

Super clear and helpful!

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[@microsoftsarker]

thanks for uploading

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@sallysamir6649]

Thank you :)

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! 😀

[@Kalamfelnet]

i DO LOVE U & UR WAY OF EXPANDING ERIN. THIS IS A LOVE 4 U FROM EGYPT

[@erinwrightwriting]

Hello to you in Egypt! Thank you so much for watching!

[@sammyg5693]

Very easy to follow, nice pace, explained each topic of learning fully and clearly.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I really appreciate your kind words! Thank you for watching!

[@jay6477]

Holy crap thankyou so much.... This is so helpful......

[@erinwrightwriting]

I am so glad that it was helpful! Thank you for watching!

[@paduprakash]

Well explained. This video was very helpful. Thanks a lot for sharing. Request you to please make a similar tutorial for adding photographs in word document especially placing it adjacent to each other horizontally and setting the layout of the text around the photographs.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching my tutorial. I am delighted to hear it was helpful! I do have a tutorial about images in Word, which explains moving images and adjusting the layout with the text: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpjHY4SIZdGnn8U. Best of luck!

[@jcepri]

This is fantastic.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much!

[@5uperM]

Nice tutorial.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you!

[@mahmoudelswerky8998]

ThankYou

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@danish__official5374]

Wonderful video Erin.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much!

[@danish__official5374]

@@erinwrightwriting You are Welcome.

[@JavidShah_RD]

Very Good.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much!

[@oyunominyuunmn4953]

thank you

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@jimvashro2872]

Thanks you for your clear and easy to understand explanation. I have been using MS word since it started and never understood tabs. Thanks! I got to this video, however, looking for information on "tabs for pages" like Excel has, my understanding is that capability only exists with a separate purchased add on. Thanks for your demonstrations, I am going to subscribe to your youtube channel.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing. You are correct that Word doesn't have built-in tab functionality like Excel does. I wish it did, though!

[@alinaqi4073]

It really works❤️✨

[@erinwrightwriting]

I'm happy to hear that ! Thank you for watching!

[@dhanushsekar8120]

crystal clear explanation

[@erinwrightwriting]

I am happy to hear that! Thank you for watching!

[@siddharthdash8946]

Good explanation for how to delete a tab

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much!

[@socman002]

Thank you so much. Was waiting 5 years to learn this. Nasty tab problems here I come to defeat you ;)

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching. I hope you defeat all the wayward tabs!

[@darylhrobsky2722]

Giọng anh rất hay, cảm xúc nữa ạ.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you!

[@sele2150]

Than you

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@domesticatedranger7623]

THANK YOU!!! Tabs have been driving me nuts, but now, thank to your video, I can stop pulling my hair out!

[@erinwrightwriting]

I am so glad to hear that! Thank you for watching!

[@user-ki6vh6bl6f]

so good

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you!

[@meaganrebello9108]

Hi Erin! Thank you so much for this video! I learned something new today :)! Also, my tab stops are in cms. How do I change this to inches?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching! I have a separate tutorial showing how to change the unit of measurement for the ruler, which will also change the unit of measurement options for tabs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXLRhpmKmdKto8U.

[@gamalabdelbaky8861]

Hi Erin . many thanks for your illustrative examples. I actually have a problem related the the page numbering in word 365 for Mac. the page numbers do not show up. is there a solution for that?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching! I have never encountered that issue in Word for Mac, so I'm afraid I don't have a solution. However, you may want to try double-clicking the header or footer area to activate it and the pressing Ctrl + Shift + p to see if the keyboard shortcut will insert visible page numbers. Best of luck!

[@EDRISSALEXIS21]

Where is the link for that "separate tutorial" you mentioned @ 5:12 to change default tabs for all future docs? Thanks. Great demonstration.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching...and for the reminder! I haven't created that tutorial yet, but I will make sure it is on my list. Thanks again!

[@mumblinge5892]

I have a document that has indents within indents that are 4 to 6 layers deep. The size of the indents could/should be much smaller thus making the document more manageable. I'm hoping there's a way to keep the file structure (indents within indents) and change the size of the indentations all at once (i.e. take a big grouping of indents within indents and change the amount of indentation from something like 0.5" to 0.2"). Is something like that even possible? TIA

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! That is a great question. Unfortunately, I am not aware of a way to change multiple layers of indents simultaneously. I do hope you are able to find a workable solution. Good luck!

[@erroreliminator2.076]

Is there a video on the method mentioned at 2:18 ? Great vid btw.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching! I don't have a tutorial on the method mentioned at 2:18, yet. However, here is a diagram from Microsoft support that explains it a little more: support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-or-add-tab-stops-06969e0f-2c81-4fe0-8df5-88f18087a8e0.

[@mamta1593]

Hi, I am having trouble in setting the contents inside the table. May be I have done some setting inside the table so contents in the table are all haphazard (all are situated vertically in the column even there is space), what to do to set all the contents in the table?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! If the text in the cells is vertical rather than horizontal, select the whole table, right-click it, and then select Text Direction from the shortcut menu. A dialog box will appear that will allow you to change the direction.

[@mzmrize039]

What if the Microsoft Word 365 is on an iPhone? How do you set tabs in that case?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! Word for the iPhone doesn't have full tab functionality. However, if you tap the screen to bring up the shortcut menu, you can then select Insert > Tab. I hope that helps!

[@navyretired230]

Hi Erin, How do we create the tab bar in office 365? You word does not have the tab bar which we are so use to using.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching! In the current versions of Word, the tabs only appear in the ruler. You can turn the ruler on and off in the View tab. Best of luck!

[@joyobianuo7]

Because of you, I’ll pass my exam tomorrow

[@erinwrightwriting]

I am happy to hear that! Good luck on your exam!

[@tommyharris5817]

I used a 0.1cm tab and pressed15 times to separate a piece of text to the right. How do I un-do this to bring the text together again?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! If you select the affected text, you should be able to move the markers on the ruler to move the text back to its original location. Best of luck!

[@sharonhigginbotham3945]

About the tab selector, I don't have what is showing on your screen. In the upper left corner is a selection of arrows up, down, up and down, straight line... how can I switch it to tab selector like you have?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Hello, Sharon. Thank you for watching! I am sorry to hear that your tab selector is missing. Can you tell me which version of Word you are using?

[@sharonhigginbotham3945]

@@erinwrightwriting I did a little more recent search and it turns out to be a different version of word. It is still a tab stop marker but just looks very different.

[@lynng3421]

Hi, I need to set multiple tabs and make permanent each time.. help

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! If you want to reuse the same tabs, I believe the best method is to set them on the ruler of a bank document and then save the file as a template that you can reuse as necessary. I don't have a tutorial on that topic yet. However, here as an article from Microsoft support that you might find helpful: support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-template-86a1d089-5ae2-4d53-9042-1191bce57deb.

[@kevinfarrell523]

Incomprehensible

[@Mash-10]

Hello. Could you pleaaase help me? I have an assignment due but my Microsoft word document does not have design tab or shading button or borders button. I have tried everything I can. I tried going through the option button but that also is not there. What do I do? Thank you in advance.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble. Are you using Word for the PC, Mac, or the web app?

[@Mash-10]

@@erinwrightwriting I have fixed it. Thank you for reaching out back to me. I just had to download the app on my computer.

[@erinwrightwriting]

@@Mash-10 I am glad you fixed it! I wish you all the best with your assignment!

[@Bileh394]

What is s tabs

[@tedmoy]

how do you delete End-of-cell markers (from tables) without impacting the previous formatting?

[@erinwrightwriting]

That is a very interesting question. As far as I know, you can't actually delete the end-of-cell markers without deleting the cell itself. However, you can hide all formatting marks by selecting the Show/Hide button in the Home tab. Thank you for watching!

[@tedmoy]

@@erinwrightwriting The document has information pulled in from a SharePoint site, which contains rows and rows of pre-formatted tables. I tried revealing all codes to see where the formatting starts and ends, but I when I delete these markers, it corrupts the previous rows of information that I need and the format it originally is.🤷‍♂

[@keegancan]

Any experience aligning page number in the table?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching! I have a separate tutorial about inserting page numbers in Word: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2manISmm5qqgrM. Best of luck!

[@keegancan]

@@erinwrightwriting Hey, I meant in the table of contents page. The page numbers don't align. Maybe I can send a screenshot, if you are unsure.

[@maksed_23]

I'm trying to delete table on the second page when I do it the table on the second page also gets deleted

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! If you insert section breaks, you can insert and delete tabs in one section without affecting the other sections. I have a tutorial on section breaks that you may find useful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6mzf4imaa6EkKs. All the best!

[@mishiwriteswarishajadoon2020]

How to add tabs with ur own name or title

[@cfallon15]

I'm not finding the tutorial that teaches how to remove the default tabs in Microsoft 365

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching my video. I haven't created a tutorial about removing default tabs yet. I do hope you are able to find the information you need online. Best of luck!

[@homerorodriguez3286]

how to create a word document with the appearance of a notebook and tabs in office 365 for Mac??

[@erinwrightwriting]

That is a very interesting question! I looked through all the available templates, but I couldn't find one that looked exactly like that. If I find one, I will be sure to post about it.

[@homerorodriguez3286]

@@erinwrightwriting the notebook layout view is possible in 365 for Mac?

[@christinapratt8101]

Hello, my tab stop disappears when I save, close and reopen my document. Why is this??

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! I am sorry to hear you are having trouble with your tabs. I just tested a few tabs on my version of Word (Word 365 on Windows 10) and wasn't able to replicate the issue, so I'm afraid I don't have any advice. However, I encourage you to report the issue to Microsoft support in case it's a software glitch. Best of luck!

[@wiggy720]

Erin how fix stubborn tabs

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! Can you give me a bit more information about how the tabs are being stubborn?

[@Andreas-wd4pu]

I dont have the left thing where i choose what tab i want

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching my video. Do you mean the entire ruler on the left is missing?

[@Andreas-wd4pu]

Yes but i figured out i didnt have the most updated version of word i updated it and i found it but thanks for the help

[@mamanresing7259]

how to bring up the tabs menu?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! To bring up the tabs menu, right-click your text, select Paragraph from the shortcut menu. Then, select the Tabs button in the Paragraph dialog box (the button is in the bottom, left-hand corner).

[@mamanresing7259]

@@erinwrightwriting omg thankyou!

[@parsbisht5254]

Can you teach me MS Excel?

[@erinwrightwriting]

I don't currently have any Excel tutorials; however, I am considering creating some in the future. Thank you for watching my video!

[@PeteWMCD]

i cant find a way to change my entire novel from .45 tab to .28 ... Ive tried everything but they do not move ?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! Are you trying to indent the first line of each paragraph through your manuscript from .45 to .28?

[@PeteWMCD]

@@erinwrightwriting I've managed to fix it from your post just now. Three cheers for Erin 👍🥳

[@erinwrightwriting]

@@PeteWMCD I am happy to hear that! I wish you all the best with your novel!

[@PeteWMCD]

@@erinwrightwriting fingers crossed I'll let you no 🤞👍

[@douglasrocha1474]

Quanta resenha pra uma simples explicação...

[@suniljha9452]

भाई मुझे english के वीडियो समझ में कम आता हैं

[@patriciajones6430]

Good info but you talk to soft. Your video needs to be louder. Next you need to have all the tab info in one video so we don't have to hunt thru several different videos.

[@Anthony_in_Bloomington_Indiana]

You are supposed to know how to ask nicely. I had similar problems with a few of my students. They were all in kindergarten and 6 years old. By the time my students reached the ripe old age of 7, they all knew how to play nice.

[@juliemichael3619]

Well I can’t be jobless forever