Windows 7 / Getting Started

Setting Paragraph Tabs

Tabs set text or numerical data alignment in relation to the edges of a document. A tab stop is a predefined stopping point along the document's typing line. Default tab stops are set every half-inch on the ruler, but you can set multiple tabs per paragraph at any location. Each paragraph in a document contains its own set of tab stops. The default tab stops do not appear on the ruler, but the manual tab stops you set do appear. Once you place a tab stop, you can drag the tab stop to position it where you want. If you want to add or adjust tab stops in multiple paragraphs, simply select the paragraphs first.

Create and Clear a Tab Stop

  1. Select the text or click in the paragraph you want to format.
  2. Click the ruler where you want to set the tab stop.
    • View ruler. Click the View tab, and then select the Ruler check box.
  3. To move a tab, drag the tab stop to position it where you want.
  4. To clear a tab stop, drag it off the ruler.

Tip You can insert the date and time in WordPad. Open a document in WordPad, click to place the insertion point, click the Date And Time button on the Home tab, select a format, and then click OK.

Changing the Word Wrap Display

As you type a complete line of text, it wraps to the next line. Depending on your preference, you can change the Document window to display text wrapped to the window or ruler. To change word wrap options, click the View tab, click the Word Wrap button, and then click the word wrap option you want. The wrapping options affect only how text appears on your screen. When printed, the document uses the margin settings specified in Page Setup.

[Previous] [Contents] [Next]