Do a Hanging Indent

A hanging indent is a style of paragraph indentation in a word processing document. Unlike a paragraph that has the first line indented, the first line of a hanging indent is flush with the left side of the page and the rest of the paragraph's lines are indented slightly to the right. Creating a hanging indent may depend upon which word processing program you use; however, it is usually listed in paragraph formatting styles. Learn how to do a hanging indent.

Steps

MS Word Hanging Indent

1. Open your Microsoft Word document.
2. Write your paragraph. It is helpful to have some text and simply move your cursor, when you first create the indent.
   • Highlight the paragraph that you would like to be formatted with a hanging indent.
3. Click the "Format" menu in the top horizontal toolbar. Scroll down and click the "Paragraph" option.
   • In the 2007 version of MS Word, On the Page Layout tab, click the Paragraph Dialog Box Launcher.
4. Choose the "Indents and Spacing" section of the Paragraph formatting box.
5. Find the "Indentation" section. Click on the drop down box that says "Special."
6. Choose "Hanging" from the list.
7. Choose the size of the indent to the left of the list. The standard indent of 0.5 inches (1.27cm) will be used as default.
8. Click "Ok" to save your changes. Your paragraph should now have a hanging indent.
   • You can set the hanging indent format before you type any text. This will tell your Word document to do it automatically. If you prefer that the hanging indent isn't present throughout the document, return and indent highlighted portions after you type the text.

Open Office Hanging Indent

1. Open your document in Open Office.
2. Type some text into the document. Place the cursor next to the text where you would like to have a hanging indent.
   • You can also set the hanging indent before you start typing. Open Office will use this formatting style as a default.
3. Select the "Styles and Formatting" window located in the drop down menu.
4. Select "Hanging Indent" from the formatting options.
5. Adjust the amount of indent from the default in the paragraph formatting toolbar. Close the formatting window you used previously.
   • Click "Format" from the menu. Select "Paragraph" from the list of formatting options.
   • Click on the "Indents & Spacing" section. You should see the words "Before text" and "First line."
   • Use the up and down arrow buttons to increase or decrease the hanging indent.

Tips

• Always save your work frequently when working in a word processing program.

Related Articles

• Indent the First Line of Every Paragraph in Microsoft Word
• Write a MLA Reference Page
• Format a Block Quote
• Insert a Hyperlink on Microsoft Word

Sources and Citations

• http://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/FAQ/Writer/FormattingText/How_do_I_create_a_hanging_indent_in_my_document%3F

See also

• Write Footnotes
• Use LaTeX for Text Formatting
• Make a Process Document
• Preserve Formatting When Using Copy and Paste
• Use Styles in Word Processing
• Design Brochures
• Mail Merge Address Labels Using Excel and Word
• Add a Check Mark to a Word Document
• Create a Form Using a Word Processor
• Write Word Documents to a CD