How to Change the Default Paragraph Style in Microsoft Word

The default paragraph style in Microsoft Word is set to "Normal" and acts like a body text for your document. You can change this default style for any paragraph within your document.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Word 2003

Instructions

1. Start Microsoft Word and open an existing Word document that contains text.

2. Click to place your cursor in the paragraph you want to change. When you apply the style, it will be applied to the whole paragraph.

3. Choose the "Format" menu and click on "Styles and Formatting" from the menu. A task pane will appear to the right of the open document.

4. Select the "New Style" button from the task pane to open Word's "New Style" dialog box.

5. Key a name for the new style you have created in the "Name" text box and leave the "Style type" as "Paragraph."

6. Pick a style you wish to base the new style on from the "Style based on" drop-down menu. Then choose a style you would like to apply to the paragraph you have selected from the "Style for following paragraph" drop-down menu.

7. Make any formatting changes you would like to apply with your new style and click the "OK" button to close the dialog box.