How to Align Text in MS Word

Writing in Microsoft Word is more than just typing. Using MS Word also consists of formatting your document. You may want to center a title, put your address on the right side of the screen, keep your text aligned on the left, or justify your type across the entire line. It's simple to align your work if you know how.

Things You'll Need

• MS Word

Instructions

Aligning Text Horizontally

1. 

   Open a new MS Word document by clicking File > New Blank Document.

2. 

   Open the Formatting Palette by clicking View > Formatting Palette. It will have a check mark next to it when it is open.

3. 

   Type text into the new document that you want to align.

4. 

   Highlight the text you want to align. Do this by clicking and holding the mouse where you want to start highlighting, drag to where you want to stop, and release the mouse button.

5. 

   Click on the Formatting Palette or the Formatting Toolbar to align text. You can click on "Aligh Left," "Align Center," "Align Right," or "Justify." If you have trouble figuring out which is which, hold your mouste over the options and a text box will appear to tell you. The toolbar is located above the document window and the formatting palette is usually to the left of the document window, but can be moved by dragging it.

6. 

   Deselect the text and your text is aligned. Deselected by clicking anywhere with your mouse.

Tips & Warnings

• Horizontally aligning text is simple and can be changed as many times as you want.

• Proper alignment can make your paper stand out amongst unformatted papers.

• The Formatting Toolbar and the Formatting Palette do the same thing. The image in Step 3, shows both.

• Align Right means the text will be flush with the documents right border.

• Align Left means the text will be flush with the documents left border.

• Align Center means the text will be be centered across the document.

• Justify means the characters will spread out across the line to fill the space.