Align Text
Microsoft Word provides four options for aligning text: left, right, centered, and justified. Because text is aligned in relation to the paragraph margins, any alignment you apply to a text selection will be applied to the entire paragraph.
By default, the text you type is left-aligned—that is, it is aligned along the left margin. Use the Formatting toolbar to change the alignment:
- Select the text you want to align (or position the insertion point where you plan to type).
- On the Formatting toolbar, click the Align Right
button.
The text is aligned with the right margin, but not with the left.
- Now, click the Align Left
button.
The text is once again aligned along the left margin.
- Click the Center
button.
The text is centered between the left and right margins.
- Finally, click the Justify
button.
Word inserts spaces between the words, forcing the text to line up along both the left and right margins.
Tip:
Because Word inserts additional spaces when justifying text, justification is not normally recommended for Word documents.
The alignment options also appear in the Paragraph dialog box:
- From the Format menu, select Paragraph.
- If necessary, click the Indents and Spacing tab.
- Select the alignment from the Alignment drop-down menu.
