Understanding Tabs in Word 2013-PC
Tab Facts:
There are 5 types of tabs.
There are 3 types of leader characters that can precede tabs jumps.
Tabs are used for character or column alignment.
Tabs are set per paragraph not per line.
Tab positions can be set/shifted/cleared visually by the ruler line or numerically by the tab
window (On menu bar, click Format, Tabs).
Tab positions are defaulted to 0.5” if no tabs are manually set.
Tab types:
Left Tab – to align characters or columns from the left side
Centered Tab – to center characters or columns at a specific location
Right Tab – to align characters or columns from the right side
Decimal Tab – to align decimals in a column of numbers at a specific location
Bar Tab – to create a vertical line down the page at a specific location
Leaders:
........
Dots
------
Dashes
____
Underscore
Tabs can be set by the ruler line:
Tab selection button
Click location on ruler line
To change position, click and drag tab mark along ruler line to new position. Using the ALT
key while dragging, allows for more exact location.
To clear a tab, click and drag tab mark straight down off ruler line
Tabs can be set numerically by using the tab window:
On Page Layout tab, click on Paragraph Settings button, then Tabs.
To set:
- Type number or decimal in inches
under Tab stop position
- Select type of tab alignment
- Select type of leader
- Click Set
To clear:
- Click on tab position in list above
Tab stops to be cleared
- Click Clear
or
- Click Clear All to clear all tab positions in list
Examples:
Left tab:
Food
Gas
Vacation
Centered tab: Right tab:
Food
Food
Gas
Gas
Vacation
Vacation
Decimal tab:
45.00
1234.56
2.98
Leaders with right tab:
............ Food
----------- Gas
___ Vacation
Bar tab: