How to indent a paragraph on Google Docs mobile

A great way to draw attention to important areas within your document is to add an indent or tab. There are several ways you can indent text in Google Docs; however, it's important to use these tools appropriately and indent correctly each time. This can save time and make the editing process go smoothly.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to create tabs and indents using tab stops and the Ruler. You'll also learn how to adjust indents using the Increase indent and Decrease indent buttons.

Watch the video to learn how to add indents and tab stops in Google Docs.

Indenting text

In many types of documents, you may want to indent only the first line of each paragraph. This helps to visually separate paragraphs from one another.

To indent using the Tab key:

A quick and common way to indent is to use the Tab key. This will create a first-line indent of a half-inch.

1. Place the insertion point at the very beginning of the paragraph you want to indent.
2. Press the Tab key on the keyboard. The text in the first line will move to the right by a half-inch.

To indent using the Indent shortcut buttons:

If you want to indent all lines in a paragraph, you can use the Increase indent and Decrease indent shortcut buttons.

1. Select the text you want to indent.
2. Click the Increase indent shortcut button to increase the indent by increments of a half-inch.
3. All lines of the paragraph will indent.
4. Click the Decrease indent shortcut button to decrease the indent by increments of a half-inch.

You can also click Format from the toolbar. Then, hover over Align & indent to locate the Increase indent and Decrease indent commands.

Customizing indents

You can use the three indent markers and the Ruler to create custom indents that are larger or smaller than the Tab key's default half-inch indent. When you move the indent markers, the Ruler provides a blue guide line to help you see where the indent will appear.

• First Line Indent marker: Adjusts the first-line indent of a paragraph
• Left Indent marker: Moves in unison with the First Line Indent marker to indent all lines in the paragraph
• Right Indent marker: Increases or decreases the right indent by moving all lines of the paragraph from the right margin

To customize indents with the Ruler:

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the text or paragraph you want to indent (you can select one or more paragraphs).
2. Click and drag the desired indent marker. As the marker moves, the blue guide line extends from the Ruler.
3. Release the mouse at the desired location. The text will indent.

To indent the paragraph on the right side, click and drag the Right Indent marker.

Using tab stops

Using tab stops gives you more control over the placement of text. By default, each time you press the Tab key on the keyboard the insertion point will move a half-inch to the right. By adding tab stops to the Ruler, you can change the size of the tabs, and you can apply more than one tab stop to a single line. For example, on a resume you can left-align important dates by adding a left tab stop.

There are three types of tab stops in Google Docs.

• Left tab stop: Left aligns text at the tab stop
• Center tab stop: Centers text around the tab stop
• Right tab stop: Right aligns text at the tab stop

Pressing the Tab key can either add a tab or create a first-line indent, depending on the location of the insertion point. Generally, if the insertion point is at the beginning of an existing paragraph it will create a first-line indent; otherwise, it will create a tab.

How do you indent paragraphs on Google Docs iPhone?

How do I indent a paragraph in Google Docs?