Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

CHAPTER 5 TABS
INFOCUS

WPL_W818

Tabs are stopping points along the horizontal ruler. These stopping
points are often used to create columns of text and numbers.
Word has default tab stops set every 1.27 cm on the ruler, but you
can change this spacing if desired.
Word also provides several types of tab stops depending upon
whether you want to align text or numbers to the left of the stop, to
the right, to the centre, or even around a decimal point.

In this session you will:

 learn how to use default tabs

 learn how to set tab stops on the ruler
 learn how to modify tab stops on the ruler
 learn how to use the Tabs dialog box
 learn how to insert tab leaders
 learn how to insert bar tabs
 learn how to set mixed tab types for a paragraph
 learn how to remove tabs.

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

USING DEFAULT TABS

Tabs are special markers placed along the specific requirements of your document, Word has
horizontal ruler to determine how much spacing default tabs that you can use without the need to
should exist between columns of text when you set your own.
press . While tabs can be set to meet the

2
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise
Open
File

ensure you have a new, blank

document open...
3

 Click on the Home tab and

then click on Show/Hide in
the Paragraph group so that
you can see the tab stops


5
Type Staff Name and then
press to jump to the next
default tab stop

 Type the text as shown,

pressing between each
entry, then press to move
to the next line 6

 Type Peter Dawson then

press
Ensure that the insertion point
is located immediately below
Department (MEL)...

 Type Forward Thinking,

press , type
Accommodation, press ,
type 125.00, then press

 Repeat steps 4 and 5 to enter

the details as shown
Tip: By default, paragraphs in a new document have 10 pt
spacing after applied, and line spacing is set to 1.15 lines. To
You will need to press change line and paragraph spacing for the current document, click
on the Home tab, then click on the dialog box launcher for the
several times for shorter text
Paragraph group. Click on the drop arrow for Line Spacing and
entries... select Single. To change the paragraph spacing, click on the

 Save the document as My

Tabs.docx
down arrow
up arrow
for Spacing After until 0 pt appears.Click on the
for Spacing Before once to apply 6 pt spacing
before and then click on [OK]. It is recommended that some
spacing be applied to your paragraphs.

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To use default tabs:  Default tab stops appear in a document as
1. Position the insertion point small pale grey marks in the blue bar
immediately below the ruler. They are set at
2. Press
every 1.27 cm or ½ inch.
3. Type the text
4. Press to move to the next default tab
stop

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

SETTING TABS ON THE RULER

Because default tab stops are so close together, An easy way to create your own tab stops is to click
they may not be practical for specialised tasks, on the ruler where you want to apply them. As soon
such as creating lists or invoices. You will find as you create your own tab stops on the ruler, they
that setting your own tab stops will be necessary. override the default tab stops.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the previous file
Same
File

with this exercise, or open the file

W818 Tabs_1.docx...


3
If the ruler is not visible along the
top of the document, click on the
View Ruler button at the top of
the vertical scroll bar

 Press
document
+ to select the entire

 Click on the tab selector at the

left end of the ruler and watch how
it changes to a different tab icon.
Click on the tab selector until the
Left Tab icon appears again
A left tab stop sets the start 4
position for text so that the text will
run to the right of the stop as you
type...

 Click on the 3 cm mark on the

ruler to insert a left tab stop at
approximately that position, then
click on the 7 cm and
11 cm marks to insert another two
tab stops
Yuck! Let’s delete the spare tabs
to clean this up... 6

 Click immediately to the left of

37.50 and press until it is left-
aligned to 125.00 in the line above

 Repeat step 5 to remove the

remaining spare tabs as shown
and then save the document

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To set tab stops on the ruler:  Tab stops that you set will only be applied to
1. Select the text or click in the paragraph the current paragraph or to selected
paragraphs.
2. Click on the tab selector until it displays
the type of tab you want
3. Click on the ruler at the desired location

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

MODIFYING TABS ON THE RULER

You can modify tab stops on the ruler by clicking an important thing to remember about tabs: any
and dragging on them to their new position. You changes that you make to the tabs will apply only to
can also remove unwanted tabs by dragging the current paragraph or to selected paragraphs.
them up or down and off the ruler. But, there is

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the previous file
Same
File

with this exercise, or open the

file W818 Tabs_2.docx...

 Click to the left of the top Peter

Dawson, hold down and
click to the right of 12.50 to
select the four lines of text


2
Click on the 11 cm tab stop on
the ruler, hold down the mouse
button and drag the tab stop
down off the ruler
The marker will vanish and the
Amount values will move to the
left and will align to the nearest
default tab stop...

 Click on the tab selector until

it changes to the Decimal Tab
icon


4
Click on the 12 cm mark on the
ruler to insert a new decimal tab
stop to replace the left tab stop
that you deleted in step 2 above

 Click anywhere in the heading

paragraph to position the
insertion point

 Click on the 11 cm tab stop, hold

down the mouse button and drag
it to the 11.5 cm mark on the
ruler 6
Now the Amount heading will line
up better with its underlying
values…

 Save the document

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To reposition tab stops on the ruler:  If you apply tab stops to multiple paragraphs,
1. Select the text or click in a paragraph and the tab stops will only appear on the ruler for
then click on and drag the tab stop left or the first paragraph of the selection.
right along the ruler
To remove tab stops from the ruler:
1. Click on and drag the tab stop off the ruler

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

SETTING TABS IN THE TABS DIALOG BOX

Using the ruler to set tab stops is perfect for tabs using the Tabs dialog box. In addition to
those situations where judgement by eye is good setting tabs at precise positions, you can also use
enough, but in circumstances where exact the Tabs dialog box to insert a tab leader and alter
measurements are required you should set your the spacing for the default tabs.

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous file
Same
File

with this exercise, or open the

file W818 Tabs_3.docx...

 Select the four lines of text

beneath the headings

 Double-click on one of the tab

stops on the ruler to open the
Tabs dialog box
Let’s adjust the existing tabs so
that they are positioned more
exactly than can be achieved by
eye...

 Click on [Clear All] to delete all

tab stops

 Type 3.5 in Tab stop position,

click on [Set], type 8 in Tab
stop position and click on [Set]
For these two tab stops we have
accepted the default Left
Alignment...

 Type 13.25 in Tab stop

position, click on Decimal 5
under Alignment, click on [Set],
then click on [OK]

 Click in the heading line, then

repeat step 2 to open the Tabs
dialog box 7

 Repeat the above steps to clear

the existing tab stops and insert
three new Left tab stops at 3.5
cm, 8 cm and 12.5 cm

 Save and close the document

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To set and clear tabs in the Tabs dialog box:  A decimal tab stop aligns numbers around a
1. Select the paragraph/s decimal point − the decimal point will always
be in the same position irrespective of the
2. Double-click on a tab stop on the ruler
number of digits.
3. Click on [Clear All] if required
 If you change the Default tab stops setting
4. Type the new tabs in Tab stop position, of 1.27 cm, this will apply to the current
select the Alignment, then click on [Set] document only.

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

SETTING TAB LEADERS

Leader tabs are tabs with leaders – characters Leader tabs can be applied in the Tabs dialog box,
that form a line to help lead the eye across the or you can select existing tabs and add leaders to
page from left to right. Leader tabs are often used them. Leaders can comprise dots, dashes or solid
for price lists or a table of contents, for example. lines.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this exercise
Open
File

you MUST open a new,

blank document...

 Click on the Home tab and

then click on Show/Hide
2

in the Paragraph group

to display the paragraph
marks

 Type Table of Contents

and press twice

 Click on the dialog box

launcher for the
Paragraph group to open 7
the Paragraph dialog box

 Click on [Tabs] to open the

Tabs dialog box
Let’s insert a right-aligned
leader tab...

 Type 14 in Tab stop

position, then click on
Right under Alignment

 Click on 2.... under Leader,

click on [Set], then click on
[OK] to close the dialog
box

 Type Introduction, press

, type 1, and then press
8

 Complete the table of

contents as shown

 Close the document without

saving

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To set leader tabs:  Leader tabs cannot be set using the tab
1. Click on the dialog box launcher for the selector and ruler. You must use the
Paragraph group and then click on [Tabs] Tabs dialog box.
2. Type the tab stop position, select an  If you double-click on the ruler to open the
Alignment if required and then click on the Tabs dialog box, you will automatically
desired Leader create a tab stop at the position where you
3. Click on [Set] and then click on [OK] clicked on the ruler.

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

SETTING BAR TABS

No, bar tabs are not the bills you run up in the between columns of text. Bar tabs can be created
pub. Not in Word, anyway. Bar tabs are a special using the Tabs dialog box or the tab selector on
type of tab that insert a vertical bar at the tab the horizontal ruler. Bar tabs are always centre-
position. Bar tabs are often used to create lines aligned and cannot have leaders.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this exercise
Open
File

you MUST open the file

W818 Tabs_4.docx...

 Press + to select all

text within the document

 Click on the tab selector at

the left end of the ruler until 3
the Bar Tab icon appears

 Click on the ruler at the

2.75 cm, 7.25 cm and
11.75 cm marks to create
three bar tabs
The tab stops appear grey
because mixed tab stops
have been applied to the
selected paragraphs, that is,
different tabs have been
applied to the heading line
than to the remaining text… 5

 Ensure that the paragraph

marks are turned off

 Click on a blank part of the

document to deselect the text
so that you can see the
vertical bars created by the
bar tabs
Notice with bar tabs, you
didn’t need to press to
make the vertical bar appear

 Save and close the

document

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To insert bar tabs:  Like other tab types, you can set bar tab
1. Select the paragraph/s stops before or after you type the text in your
document.
2. Click on the tab selector at the left end of
the ruler until the Bar Tab icon appears  Unlike other tab types, bar tabs do not
3. Click on the ruler at the desired location for position text.
the vertical bar

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

SETTING MIXED TABS

After selecting a paragraph, you can set the created text separating the various entries by one
various tab types (Left, Centre, Right, Decimal default tab stop. You will use the Tabs dialog box
and Bar) using the Tabs dialog box or the tab to set several tab types which will replace the
selector on the ruler. For this exercise, we have alignment and positioning set by the default stops.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this exercise you
Open
File

MUST open the file W818

Tabs_5.docx...

 Select all of the data rows starting

from Peter Reynolds

 Click on the Home tab and then click

on the dialog box launcher for
the Paragraph group, then click on
[Tabs] to open the Tabs dialog box
Let’s set some left tabs...


5
Type 2.25 in Tab stop position,
d
ensure Left is selected under
Alignment, then click on [Set]

 Repeat step 3 to create another left

tab at 4.75 cm
7
Let’s line up the salaries with a
decimal tab...

 Type 13 in Tab stop position, click

on Decimal under Alignment, click
on [Set], then click on [OK] to apply
the tabs
Now let’s create centred tabs for the
heading row...

 Click in the heading row, then

double-click anywhere on the ruler to
open the Tabs dialog box

 Click on [Clear] to remove the tab

that was automatically set, then set
three Centre tabs at 2.25 cm, 8 cm
and 12.5 cm

 Save the document

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To create left, centre, right or decimal tabs:  To set a tab that right-aligns text, that is, text
1. Select the paragraph will appear to the left of the cursor when you
2. Click on the dialog box launcher for the type, select Right under Alignment in the
Paragraph group, then click on [Tabs] Tabs dialog box.
3. Type the Tab stop position, select the
Alignment, then click on [Set]
4. Click on [OK] to apply the tabs

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 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

REMOVING TABS
To remove custom tab stops from the ruler click stops, any text that was aligned with that tab stop
on and drag the tab marker off the ruler. Or you will align with the previous custom tab stop. Where
can clear tab stops in the Tabs dialog box for the no custom tabs are set, the text will align with the
selected paragraph/s. When you remove tab previous default tab stop.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the previous
Same
File

file with this exercise, or open 2

the file W818 Tabs_6.docx...


3
Click anywhere in the heading
paragraph so you can see the
tabs applied to this paragraph

 Click on and drag the decimal

tab marker at 12.5 cm down
off the ruler
This will have no effect on the
text as no text was aligned to
this tab…

 Click on the Home tab and

then click on the dialog box
launcher for the Paragraph
group to open the Paragraph
dialog box, then click on
[Tabs] to open the Tabs
dialog box
You will now clear the
remaining tab stops …

 Click on [Clear All]

5

 Click on [OK] to view the

results
Notice that Staff Name,
Position and Salary have left-
aligned to the nearest default
tab stop, each of which is
shown by a small vertical
marker on the blue bar
beneath the ruler

 Save and close the document

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To remove tabs for a paragraph:  Adding tab stops, and repositioning and
1. Select the paragraph removing tab stops on the ruler takes a little
2. Double-click on a tab stop on the ruler practice! In fact, it’s all too easy to add tab
3. Either select the relevant Tab stop position stops to the ruler, and you’ll probably find
and click on [Clear], or click on [Clear All] to that as you work with the ruler to modify or
remove all custom tab stops remove tabs, you will create extra tab stops
4. Click on [OK] that you don’t need!

© Watsonia Publishing Page 47 Tabs

 Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 2

NOTES:

© Watsonia Publishing Page 48 Tabs