Align text left, center, or right
-
Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to align.
-
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, do one of the following:
|
To |
Click |
|---|---|
|
Align text left |
Align Text Left |
|
Center text |
Center Text |
|
Align text right |
Align Text Right |
Justify text
When you justify text, space is added between words so that both edges of each line are aligned with both margins. The last line in the paragraph is aligned left.
-
Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to justify.
-
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Justify Text
.
.Important:
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Align text left, center, or right
-
Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to align.
-
On the Home tab, under Paragraph, do one of the following:
|
To |
Click |
|---|---|
|
Align text left |
Align Text Left |
|
Center text |
Center Text |
|
Align text right |
Align Text Right |
Justify text
When you justify text, space is added between words so that both edges of each line are aligned with both margins. The last line in the paragraph is aligned left.
-
Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to justify.
-
On the Home tab, under Paragraph, click Justify Text
.
Distribute text
When you distribute text, space is added between characters so that both edges of each line are aligned with both margins. The last line in the paragraph is distributed as well.
-
Click anywhere in the paragraph where you want to distribute text.
-
On the Home tab, under Paragraph, click Distributed Text
.
.Word for Microsoft 365 Word 2021 Word 2019 Word 2016 Word 2013 Word 2010 Word 2007 More…Less
Alignment determines the appearance and orientation of the edges of the paragraph: left-aligned text, right-aligned text, centered text, or justified text, which is aligned evenly along the left and right margins. For example, in a paragraph that is left-aligned (the most common alignment), the left edge of the paragraph is flush with the left margin.
Vertical alignment determines the position of the text within a section of a document relative to the top and bottom margins, and is often used to create a cover page.
-
Select the text that you want to align.
-
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Align Left
or Align Right .
or Align Right 
.-
Select the text that you want to center.
-
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Center
.
.-
Select the text that you want to center.
-
On the Layout or Page Layout tab, click the Dialog Box Launcher
in the Page Setup group, and then click the Layout tab. -
In the Vertical alignment box, click Center.
-
In the Apply to box, click Selected text, and then click OK.
in the Page Setup group, and then click the Layout tab.When you justify text in Word, you give your text straight edges on both sides of the paragraph. Justifying extends each line of your text to the left and right margins. Justifying text might make the last line of text in a paragraph considerably shorter than the other lines.
-
Select the text you want to justify.
-
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Justify
.
.Tips:
-
In the Paragraph group, click the Dialog Box Launcher
, and select the Alignment drop-down menu to set your justified text. -
You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + J to justify your text.
In Office Word 2007, you can choose from a selection of predesigned cover pages to create a professional-looking document quickly and easily.
-
On the Insert tab, in the Pages group, click Cover Page.
-
Click the cover page that you want.
A cover page is always added to the beginning of the open document.
See also
Adjust indents and spacing
Need more help?
Apply Left, Center, Right or Justify Alignment to Text in Microsoft Word
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated April 13, 2022
Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)
You can align or justify text or other content in Word in several ways including using keyboard shortcuts, selecting commands in the Ribbon, using the Paragraph dialog box or modifying a style. It’s important to note that alignment or justification is paragraph formatting so applies to entire paragraphs. You can align text or inline graphics in paragraphs that are followed by a hard return (you pressed Enter or Return).
To see where paragraphs have been created in a Word document, it’s helpful to turn on Show/Hide ¶ on the Home tab in the Ribbon.
In this article, we’ll review 4 different ways to change horizontal alignment or justification in Word documents.
Recommended article: How to Insert a Line in Word (3+ Ways)
Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person Word courses >
There are 4 types of alignment that can be applied to paragraphs:
- Align left – aligns text or inline graphics with the left margin or indent
- Center – centers text or inline graphics between the left and right margins or indents
- Align right – aligns text or inline graphics with the right margin or indent
- Justify – distributes text evenly between the left and right margins or indents
A paragraph aligns within the indents (indent markers appear on the Ruler). The indents may be different from the margins. Paragraphs are also entered in cells in tables and each paragraph in a cell may have different indents and alignment settings.
1. Align or justify using keyboard shortcuts
To align or justify paragraphs using keyboard shortcuts:
- Align left – select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + L to align to the left.
- Align right – select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + R to align to the right.
- Align center – select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + E to align center.
- Justify – select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + J to justify.
2. Align or justify using the Ribbon
To align or justify paragraphs using the Word Ribbon
- Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to apply alignment or justification. If you would like to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
- Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and then click Align Left, Center, Align Right or Justify in the Paragraph group.
Align and Justify commands appear on the Home tab in the Ribbon in the Paragraph group:
3. Align or justify using the Paragraph dialog box
To align or justify paragraphs using the Paragraph dialog box:
- Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to apply alignment or justification. If you would like to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
- Right-click and select Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
- From the Alignment drop-down menu, select Left, Center, Right or Justify.
- Click OK.
You can also display the Paragraph dialog box by clicking the Home tab in the Ribbon and then clicking the dialog box launcher on the bottom right of the Paragraph group.
The Paragraph dialog box includes a drop-down menu to select Alignment:
4. Align or justify by modifying a style
When you create a new blank document, it starts out using the Normal style which contains default paragraph and character formatting.
If you want to apply alignment or justification to multiple paragraphs throughout a document (such as a heading), you can modify a style (such as Heading 1).
To change the alignment for a heading style (such as Heading 1):
- Click in a paragraph using the heading style (typically applied through the Home tab in the Ribbon).
- Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
- In the Styles group, right-click the heading style. A dialog box appears.
- Click Format. A drop-down menu appears.
- Click Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
- From the Alignment drop-down menu, select Center or your preferred alignment.
- Click OK twice.
Below is the Modify Style dialog box with align and justify commands:
There may be issues if you modify alignment or justification in the Normal style since other styles are based on this style by default. Cells in tables would likely be affected and so would other styles that are based on the Normal style (such as Header, Footer and Heading styles). Paragraphs using these styles would then inherit the alignment or justification (unless alignment or justification has been specifically modified in these styles). If you are comfortable using styles, you could create your own style or modify a different Word style to avoid this issue.
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MS-Word is a word processing application that provides many powerful tools, these tools provide a great advantage to the user. It is used to create documents like letters, articles, etc. MS-Word is an interactive and very user-friendly application. It has been developed by Microsoft Corporation Ltd.
Text Alignments
This is one of the features provided by MS-Word to its user. This feature is used by the user to align text or paragraphs so that it gives a good look or a kind of systematic look. There are 4 types of text alignments which are left-aligned, center-aligned, right-aligned, and justified. (All 4 are shown in the below image.
Left-Aligned Text
A paragraph or a text is left-aligned when that paragraph or text is aligned evenly along the left margin of the page in MS-Word. Now, we will learn step by step with the help of a diagram to make a paragraph text left-aligned.
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make Left-aligned.
Step 4: Now, go to the “Home” tab and click on that. (As shown in the below image)
Step 5: Now, go to the “Paragraph” section in the “Home” tab and click on the Left-Align text button.
Step 6: The paragraph text is aligned to left successfully.
Alternate way or using shortcut key:
The shortcut key for Left-Aligned Text is “Ctrl + L”.
Now, we can use a shortcut key for the same. Let us see this also step by step:
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make Left-aligned.
Step 4: Now, use the Shortcut key which is “Ctrl +L “.
Step 5: The paragraph text is aligned to left successfully.
Center Aligned Text
A paragraph’s text or a text will be center-aligned if the paragraph or text is in the center of the left and right margins of the page in MS-Word. Now, we will learn step by step with the help of a diagram to make a paragraph text center-aligned.
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make Center-aligned.
Step 4: Now, go to “Home” tab and click on that. (As shown in the below image)
Step 5: Now, go to the “Paragraph” section in the “Home” tab and click on the Center-Align text button.
Step 6: The paragraph text is aligned to the center successfully.
Alternate way or using shortcut key:
The shortcut key for Center-Aligned Text is “Ctrl + E”.
Now, we can use a shortcut key for the same. Let us see this also step by step:
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make Center-aligned.
Step 4: Now, use the Shortcut key which is “Ctrl +E“.
Step 5: The paragraph text is aligned to the Center successfully.
Right-Aligned Text
A paragraph’s text is said to be right-aligned when it is aligned evenly along the right margin of the page in MS-Word. Now, we will learn step by step with the help of a diagram to make a paragraph text right-aligned.
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make Center-aligned.
Step 4: Now, go to the “Home” tab and click on that. (As shown in the below image)
Step 5: Now, go to the “Paragraph” section in the “Home” tab and click on the Right-Align text button.
Step 6: The paragraph text is aligned to the center successfully.
Alternate way or using shortcut key:
The shortcut key for Right-Aligned Text is “Ctrl + R”.
Now, we can use a shortcut key for the same. Let us see this also step by step:
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make Right-aligned.
Step 4: Now, use the Shortcut key which is “Ctrl +R“.
Step 5: The paragraph text is aligned to the Right successfully.
Justified Text
A paragraph’s text is said to be justified when it is aligned evenly along both the left side and the right side margins of the page in MS-Word. Now, we will learn step by step with the help of a diagram to make a paragraph text justified.
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make justified text.
Step 4: Now, go to the “Home” tab and click on that. (As shown in the below image)
Step 5: Now, go to the “Paragraph” section in the “Home” tab and click on Justify text button.
Step 6: The paragraph text is aligned to the Justified text successfully.
Alternate way or using shortcut key:
The shortcut key for Justified Text is “Ctrl + J”.
Now, we can use a shortcut key for the same. Let us see this also step by step:
Step 1: First open MS-Word on your PC.
Step 2: Now, Open the document or create a new one in which you want to perform this operation.
Step 3: Now, select the paragraph text which you want to make Justified Text.
Step 4: Now, use the Shortcut key which is “Ctrl +j“.
Step 5: The paragraph text is aligned to the Justified text successfully.
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An easy-to-follow guide on aligning text in the center of Word documents
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Microsoft Word offers a huge array of options for customizing your documents — so huge, in fact, that it can be hard to figure out how to do simple things like center your text. Luckily, the method is easy to remember once you know it. Simply click the «Center» option under the «Paragraph» label at the top of the page (or hit Ctrl+E as a shortcut to switch between centered and left-aligned text).
-
1
Highlight the text you want to center. If you already have text in the document, the first thing you must do is highlight it. Put the mouse cursor at the start of the text you want to center. Click and hold the left mouse button. Move the cursor to the end of the text you want to highlight. The text should now be bordered by a transparent blue box.
-
2
Click the «Center» button in the upper toolbar. Follow these directions:[1]
- Look at the toolbar at the top of the Word window (the space with all the options). The word «Home» in the top left should be selected (it will be by default). If it isn’t (or you’re not sure), click on «Home.»
- Next, look under the «Paragraph» header, which is below «Home» and to the right. You should see three small buttons that look like pages with the text aligned to the left, center, and right.
- Click the button with the text aligned in the center.
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-
3
Deselect your text. The text you selected should now be aligned evenly between the left and right margins. Now, click where you would like to continue typing and proceed with the rest of your document.
- If your text didn’t center, you may have accidentally deselected it before hitting the center button. You need to center your text while it’s selected without clicking anywhere else on the page.
-
4
If you haven’t typed anything yet, just click the «Center» button. If your document is completely blank, click the «Center» button from the directions above and any text you type will be center-aligned.
- If you want to add centered text at the end of your document, click at the end of your document, hit the enter/return key to start a new line, and click the «Center» button.
-
5
Alternatively, hit Ctrl+E. This keyboard combination will switch you back and forth between left-aligned text and centered text.[2]
If you use it while text is highlighted, the text will change to centered (and back if you hit the keys again). If you use it on a blank line, it will change the alignment of the cursor so that the next words you type are centered. -
6
Use the other buttons to change your alignment. The buttons next to the «Center» button in the toolbar allow you to get different text alignments. They all work the same way as the center button does. From left to right, the alignment buttons are:
- Align left
- Align center
- Align right
- Justify (similar to center except that words will automatically be stretched so that all the lines are the same width).
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-
1
Highlight the text you want to center. This method will align the text midway between the top and bottom margins on the page. To start, highlight the text the same way as you would if you were aligning it horizontally (see method above).
- If you haven’t typed anything yet, skip this step. When you’re done, the text that you type will be centered vertically.
-
2
Open the Layout menu. Follow these directions:[3]
- Click «Page Layout» in the upper toolbar (to the right of the «Home» tab that’s selected by default).
- Click the «Page Setup» button.
- In the window that pops up, click the «Layout» tab.
-
3
Select a centered vertical alignment. In the tab you just selected, look for the «Vertical Alignment» box. Select «Center.»
-
4
Apply the changes. Clicking «OK» will change the alignment and return you to your document. If you like, you can use the options under «Apply to» to change which parts of your document are centered vertically.
- For example, if you have highlighted text that you want to center vertically, be sure to choose the «Selected text» option from the «Apply to» menu.
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Add New Question
-
Question
How do I vertically align text in a table with rows?
Ankit Bhatt
Community Answer
Select the text within the table, then go to Layout in the ribbon area. You’ll see an alignment tab there; select any option from the Center line (Align Center Left, Align Center or Align Center Right). All of these will align your text vertically, along with the horizontal alignment you specify.
-
Question
How can I save a document in a folder on the desktop?
In the top left hand corner of the program, select ‘File’ and then select the ‘Save As…’ option. You can then save it to any directory you want. If the folder you want to put it into isn’t already on the desktop, you’ll need to move it there using windows explorer, or if you want to create a new folder on your desktop, right-click the desktop, and mouse over the ‘New’ option, and select ‘Folder’.
-
Question
If I have 3 lines, should 2 be above the center or below?
If the text is centered, the second line should be directly in the center, not above or below it.
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If you want to emphasize important information, you may want to bold, italicize, or underline your information in addition to—or instead of—centering it. By default, these options are to the left of the alignment options under the «Font» header.
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
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