Use justify in word

Align text left, center, or right

  1. Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to align.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, do one of the following:

To

Click

Align text left

Align Text Left  Align text left button

Center text

Center Text  Align center button

Align text right

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.

  1. Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to justify.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Justify Text  Justify text button.

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Align text left, center, or right

  1. Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to align.

  2. On the Home tab, under Paragraph, do one of the following:

To

Click

Align text left

Align Text Left  Align text left button

Center text

Center Text  Align center button

Align text right

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.

  1. Click anywhere in the paragraph that you want to justify.

  2. On the Home tab, under Paragraph, click Justify Text  Justify text button.

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.

  1. Click anywhere in the paragraph where you want to distribute text.

  2. On the Home tab, under Paragraph, click Distributed Text  Distribute button.

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

  1. Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to apply alignment or justification. If you would like to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
  2. 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:

Align commands in Word including left, center, right and justify.

3. Align or justify using the Paragraph dialog box

To align or justify paragraphs using the Paragraph dialog box:

  1. Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to apply alignment or justification. If you would like to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
  2. Right-click and select Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
  3. From the Alignment drop-down menu, select Left, Center, Right or Justify.
  4. 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:

Paragraph dialog box in Word with commands to align or justify text.

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):

  1. Click in a paragraph using the heading style (typically applied through the Home tab in the Ribbon).
  2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Styles group, right-click the heading style. A dialog box appears.
  4. Click Format. A drop-down menu appears.
  5. Click Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
  6. From the Alignment drop-down menu, select Center or your preferred alignment.
  7. Click OK twice.

Below is the Modify Style dialog box with align and justify commands:

Modify style dialog box in Word with commands to align or justify text.

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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Asked by: Kraig Nicolas

Score: 4.8/5
(19 votes)

Justify text

  1. In the Paragraph group, click the Dialog Box Launcher. , and select the Alignment drop-down menu to set your justified text.
  2. You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + J to justify your text.

How do you justify align in Word for Mac?

Word for Mac OS X

  1. From the Format menu, select Document….
  2. Select the Layout tab.
  3. From the Vertical alignment menu, select Justified, and then click OK.

Should you justify text in Word?

In most cases, Justify and Align Left are your best options for larger blocks of text. Many universities require you to use full justification in essays, for example, as it looks neater on the page. However, publishers often prefer left alignment because it prevents ‘rivers’ (i.e. vertical spaces between words).

Why You Should not justify text?

Justifying text disrupts that even texture. Even if a page layout program is using subtle letter-spacing, or adjusting the width of the letters – these things, too, will make the texture uneven. So, justified text should really be avoided not just on the web, but whenever possible.

When should I justify text?

Compared to left-aligned text, justification gives text a cleaner, more formal look. Justification works by adding white space between the words in each line so all the lines are the same length. This alters the ideal spacing of the font, but in paragraphs of reasonable width it’s usually not distracting.

20 related questions found

How do you justify text in Word for Mac without spaces?

Method 1: Change Layout Options

  1. First, click “File” then click “Options” to open “Word Options” dialog box.
  2. Next click “Advanced” and scroll down to the bottom of the box.
  3. Click “Layout Options” to bring out more choices.
  4. Check the “Don’t expand character spaces on a line that ends with SHIFT-RETURN” box and click “OK”.

How do I align in Word?

How to Adjust Paragraph Alignment in Word

  1. Click anywhere in a paragraph you want to align, or select multiple paragraphs.
  2. Click an alignment option in the Paragraph group. Shortcuts: To align left, press Ctrl + L. To align right, press Ctrl + R. To align center, press Ctrl + C. To justify, Ctrl + J.

How do I align text horizontally?

To align text horizontally on a page, highlight the text you want to center. Next, click the “Center Alignment” icon in the “Paragraph” group of the “Home” tab. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl+E keyboard shortcut. Your text will now be horizontally aligned.

How do you center align text?

Select the text that you want to center. 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.

How do I flush left in Word?

Flush Left and Flush Right On the Same Line

  1. Make sure the paragraph is formatted as left-aligned.
  2. Choose the Tabs option from the Format menu. Word displays the Tabs dialog box. …
  3. Insert a right-aligned tab near the right edge of the line.
  4. Click on Set.
  5. Click on OK.
  6. Type your text.

How do I align text in a table in Word?

Follow these steps to align text in a table:

  1. Select the cells, columns, or rows, with text that you want to align (or select your entire table).
  2. Go to the (Table Tools) Layout tab.
  3. Click an Align button (you may have to click the Alignment button first, depending on the size of your screen).

What are the four types of alignment?

There are four main alignments: left, right, center, and justified. Left-aligned text is text that is aligned with a left edge. Right-aligned text is text that is aligned with a right edge.

How do I align text to margins in Word?

Click the outer edge of the text box to select it. On the Format menu, click Shape. In the left pane of the Format Shape dialog box, click Text Box. Under Internal Margin, adjust the measurements to increase or decrease the distance between the text and the outer border of the text box.

How do you justify text in Word without gaps?

Right-click on the text, and click Paragraph. On the Indents and Spacing tab, click the drop-down next to Alignment, and click Justified, OK. Right-click on the text again, and click Format, Font.

  1. Click the Tools menu, Options. Then click the Compatibility tab.
  2. Tick “Do full justification like WordPerfect…”
  3. Click OK.

What is full justify in Word?

justified—text is aligned along the left margin, with letter-spacing and word-spacing adjusted so that the text falls flush with both margins, also known as fully justified or full justification; centered—text is aligned to neither the left nor right margin; there is an even gap on each side of each line.

What font is best for resume?

Arial is the font most commonly recommended by our experts. Times New Roman was the go-to font for so long that some of our experts now say it appears dated, but it’s still a safe choice in terms of readability.

What Are the Best Resume Fonts?

  • Arial.
  • Cambria.
  • Calibri.
  • Garamond.
  • Georgia.
  • Helvetica.
  • Times New Roman.
  • Veranda.

What is the text wrapping?

Text wrap is a feature supported by many word processors that enables you to surround a picture or diagram with text. The text wraps around the graphic. … Text wrap is also called text flow.

What is alignment short answer?

Align or alignment is a term used to describe how text is placed on the screen. For example, left-aligned text creates a straight line of text on the left side of the page (like this paragraph). Text can be aligned along the edge of a page, cell, div, table, or another visible or non-visible line.

What is center alignment?

Centered alignment means that text is aligned around a midpoint. Justified alignmentmeans that text lines up along both margins.

How do I move text in a cell in Word?

Putting text into a Word table

  1. Tab: To move to the next cell, press the Tab key. …
  2. Shift+Tab: To move backward to the previous cell, press Shift+Tab.
  3. Arrow keys: The up, down, left, and right keys also move you around within the table, but they still move within any text in a cell.

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