
By using tab-stops in your document, you can create uniformly spaced text. And, unlike if you were to just enter a bunch of spaces to separate text, tabs ensure your text remains properly aligned. Each time you press the Tab key, the cursor moves to the next tab-stop. By default, Docs has left tab-stops set at every half-inch, but you can create your own tab-stops in a specific position or change the location of the existing tab stops.
Set a Tab-Stop
- Select the text you want to align with a tab-stop.
- Click on the ruler where you want to place the tab-stop.
The menu gives you three choices – you can add a left, center, or right tab stop, which sets the text alignment accordingly.
- Select a type of tab-stop.
The tab-stop is added, shifting text separated by tabs. An arrow or diamond appears on the ruler as indication.
Types of Tab Stops | ![]() |
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3.14 | 3.14 | 3.14 | |
Left | Center | Right | |
Aligns the left side of text with the tab-stop. | Aligns the text so that it’s centered under the tab-stop. | Aligns the right side of text with the tab-stop. |
Align Text to a Tab-Stop
- Place the cursor where you want to separate text with a tab.
- Press the Tab key.
The text moves directly to the location of the tab-stop.
Move or Remove a Tab-Stop
If the position isn't quite right, you can drag the tab-stops to move them.
- Select the text you want to reposition.
- Click and drag a tab-stop on the ruler to reposition it.
As you drag a tab-stop to a new position on the ruler, the text affected by that tab-stop will move with it.
- Click and drag a tab-stop off the ruler to remove it.
Removing a tab-stop will shift the text over to the next tab-stop. If another tab-stop isn’t set, the text will instead use the default half-inch tab spacing.
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