Use a screen reader to set line spacing and indenting in Word

Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to give your document a polished appearance by making paragraphs look the way you want. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to set the amount of space before and after each paragraph and the size of its indents and lines.

Need instructions on how to set the line spacing or indenting in a Word document, but not using a screen reader? See Change the line spacing in Word, Adjust indents and spacing, or Create a hanging indent.

In this topic

• Set paragraph spacing

  • Set default spacing

• Set line spacing

• Set paragraph indents

  • Set first line indent
  • Set default indents
  • Use mirror indents

Set paragraph spacing

You can set spacing both before and after a paragraph. Smaller point values represent less space.

1. In your document, select the paragraph whose spacing you want to format. If you want to set the paragraph spacing for the entire document, press Ctrl+A to select all its content.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To set the spacing before a paragraph, press Alt+P, S, B. You hear: "Paragraph, spacing before." Use the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the point value you want, or type the point value you want (for example, 6 or 18), and press Enter.
   • To set the spacing after a paragraph, press Alt+P, S, A. You hear: "Paragraph, spacing after." Use the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the point value you want, or type the point value you want (for example, 6 or 18), and press Enter.

Set default spacing

To set a paragraph spacing as your default spacing, do the following:

1. In your document, select some text that has the paragraph spacing that you want to apply as the default spacing.
2. To open the Paragraph dialog box, press Alt+H, P, G.
3. To set the paragraph spacing as the default, press Alt+D.
4. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select either the This document only or the All documents option. Then press the Tab key until you hear "OK," and press Enter. The Paragraph dialog box closes and the focus returns to the document.

Set line spacing

1. In your document, select the paragraph whose line spacing you want to format. If you want to set the line spacing for the entire document, press Ctrl+A to select all its content.
2. To set line spacing options for a paragraph, press Alt+H, K. You hear: "Line and paragraph spacing." Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select from a list of frequently used line spacing sizes, and press Enter to apply it.

Set paragraph indents

Paragraphs can have both left and right indents, as well as a first line indent.

1. In your document, select the paragraph you want to indent. If you want to set the paragraph indent for the entire document, press Ctrl+A to select all its content.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To set the size of the left indent, press Alt+P, I, L. You hear: "Paragraph, indent left." Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the value or type the value (for example, .25 or .5), and press Enter.
   • To set the size of the right indent, press Alt+P, I, R. You hear: "Paragraph, indent right." Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the value or type the value (for example, .25 or .5), and press Enter.

Set first line indent

With a first line indent, the first line of a paragraph is indented more than the other lines in the paragraph.

To add a first line indent to the paragraph, move the focus to the beginning of the first line of the paragraph, and press the Tab key.

Set default indents

To set any indent you select as your default indent, do the following:

1. In your document, select some text that has the paragraph indent that you want to apply as the default indent.
2. To open the Paragraph dialog box, press Alt+H, P, G.
3. To set the paragraph indent as the default, press Alt+D.
4. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select either the This document only or the All documents option. Then press the Tab key until you hear "OK," and press Enter. The Paragraph dialog box closes and the focus returns to the document.

Use mirror indents

For book-style printing, use the mirror indents feature, in which the paragraph indents mirror each other on facing pages. The left indent becomes the Inside indent, and the right indent becomes the Outside indent.

To enable mirror indents, do the following:

1. In your document, select some text that has the paragraph indent that you want to mirror on facing pages.
2. To open the Paragraph dialog box, press Alt+H, P, G.
3. To enable mirror indents, press Alt+M.
4. To close the Paragraph dialog box, press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to align text and paragraphs in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel

Use Word for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to give your document a polished appearance by making paragraphs look the way you want. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to set the amount of space before and after each paragraph and the size of its indents and lines.

Need instructions on how to set the line spacing or indenting in a Word document, but not using a screen reader? See Change the line spacing in Word, Adjust indents and spacing, or Create a hanging indent.

In this topic

• Set paragraph spacing

• Set line spacing

• Set paragraph indents

  • Set first line indent

Set paragraph spacing

You can set the spacing point value before and after a paragraph. Smaller point values represent less space.

1. In your document, select the paragraph whose spacing you want to format by moving the insertion point to the beginning of the paragraph and pressing Shift+Ctrl+Down arrow key. If you want to set the paragraph spacing for the entire document, press Ctrl+A to select all its content.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To set the spacing before a paragraph, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Ribbon tab" or "Ribbon toolbar," depending on which screen reader you are using, and press P, S, B. You hear: "Spacing before." Use the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the point value you want, or type the point value you want (for example, 6 or 18). Press Ctrl+F6 to return the focus to the body text.
   • To set the spacing after a paragraph, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Ribbon tab" or "Ribbon toolbar," depending on which screen reader you are using, and press P, S, A. You hear: "Spacing after." Use the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the point value you want, or type the point value you want (for example, 6 or 18). Press Ctrl+F6 to return the focus to the body text.

Set line spacing

1. In your document, select the paragraph whose line spacing you want to format by moving the insertion point to the beginning of the paragraph and pressing Shift+Ctrl+Down arrow key. If you want to set the line spacing for the entire document, press Ctrl+A to select all its content.
2. To set line spacing for a selected paragraph, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Ribbon tab" or "Ribbon toolbar," depending on which screen reader you are using, and press H, P, G. The Paragraph dialog box opens.
3. Press the Tab key until you hear "Line spacing," followed by the current value. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select from a list of frequently used line spacing sizes. Then press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and press Enter to apply the value you selected.

Set paragraph indents

1. In your document, select the paragraph you want to indent by moving the insertion point to the beginning of the paragraph and pressing Shift+Ctrl+Down arrow key. If you want to set the paragraph indentation for the entire document, press Ctrl+A to select all its content.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To set the size of the left indent, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Ribbon tab" or "Ribbon toolbar," depending on which screen reader you are using, and press P, I, L. You hear: "Indent Left." To set the value you want, use the Up and Down arrow keys or type the value (for example, .25 or .5). Press Ctrl+F6 to return the focus to the body text.
   • To set the size of the right indent, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Ribbon tab" or "Ribbon toolbar," depending on which screen reader you are using, and press P, I, R. You hear: "Indent Right." To set the value you want, use the Up and Down arrow keys or type the value (for example, .25 or .5). Press Ctrl+F6 to return the focus to the body text.

Set first line indent

With a first line indent, the first line of a paragraph is indented more than the other lines in the paragraph.

To add a first line indent to a paragraph, move the focus to the beginning of the first line of the paragraph and press the Tab key.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel