How to Create a Hanging Indent in Word

A hanging indent is where the first line of a paragraph starts at the left margin, and every line after it is indented. It's the standard layout for reference lists in APA, MLA and Harvard, because it makes each author's surname easy to spot.

Select the paragraphs and press Ctrl + T. Press it again to indent further. Ctrl + Shift + T reduces it.

Each press moves the indent to the next default tab stop (usually 1.27 cm / 0.5 inch), which is exactly what APA and MLA ask for.

1. Select your reference list.
2. On the Home tab, click the small arrow in the bottom-right of the Paragraph group.
3. Under Indentation, set Special to Hanging.
4. Set By to 1.27 cm (0.5").
5. Click OK.

Turn on View → Ruler. On the left of the ruler you'll see two small triangles and a rectangle:

• Top triangle — where the first line starts.
• Bottom triangle — where the other lines start.

Select your paragraphs and drag the bottom triangle to the right. The first line stays where it is.

If you're writing a long document, apply the hanging indent to a style so every reference matches:

1. Right-click the Bibliography style (or create a new one) → Modify…
2. Format → Paragraph → set the hanging indent.
3. Apply that style to every reference.

If you use Word's own bibliography tool, the hanging indent is applied automatically.

Select the text, then Format → Paragraph → Indentation → Special → Hanging.

Only the first reference is indented. Make sure you selected every paragraph before applying it.

Lines are indented using tabs or spaces. Remove them. A real hanging indent adjusts itself when text wraps; tabs and spaces don't.

Select your references and press Ctrl + T. Done.