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How to remove all indents in Word?

Author Amanda Li Last modified

Indents are commonly used in Word documents to improve readability and structure. However, there may be times when you need to remove all indents to create a more uniform appearance or to reformat a document.

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps to remove all indents in a Word document, helping you streamline your formatting process.

Remove all indents with Layout (Page Layout)

You can quickly remove all indents from selected paragraphs or the entire document by adjusting the page layout settings in Word.

Note: This method cannot remove first-line indents created by spaces or tab characters. For such cases, consider using VBA or Kutools for Word.

  1. Select the paragraphs from which you want to remove indents. If you want to remove all indents from the entire document, press Ctrl + A to select everything.
  2. In the Paragraph group under the Layout tab, do the following:
    1. In the Left box, type 0 and press Enter.
    2. In the Right box, type 0 and press Enter.

    Remove all indents with Layout

Now all indents (except first line indents made by spaces or tab characters) are removed.

Remove all indents using Paragraph feature

Using the Paragraph feature in Word, you can quickly remove all left and right indents from selected paragraphs. Follow the steps below to remove indents efficiently.

Note: This method does not remove first-line indents created using spaces or tab characters. For such cases, consider using VBA or Kutools for Word.

  1. Select the paragraphs you want to remove indents from, right-click, and choose Paragraph from the context menu.

    Paragraph option on the context menu

  2. In the Paragraph dialog box:
    1. Enter 0 in both the Left and Right fields.
    2. Select (none) from the Special drop-down list.
    3. Click the OK button.

    Remove all indents with using the Paragraph dialog

All indents (excluding first-line indents created with spaces or tabs) will be removed immediately.

Remove all indents with Kutools for Word

Removing all indents in Word can be challenging as the Format function does not remove first-line indents created by spaces or tab characters, and VBA methods can be too complex. The most convenient solution is using Kutools for Word, which allows you to remove all indents with a single click.

Kutools for Word, equipped with AI πŸ€–, offers over 100 handy features to simplify your tasks.
  1. To remove all indents from the document, click Kutools > Indents > Remove All Indents. All types of indents will be removed instantly.

    Remove all indents with Kutools in one click

Tip: Kutools for Word's Remove Indents feature also allows you to remove specific types of indents, such as spaces/tab indents, first-line indents, left indents, or right indents, with just one click.
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Remove all indents with VBA

If you are familiar with macros, you can use VBA code to remove all indents from a selection or the entire Word document easily. Follow the steps below:

  1. Select the paragraphs or the entire document from which you want to remove all indents.
  2. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA window. Then, click Insert > Module to create a new module window, and paste the following code into the window: 
    Sub remove_indents()
With Selection.ParagraphFormat
.CharacterUnitLeftIndent = 0
.CharacterUnitRightIndent = 0
.CharacterUnitFirstLineIndent = 0
.LeftIndent = CentimetersToPoints(0)
.RightIndent = CentimetersToPoints(0)
.FirstLineIndent = CentimetersToPoints(0)
End With
End Sub
Sub remove_all_the_first_line_indent_spaces()
Dim i As Paragraph, n As Long
Application.ScreenUpdating = False 'close screen and refresh
For Each i In ActiveDocument.Paragraphs 'cycling in the paragraphs of the active document
For n = 1 To i.Range.Characters.Count
If i.Range.Characters(1).Text = " " Or i.Range.Characters(1).Text = "γ€€" Or i.Range.Characters(1).Text = Chr(9) Then
i.Range.Characters(1).Delete
Else: Exit For
End If
Next n
Next
Application.ScreenUpdating = True 'restore screen and refresh
End Sub
Sub remove_all_indents()
remove_indents
remove_all_the_first_line_indent_spaces
End Sub
  3. Click the Run button or press F5 to apply the VBA code.

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