Use the Ruler in Microsoft Word for Neat Documents

The ruler in Microsoft Word is an often overlooked tool, but it’s very useful to help you organize and edit documents more efficiently.

Microsoft Word has a variety of features and functions that can help you create, edit, and format documents easily and quickly. One feature that is often overlooked by many users is the ruler.

A ruler is a tool that functions like a regular ruler, which is to measure and adjust the distance, width, height, and position of text, images, tables, and other objects in a document. By using a ruler, you can make your documents more neat, organized, and professional.

However, not everyone knows how to use the ruler in Microsoft Word correctly and effectively. Therefore, in this article, we will explain in full detail how to enable, customize, and utilize rulers in Microsoft Word for various purposes. Check out the following review to the end.

How to Enable Ruler in Microsoft Word

Before you can use the ruler in Microsoft Word, you must first enable it. By default, the ruler may not be visible on your screen. To display the ruler, there are several ways you can do this, depending on the version of Microsoft Word that you are using.

If you are using Microsoft Word 2010 or later versions, you can enable the ruler in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the “View” tab located at the top of the screen.
3. Under the “Show” group, check the “Ruler” box. You can also use the shortcut “Alt + Shift + F9” to turn the ruler on or off.

After that, you’ll see a horizontal ruler at the top of the document and a vertical ruler at the left of the document.

How to Adjust the Ruler in Microsoft Word

Once you enable the ruler in Microsoft Word, you can customize it according to your needs and preferences. There are several things you can do to adjust the ruler, namely:

• Change the ruler’s unit of measure
• Set document margins using the ruler
• Set the stop tab using the ruler
• Set paragraph indentation using the ruler
• Change the ruler’s orientation

Here is a more explanation of how to adjust the ruler in Microsoft Word for each of the above.

1] How to Change the Ruler’s Unit of Measure

By default, rulers in Microsoft Word use inches. However, you can change the ruler’s unit of measure to another unit, such as centimeters, points, or pixels. To change the ruler unit of measure, you can do the following steps:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Right-click on the horizontal or vertical ruler.
3. Select the unit of measure you want from the menu that appears. You can choose between Inches, Centimeters, Millimeters, Points, or Picas.

After that, the ruler will display the unit of measure you selected.

2] How to Set Document Margins Using the Ruler

Margins are the distance between the edges of a document and text, images, tables, or other objects in the document. Margins can affect the look and readability of your document. You can set the margins of a document using the ruler in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Make sure you are in the “Print Layout view”. You can select it from the “View” tab under the “Views” group.
3. Hover over the top or left end of the ruler until you see a white rectangle symbol with a black line inside.
4. Click and drag the symbol inward or outward to adjust the top or left margin of the document. You can see the margin value in the pop-up box that appears when you drag the symbol.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to adjust the bottom or right margin of the document.

After that, the margins of your document will change according to the settings you made.

3] How to Set Stop Tab Using Ruler

Tab stops are reference points that determine the position of text when you press the Tab key on the keyboard. The stop tab can help you align text horizontally easily and quickly. You can set the stop tab using the ruler in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the paragraph or section of text for which you want to set the stop tab.
3. Click on the selector tab located at the left end of the horizontal ruler until the type of stop tab you want appears. There are five types of stop tabs that you can choose from, namely:
   • Left Tab: Aligns text to the left from the stop tab position.
   • Center Tab: Aligns text to the center of the stop tab position.
   • Right Tab: Aligns text to the right of the stop tab position.
   • Decimal Tab: Aligns numbers based on their decimal point at the tab stop position.
   • Tab Bar: Adds a vertical line to the stop tab position.
4. Click on the horizontal ruler where you want to add the stop tab. You can add more than one stop tab on the ruler.
5. If you want to remove or move a stop tab, click and drag it up to remove it or left or right to move it.

After that, the stop tab will be added, removed, or moved according to the settings you made.

4] How to Set Paragraph Indentation Using Ruler

Indentation is the distance between the margin and the beginning of a line in a paragraph. Indentation can make your paragraphs neater and easier to read. There are two types of indentation that you can set using a ruler, namely:

• Left indentation: The distance between the left margin and the beginning of a line in a paragraph.
• Right indentation: The distance between the right margin and the end of a line in a paragraph.

In addition, there are also two special types of indentation that you can set using a ruler, namely:

• First line indentation: The distance between the left margin and the beginning of the first line in a paragraph.
• Hanging indentation: The distance between the left margin and the beginning of the second line and so on in the paragraph.

To set paragraph indentation using the ruler, you can perform the following steps:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the paragraph or section of text that you want to set indentation for.
3. Hover over the symbols located under the selector’s tab on the horizontal ruler. There are three symbols that you can use to set the indentation, namely:
   • Top triangle symbol: Set the left indent of the first row.
   • Bottom triangle symbol: Set the left indent of the second row and so on.
   • Square symbol: Sets the right indentation of all rows.
4. Click and drag the symbols left or right to adjust paragraph indentation. You can see the indentation value in the pop-up box that appears when you drag the symbols.

After that, the indentation of your paragraphs will change according to the settings you made.

5] How to Change the Ruler Orientation

The ruler orientation is the direction the ruler is displayed on the screen. By default, the horizontal ruler is displayed horizontally and the vertical ruler is displayed vertically. However, you can change the orientation of the ruler to diagonal if you want to create a document with an unusual angle. To change the orientation of the ruler, you can perform the following steps:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the “Layout” tab located at the top of the screen.
3. Under the “Page Setup” group, click the “Orientation” button.
4. Select “Diagonal” from the menu that appears.

After that, the horizontal and vertical rulers will turn diagonal and you can measure and arrange text, images, tables, and other objects at different angles.

How to Make Use of Ruler in Microsoft Word

Once you know how to enable, adjust, and change the orientation of the ruler in Microsoft Word, you can take advantage of the ruler for various purposes, such as:

• Create straight lines or curves using the “Shapes” tool.
• Create a table by using the “Table” tool.
• Create columns by using the “Columns” tool.
• Create headers and footers by using the “Header &; Footer” tool.
• Create a list of numbers or points by using the “Bullets” or “Numbering” tool.

Here is a further explanation of how to utilize rulers in Microsoft Word for each of the above.

1] How to Create a Straight Line or Curve Using a Ruler

A straight line or curve is a geometric shape that you can create by using the Shapes tool in Microsoft Word. Straight lines or curves can be used to divide, connect, or decorate your document. You can create a straight line or curve by using a ruler in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the “Insert” tab located at the top of the screen.
3. Under the “Illustrations” group, click the “Shapes” button.
4. Select the type of straight line or curve you want from the menu that appears. There are several types of straight lines or curves you can choose from, such as:
   • Line: Create a straight line with free angles.
   • Line with Arrow: Create a straight line with an arrow at one end.
   • Curve: Create a curved line with free corners.
   • Freeform: Create curved lines with control points that you can set yourself.
   • Scribble: Create curved lines by drawing freely.
5. Click and drag on the document to create straight lines or curves to match the size and shape you want. You can use a ruler to measure and adjust the length, width, and angle of a straight line or curve that you create.
6. If you want to change the color, thickness, or style of a straight line or curve you created, right-click on the line and select “Format Shape” from the menu that appears. In the “Format Shape” window, you can customize the various options available under the “Line” section.

After that, the straight line or curve you created will be displayed in your document.

2] How to Create a Table Using a Ruler

A table is a collection of cells arranged in rows and columns that can be used to present data or information in a structured and neat manner. You can create a table by using the Table tool in Microsoft Word. You can create a table by using the ruler in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the Insert tab located at the top of the screen.
3. Under the Tables group, click the Table button.
4. Select Insert Table from the menu that appears.
5. In the Insert Table window, enter the number of rows and columns you want for your table under the Number of columns and Number of rows sections.
6. Click OK to create the table according to the size you specified.

After that, the table will be displayed in your document.

7. If you want to adjust the column width or row height of a table you’re creating, click on the table and hover over the border between columns or rows on the horizontal or vertical ruler. Click and drag the border left or right to adjust the column width or up or down to adjust the row height.
8. If you want to add, delete, or move a column or row of a table you created, right-click on the table and select the option you want from the menu that appears. There are several options you can choose from, such as:
   • Insert: Add a new column or row above, below, left, or to the right of the cell you selected.
   • Delete: Delete the column, row, or cell you selected.
   • Cut: Cuts the column, row, or cell you selected and saves it to the clipboard.
   • Copy: Copies the column, row, or cell you selected and save it to the clipboard.
   • Paste: Paste columns, rows, or cells stored on the clipboard to the position you want.

After that, your table will change according to the settings you made.

3] How to Create a Column Using a Ruler

A column is a section of text that is divided into sections vertically in a document. Columns can be used to make documents more attractive and easy to read, especially for documents with a lot of text, such as articles, newspapers, magazines, or books. You can create columns by using the Columns tool in Microsoft Word. You can create columns by using rulers in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the text you want to convert to a column.
3. Select the “Layout” tab located at the top of the screen.
4. Under the “Page Setup” group, click the “Columns” button.
5. Select the number of columns you want from the menu that appears. There are several number of columns you can choose from, such as:
   • One: Make the text into one column only (default).
   • Two: Make the text into two columns of equal width.
   • Three: Make the text into three columns of equal width.
   • Left: Makes the text into two columns of different widths, i.e. the left column is wider than the right column.
   • Right: Makes the text into two columns of different widths, i.e. the right column is wider than the left column.
   • More Columns: Make text more than three columns with a width and spacing that you can set yourself.

After that, the text will change to columns according to the number you selected.

6. If you want to adjust the width and spacing of the columns you created, click on the “Columns” button again and select “More Columns” from the menu that appears.
7. In the “Columns” window, enter the width and spacing values you want for each column under the “Width and spacing” section. You can use a ruler to measure and set the width and spacing of the columns you create.
8. If you want to add a dividing line between columns, check the “Line between” box under the “Preview” section.
9. Click OK to save the changes.

After that, your columns will change according to the settings you made.

4] How to Create Headers and Footers Using a Ruler

A header is a text or object that is displayed at the top of every page in a document. A footer is a text or object that is displayed at the bottom of every page in a document. Headers and footers can be used to add important or additional information, such as titles, page numbers, dates, logos, or footnotes. You can create headers and footers by using the Header & Footer tool in Microsoft Word. You can create headers and footers by using rulers in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the “Insert” tab located at the top of the screen.
3. Under the “Header &; Footer” group, click the “Header” or “Footer” button as you want.
4. Select the header or footer design you want from the menu that appears. There are several header or footer designs you can choose from, such as:
   • Blank: This creates a blank header or footer that you can fill with any text or object.
   • Banded: Create a header or footer with colored horizontal lines above or below it.
   • Accent Bar: Create a header or footer with a thin horizontal line above or below it.
   • Austin: Create a header or footer with a title and page number in the top-left or bottom-right corner.
   • Facet: Create a header or footer with the title and page number in the top or bottom center.
   • Ion: Create a header or footer with a title and page number in the top-right or bottom-left corner.

After that, a header or footer will be displayed in your document.

5. If you want to add, delete, or edit text or objects in a header or footer that you created, click on that header or footer and make the changes you want. You can use rulers to measure and position text or objects in headers or footers that you create.
6. If you want to close the header or footer, click on the Close Header and Footer button located in the upper right corner of the screen.

After that, your header or footer will be saved and displayed on every page of your document.

5] How to List Numbers or Points Using a Ruler

A numbered or bulleted list is a collection of items arranged sequentially in a document. A list of numbers or bullets can be used to indicate the order of steps, priorities, categories, or subtopics in a document. You can list numbers or bullets by using the “Bullets” or “Numbering” tools in Microsoft Word. You can list numbers or bullets by using the ruler in the following ways:

1. Open the document that you want to work on in Microsoft Word.
2. Select the text that you want to convert to a list of numbers or bullets.
3. Select the “Home” tab located at the top of the screen.
4. Under the “Paragraph” group, click the “Bullets” or “Numbering” button according to the type of list you want.
5. Select the symbol or format of the number or bullet you want from the menu that appears. There are several symbols or formats of numbers or points you can choose from, such as:
   • Bullets: Create bulleted lists with round, square, tick, star, or other symbols.
   • Numbering: Create a list of numbers with number, letter, roman, or other formats.
   • Multilevel List: Create a list of numbers or bullets with different subitem levels.

After that, the text will turn into a list of numbers or bullets according to the symbol or format you chose.

6. If you want to adjust the spacing, indentation, or style of the number or bullet list you’ve created, right-click on it and select “Adjust List Indents” from the menu that appears.
7. In the “Adjust List Indents” window, enter the distance, indent, or style values you want for your list under the “List Indentation”, “Number Position”, “Text Position”, or “Follow Number With” sections. You can use the ruler to measure and adjust the spacing, indentation, or style of lists you create.
8. Click OK to save the changes.

After that, your list of numbers or points will change according to the settings you made.

Conclusion

Ruler is a very useful and useful feature in Microsoft Word. By using a ruler, you can make your documents more neat, organized, and professional. You can enable, adjust, and utilize rulers in Microsoft Word for various purposes, such as setting margins, stop tabs, indentation, orientation, straight lines or curves, tables, columns, headers and footers, lists of numbers or bullets, and more.

Hope this article can help you understand and master how to use a ruler in Microsoft Word easily and quickly. Good luck and good luck! ?