How to Create a Hanging Indent in Word for APA

To create an APA-style hanging indent in Microsoft Word, select the reference entries, open the Paragraph settings, and set Special to Hanging with a 0.5-inch indent. This leaves each reference’s first line at the left margin and moves its following lines in by half an inch. In APA 7, use this format for reference-list entries; do not apply it to the entire paper.

The steps below are for Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows. The Paragraph dialog is also available in Word for Mac, though its menu path differs slightly. If possible, format the reference list after you have added and edited all of its entries, so new paragraphs do not need separate formatting.

What You’ll Need

A Word document containing the reference list. Each reference should be its own paragraph, created by pressing Enter at the end of the entry.
The reference entries you want to format. You can select the whole list, but leave the References heading out of the selection.
APA 7 formatting requirements. The standard hanging indent for the reference list is 0.5 inch (1.27 cm); check any instructor or institution directions that specify a different setting.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and locate the reference list. Scroll to the References heading and review the entries beneath it. Make sure the heading is a separate paragraph from the first reference. A hanging indent belongs on each reference entry, not on the heading or the rest of your paper.
Select the reference paragraphs. Click at the start of the first reference, hold the mouse button, and drag through the final character of the last reference. Include the paragraph mark after the final entry if it is easy to select, but avoid selecting the References heading. Another option is to click before the first entry, then hold Shift and click at the end of the last one. If the final paragraph mark is not included, the visible text should still take the format; check the final entry afterward.
Open the Paragraph dialog on Windows. Go to Home > Paragraph and click the small dialog box launcher at the lower-right corner of the Paragraph group. It looks like a small diagonal arrow. This opens the full Paragraph settings, rather than simply changing the list’s left alignment or adding a tab.
Choose the hanging setting. In the Paragraph dialog, open the Indents and Spacing tab. Under Indentation, find the Special dropdown and choose Hanging. The adjacent By field should normally show 0.5". If it shows another value, enter 0.5 inches. Word may display the equivalent in centimeters if your measurement units are set to metric; 1.27 cm is the same indent.
Apply the setting. Click OK. Look at several references, including one that wraps onto a second or third line. The first line should start at the left margin, and every continuation line should begin 0.5 inch farther to the right. Entries that fit on one line will not show an obvious hanging indent, so check a longer reference as well.
Confirm the list’s paragraph spacing. APA reference entries are generally double-spaced, with no extra blank line between entries. If spacing needs attention, keep the references selected and open the Paragraph dialog again. Set Line spacing to Double. Under spacing, set Before and After to 0 pt, unless your instructor has given different directions. The indent and line spacing are separate settings.
Check the result after editing. Click in a reference and make a small edit, then undo it if it was only a test. New paragraphs created inside the selected, formatted range often inherit the paragraph formatting, but pasted text or text typed after the list may not. If a new entry looks different, select it and repeat the hanging-indent setting. Save the document when the references look consistent.

Word for Mac: Select the reference paragraphs, then use Format > Paragraph to open the paragraph settings. In Indents and Spacing, choose Hanging under Special, set the amount to 0.5 inch or 1.27 cm, and confirm. Depending on the Word for Mac version and window layout, you may also be able to open Paragraph settings from the Home tab’s Paragraph group. The dialog method is preferable when you want to verify the exact indent measurement.

Common Mistakes

Indenting the whole reference list with the toolbar. Increasing the left indent shifts the first line too, so it does not create the APA hanging effect. Use Special: Hanging in the Paragraph dialog instead.
Including the References heading. If the heading is selected along with the entries, it may move in with the references. Undo the change, select only the entries, and apply the format again. Keep the heading’s own alignment and style as required by your paper instructions.
Using spaces or tabs to fake the indent. Manually adding spaces at the start of wrapped lines can look uneven and shift when you edit the citation or change the font. A paragraph indent adjusts automatically when the text wraps.
Applying the setting to only one entry. If only the active paragraph was selected, the rest of the list will remain flush left. Select all reference entries before opening the dialog, then inspect the top, middle, and bottom of the list.
Confusing paragraph breaks with line breaks. Pressing Enter starts a new paragraph, which is what each separate reference needs. A manual line break, usually inserted with Shift+Enter, keeps text within the same paragraph and can make the indent behave unexpectedly.
Adding a blank line between every reference. APA normally uses double spacing rather than extra blank paragraphs. Remove unintended empty paragraphs and set line spacing in the dialog instead.

Tips

Format the list as a group. Once citations are in their final order, select all entries and apply the indent in one pass. This reduces the chance that one reference will have a different setting.
Use the ruler only as a visual check. With a reference selected, Word’s ruler can show the first-line and hanging-indent markers. For a hanging indent, the upper first-line marker remains at the margin while the lower marker sits at 0.5 inch. The dialog is still the clearest way to enter an exact amount.
Know the optional shortcut. In Word for Windows, Ctrl+T applies or increases a hanging indent for the selected paragraph; Ctrl+Shift+T reduces it. In many current Word for Mac versions, Command+T applies a hanging indent. Shortcut behavior can depend on the version and keyboard settings, so use the Paragraph dialog if the shortcut does something else or you need to confirm the 0.5-inch amount.
Keep each citation together as a paragraph. Do not press Enter just to make a line wrap; Word wraps long text automatically. Use one paragraph per reference so the hanging indent applies consistently to all wrapped lines.
Check the final document view. Zoom in or use Print Layout to check that long references wrap neatly. If you export to PDF, open the PDF and confirm the indent remains visible; a quick visual check can catch layout changes before you submit.

Troubleshooting

Nothing moved after I chose Hanging. Confirm that the reference paragraphs were selected, and check that you clicked OK rather than Cancel. Select a long entry and reopen Home > Paragraph dialog launcher > Indents and Spacing. Verify that Special says Hanging and By is 0.5 inch. If the selection was lost before opening the dialog, click in the affected paragraph, reopen the settings, and reapply the indent.

The first line is indented too. The paragraph may have a left indent as well as a hanging indent, or the wrong Special option may be selected. In the dialog, set Left to 0, choose Hanging under Special, and set By to 0.5 inch. Do not use the Increase Indent button as a substitute.

Only some references are formatted. Select the entries that were missed and apply the setting to that selection. If the result is inconsistent even after selecting the full list, check whether some citations are separated by manual line breaks or are in a table or text box. Put each reference in its own normal paragraph if possible, then format those paragraphs. You can turn on paragraph marks with the Home > Paragraph > Show/Hide ¶ button to see paragraph and line-break marks; click it again to hide them.

The indent disappears when I paste or add a reference. Pasted text may bring in formatting from its source, and text added outside the formatted list may use the document’s default paragraph style. Select the affected entry and repeat the dialog steps. If several pasted entries are inconsistent, select them together and set the indent again. Avoid trying to fix each wrapped line with spaces.

The measurement is in centimeters or the dialog looks different. Enter 1.27 cm if Word uses centimeters; it is equivalent to 0.5 inch. In Word for Mac, open Format > Paragraph. In Word for the web, available paragraph controls can differ from the desktop app, so use the desktop Paragraph dialog when you need to verify a precise hanging-indent value.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a hanging indent in APA?
A hanging indent keeps the first line of a reference entry at the left margin and indents every line after it. APA 7 uses this format for reference-list entries so readers can scan the start of each citation.

How far should an APA hanging indent be?
The standard setting is 0.5 inch, which is 1.27 cm. Use a different amount only if your instructor, department, or publication instructions specifically require it.

Do I indent the References heading?
No. Apply the hanging indent to the individual reference entries, not to the References heading. Keep the heading formatted according to the APA instructions or assignment requirements that apply to your paper.

Can I create the indent with the ruler?
Yes. Select the reference paragraphs and move the ruler’s lower indent marker to 0.5 inch while leaving the upper first-line marker at the left margin. For accuracy, especially if you are unfamiliar with the markers, use the Paragraph dialog and choose Hanging.

Does Word automatically make an APA hanging indent?
Not reliably. A template or existing paragraph style may already include one, but ordinary pasted or typed references may not. Check the list and set the indent explicitly rather than assuming Word applied APA formatting.

Will the indent remain when I save or export the document?
It normally remains as paragraph formatting in a Word document and in a PDF exported from Word. Review the saved file or exported PDF to make sure the first and continuation lines still appear as intended.

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