Frequently asked questions - Writer

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    How do I create a hanging indent in my document?

    Modifying the indent of the paragraphs.

    Two different options are available, independently of the way you want the indents to be displayed.

    Using a predefined style

    1. open the Style and Formatting window (select: View ▸ Styles from the menus bar) (or F11);
    2. put the cursor in the text to which you want to apply an indent (or in an empty area that you will fill with text later on); and
    3. double-click the Hanging indent paragraph style in the Styles and Formatting window. This style has, by default, a left indent of 1cm and a first line indent of -0.50cm

    Creating your own style

    1. open the Styles and Formatting window (as described above);
    2. select a common paragraph style like Default Style;
    3. right-click on the name to open the contextual menu and select New;
    4. in the dialog box that opens, enter a name for your style;
    5. click on the Indents & Spacing tab. Choose the setting under the Indent section. To get an indent of 1 cm, you need to enter 1cm[1] in the field Before Text. Then click the First line field and enter the value -0.5cm[1]; and
    6. click OK. The new style appears now among the list of styles. You can use it now as a predefined style (see above).

    Doing a punctual change

    There exists another solution, less common because not based on styles.

    1. select the View ▸ Rulers ▸ Rulers and View ▸ Rulers ▸ Vertical Ruler menu to display (and hide) the rulers (the two graduated areas at the top and on the left);
    2. slide the cursor at the bottom left of the horizontal ruler until the desired position of the indent (1cm for example);
    3. slide the cursor at the top-left of the horizontal ruler to set the first line indent; and

    You can adjust these values by selecting the Format ▸ Paragraph... ▸ Indents & Spacing.

    Footnote

    1. 1.0 1.1 If the measurement unit is set to Inch (Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Writer ▸ General ▸ Settings ▸ Measurement unit), then the centimiter value you just entered will automatically be converted to inch.