Leader tabs are an advanced feature of Microsoft Word which allows you to add marks in the document ruler which creates a custom alignment for text within your document. Instead of using leader tabs, it’s common for people to align their work by adding multiple spaces or creating a line by continuously pressing the ‘full stop’ key on your keyboard. The issue with this is if you change the font style or size, the alignment of your document will go out of place. In the above video, I’ll show you how to add custom tabs and leader tabs so that you can easily align your text in your documents.

Before we begin, make sure your ruler is visible in your document. To enable your ruler, go to the ‘View’ tab and check the box next to ‘Ruler.’ Alternatively, on the right hand side of the page, there will be a toggle switch above your scroll bar that will turn your ruler on and off. It’s also really helpful to see what you’re doing by adding the ‘Show/Hide’ button (¶).

How to set custom tabs

  1. On the left hand side of your ruler, there is a little button which is called the ‘Tab Indicator.’
  2. Decide where you want the line to start and where you want it to end.
  3. Select the style of tab you want to use with the tab indicator. The ‘Left Tab’ style is commonly used. Click on the ruler at the points you want it to start and end.
  4. Now when you hit the ‘tab’ button on your keyboard, it will automatically take you over to that point. As you add text and continue to add tabs, your content will align itself accordingly.

How to create leader tabs

  1. Complete steps 1-4 above and then highlight your content.
  2. In the ‘Paragraph’ group, launch the dialog box by clicking on the button in the bottom right hand corner.
  3. In the ‘Indents and Spacing’ tab, click on the ‘Tabs’ button in the bottom left corner. This will launch another dialog box for tab stops.
  4. Select the end tab and make sure it’s highlighted.
  5. Select the style of leader tab you want in the leader section - dashed, dotted or solid.
  6. Click on ‘Set’ and ‘OK’ to apply the changes and then a line will appear in your document.
  7. The same settings will apply to the next line when you hit ‘Enter/Return’ on your keyboard. Add more text, click your ‘Tab’ key twice and another line will appear.
  8. To turn off these settings, highlight the section you want to change and drag the tab stop off the ruler in a downward direction. Alternatively, open the dialog box again and either delete any tab stops or set the leader to none for that line.