How to Do a Hanging Indent in Word & Google Docs

How to Make a Hanging Indent

A hanging indent starts the first line of each entry at the left margin and indents every following line by 0.5 inch (1.27 cm). MLA, APA and Chicago all use it for the source list. In Word, choose Paragraph › Indentation › Special › Hanging. In Google Docs, choose Format › Align & indent › Indentation options › Hanging.

What a hanging indent looks like

Lindquist, Benjamin. “The Art of Text-to-Speech.” Critical Inquiry 50, no. 2 (2023): 225–51. https://doi.org/10.1086/727651.

Hanging indent in Google Docs

Select the list. Highlight every entry of your Works Cited or References list.
Open indentation options. Choose Format › Align & indent › Indentation options.
Choose Hanging. Under Special indent, choose Hanging and set it to 0.5 inches.
Apply. Choose Apply. Each entry keeps its first line at the margin.

Hanging indent in Microsoft Word (Windows)

Select the list. Highlight the entries.
Open Paragraph settings. On the Home tab, choose the small Paragraph settings arrow (the dialog launcher) to open Indents and Spacing.
Choose Hanging. Under Special, choose Hanging and set By to 0.5".
Choose OK. Shortcut: press Ctrl+T to add a hanging indent and Ctrl+Shift+T to remove it.

Hanging indent in Word for Mac

Select the list. Highlight the entries.
Open Format › Paragraph. In the menu bar, choose Format › Paragraph.
Choose Hanging. Under Special, choose Hanging and set By to 0.5".
Choose OK. Shortcut: Command+T adds a hanging indent; Command+Shift+T removes it.

Hanging indent in Apple Pages

Select the list. Select the paragraphs.
Open Layout. In the Format sidebar, choose Layout at the top.
Open Indents. Choose the disclosure arrow next to Indents.
Set the indent. Set Left to 0.5 in and leave First at 0 in. In Pages, Left moves every line except the first.

Skip it: copy the list with the indent already set

The works cited generator on this site copies your list with italics and a 0.5-inch hanging indent, so pasting it into Word or Google Docs keeps the format. Its print / PDF output is double-spaced with the same indent.

Steps checked on 20 October 2026 against Microsoft Support (Create a hanging indent in Word, Word keyboard shortcuts), Google Docs Help and the Pages User Guide for Mac. Menu names can change with app updates.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a hanging indent in MLA and APA?

0.5 inch (1.27 cm) in both MLA 9 and APA 7, and in Chicago.

Why does my hanging indent not work?

Usually because the lines were pushed over with tabs, spaces or line breaks (Shift+Enter). Delete those, make each entry its own paragraph, then apply the hanging indent from the paragraph settings.

Can I do a hanging indent on mobile Google Docs?

Google’s steps are for Docs on a computer, using Format › Align & indent › Indentation options. The phone apps only have basic indent buttons, so apply it on a computer or in the Word app.

Does a Works Cited need a hanging indent?

Yes. MLA 9 asks for a 0.5-inch hanging indent on every Works Cited entry, and APA 7 asks for the same on the References list.