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mkramer777
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can you auto change indentations on a doc from 0.5 to 0.3?

I wrote a novel in word and I just typed the whole thing before any formatting.  I used tab for the start of new pargraph.  I have found this to be wrong on many websites so I changed the indentation for first line from 0.5 to 0.3 This works fine but my question is how do I get all of my paragraphs that are tabbed at 0.5 to auto change to 0.3?  Maybe there is not way to do that.  Right now  I have been clicking in front of the paragraph and hitting the delete key which brings the indent back to the changed setting of 0.3

See screenshot.
Screen-Shot-2020-06-04-at-10.37.30-A.png
Microsoft Word

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John Korchok

8/22/2022 - Mon
John Korchok

That's what styles are for. If you create a Normal Indent style and apply that to all indented paragraphs, then all you have to do is to change the style paragraph Before text parameter. All paragraphs instantly update.
mkramer777

ASKER
Can't see where to do this. I have to create a normal indent style?  I see the indentation where I set first line to 0.3 (previously 0.5) Can you tell me step by step where this is done?

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Dr. Klahn

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John Korchok

  1. On the Home tab, in the Styles gallery, open the Styles Pane.
  2. Click on the Options button, then change the Select styles to show dropdown to All Styles and OK out.
  3. Scroll down the list. Near the bottom is Normal Indent.
  4. Click on the down-pointing arrowhead at the right end of the style name and choose Modify.
  5. Check Add to the Styles Gallery.
  6. Click on Format and choose Paragraph.
  7. Change Before text to 0.3", then OK out.
  8. Select the indented paragraphs, then click on the Normal Indent style in the Styles gallery to apply it.
Your help has saved me hundreds of hours of internet surfing.
fblack61
John Korchok

Dr. Klahn, using styles is always a better practice than applying local formatting.
mkramer777

ASKER
Thanks Dr. Klahn, that worked.  Not sure on one thing though.  All I had to do was the replace all command and it fixed all paragraphs to indent from 0.5 to 0.3.  I did not have to do the rest of the instructions.  Do you think it is because I had already set the indent first line to 0.3 before I did the replace all?

Dr. Klahn

Could be.  As long as it works satisfactorily, how the effect is achieved is not so important.  Office is a big black box, there are nine-and-sixty ways of doing anything, "and every single one of them is right!"

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John Korchok

I admit, that's a common attitude. But local formatting is inherently inefficient when formatting must be updated.