Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.

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Formatting text in WordPad

WordPad is a basic program that you can use to create and edit documents. Unlike Notepad, WordPad enables you to include text with formatting—such as italic, bold, and underline—as well as graphics.

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To change font type, size, style, and effects such as color, click the Format menu, click Font, and then make the changes you want.

  1. Click anywhere in the paragraph you want to change.

  2. Click the Format menu, and then click Paragraph.

  3. Under Alignment, click the alignment you want (Left, Right, or Center).

  1. Click anywhere in the paragraph you want to indent.

  2. Click the Format menu, and then click Paragraph.

  3. Under Indentation, type a measurement for how far to indent the paragraph.

To set or remove tab stops in paragraphs, select the paragraphs you want to change, and then follow these steps:

  1. Click the Format menu, and then click Tabs.

  2. In the Tabs dialog box, do any of the following:

    • To set a tab stop, type the measurement for the new tab stop in the Tab stop position box, and then click Set.

    • To delete a tab stop, click it in the list, and then click Clear.

    • To delete all tab stops in the selected paragraph, click Clear All.

Tip

Tip

You can also set tab stops by clicking the location on the ruler where you want to set them. To delete tab stops, drag them off the ruler.

  1. Click the location in the file where you want the bulleted list to begin.

  2. Click the Format menu, and then click Bullet Style.

  3. Type the text you want to appear for the first bullet, and then press ENTER.

    When you press ENTER, another bullet appears on the next line.

  4. Repeat the previous step for each bullet you want to create.

  5. To end the bulleted list, click the Format menu, and then click Bullet Style.

Tips

Tips

  • You can also create a bulleted list by clicking the Bullets button on the Format bar.

  • To create an indented paragraph in a bulleted list, press SHIFT+ENTER.

  1. Click the File menu, and then click Page Setup.

  2. In the Page Setup dialog box, do any of the following:

    To

    Do this

    Change the paper or envelope size

    In the Size list, click the size you want.

    Change the paper source

    In the Source list, click a tray name or feeder.

    Print your document horizontally or vertically

    Click Landscape to print horizontally, or click Portrait to print vertically.

    Change the margins

    Under Margins (inches), type a new value for each margin you want to change in the appropriate box.

Tip

Tip

You might find it convenient to add formatting to your text by using the Format bar in WordPad. To show or hide the Format bar, click the View menu, and then click Format.

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