Although using a table is generally the easiest way to position text horizontally, there are times when setting tab stops and pressing the Tab key work best. All you need to do is specify the location of each tab and the alignment you want for the tab stop. If you don’t set any tab stops, however, Word provides default tab stops that are usually set at 0.5 inch all the way across the line of text. You can change this default value in the Tabs dialog box.
If the ruler isn’t already displayed, click the View Ruler button to display the ruler.
Click in a paragraph, or select all the paragraphs in which you want to set the tabs.
Click to select the type of tab you want. Each click selects a different type of tab or other ruler marker.
Click in the ruler where you want the tabs. If necessary, drag a tab stop to a new location to adjust it. Drag a tab stop off the ruler to delete that tab stop.
If you want to modify a tab stop or set a tab leader—a dotted, dashed, or solid line—double-click any tab stop on the ruler to display the Tabs dialog box.