Hi so I accidentally clicked set as default in the paragraph settings in word how do I fix it?

Question

I was trying to get the automatic tab back on because it randomly stopped working and so I accidentally clicked the set as default in the paragraph settings. And now my entire 184 page dcoument is in justify and there are no tabs. It was originally in align left. Do I have to go back and fix this one by one? That would be so frustrating. Please help me.

Answer 1

The default paragraph settings can be reset for the whole document and for future documents; it is not necessary to fix each paragraph one by one.

To restore paragraph settings (alignment, indents, spacing) for the current document and future documents, use the style defaults:

1. On the Home tab, click the Styles dialog box launcher (small arrow in the bottom-right of the Styles group).
2. At the bottom of the Styles dialog box, click Manage Styles.
3. Go to the Set Defaults tab.
4. Under Paragraph Position and Paragraph Spacing, set:
   • Alignment back to Left.
   • Indents and spacing to the values you want (for example, 0" left/right, normal line spacing, etc.).
5. Click New documents based on this template if the unwanted default affected new documents too, so the change applies to both the current document and future ones.
6. Click OK.

If only some paragraphs still look wrong after that, select the affected text and reapply the main body style (often Normal) from the Styles gallery; this reapplies the corrected default paragraph settings to those paragraphs in bulk.

To restore tab behavior for lists (changing bullet/outline level with Tab):

1. Choose File > Options > Proofing.
2. Click AutoCorrect Options.
3. Select the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
4. Check Set left- and first-indent with tabs and backspaces.
5. Click OK.

Note that tabbing to change list level works only on the second and subsequent lines of a list, not the first line.

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References:

• The paragraph settings change for all paragraphs in a document when you open the Tab dialog box in Word 2007
• How do you restore using tab to change outline/bullet levels? - Microsoft Q&A