Often--but not always--a selected paragraph just sits there when I move the left indent on the horizontal ruler. Then, if I use the cursor to move the ruler indent to another place and back to where I wanted it originally, the paragraph usually complies.

I've tried selecting the entire paragraph, just a part of the paragraph, or placing the cursor somewhere along the paragraph. Nothing like that seems to affect this behavior.

Any ideas?

(I'm using Word 2007, by the way; and not using styles.)

Do you see the indent indicator (on the ruler) moving properly, or does it "snap back" into the original position after you release the mouse button? In that case, try holding the Alt key while you drag it. This should give you the ability to fine-tune the position of the indent.

Also, indentation applies to a whole paragraph, and/or to its first line of text, which is why selecting part of a paragraph shouldn't make a difference.

Are you sure that your paragraphs start and end where you think? Display nonprinting marks, including paragraph marks (¶) by clicking the ¶ button on the Home tab.

__________________
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional

Thanks Stefan, I'll give the Alt-key approach a try. Since the problem only occurs from time to time, it may take a while to verify its effectiveness.

In answer to your questions:

When my problem turns up, the indent indicator stays put after I lift the left mouse button. If I left-click on the indent indicator again, or left-click within the selected paragraph, sometimes it will jump back to the left margin, but not always.

I've had most non-printing marks--including the paragraph mark--turned on via Word Options through out this venture, so bad aim doesn't seem to be part of if. (Before MS bought Word, I was an ardent Wordperfect user. Wordperfect had a mode where all formatting marks were revealed, which was invaluable for even slightly-complicated documents. One reason I resisted switching to Word when my entire office did was its lack of that feature.)

I'll let you know in a week or so if using Alt fixes the problem.

Thanks for the follow-up.

By the way, you should also check if Word "behaves" when you use the Paragraph dialog box for indentation.

__________________
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional