How to Show the Ruler in Word

To show the ruler in Microsoft Word, open the View tab and tick Ruler. That’s it on Windows and Mac. The ruler appears across the top of the page, and in Print Layout view a second ruler runs down the left side.

Show the ruler in Word for Windows and Mac

1. Open your document.
2. Click the View tab on the ribbon.
3. Tick the Ruler check box.

To hide it again, clear the same box. Word remembers your choice for the next document.

If you don’t see the ribbon at all, it’s collapsed. Double-click any tab name (such as Home) to pin it open again.

Show the ruler in Word for the web

Word for the web, the free version at office.com, can also show or hide the ruler. Open the View tab and turn on Ruler. If the option isn’t there, switch the document to Print Layout from the same tab first.

Turn on the vertical ruler

The vertical ruler on the left only appears in Print Layout view. Choose View > Print Layout. If the ruler still doesn’t appear, it has been switched off in Word’s settings:

1. Go to File > Options > Advanced.
2. Scroll down to Display.
3. Select Show vertical ruler in Print Layout view, then OK.

Change the ruler from inches to centimeters

Word uses inches or centimeters based on your region, but you can pick the unit yourself. In Word for Windows:

1. Go to File > Options > Advanced.
2. Scroll down to Display and choose a unit in Show measurements in units of: inches, centimeters, millimeters, points or picas.
3. Select OK.

The ruler, margins, indents and tab stops all switch to the new unit. Need a quick conversion while you work? One inch is exactly 2.54 cm. Our inches to cm converter handles fractions like 1 3/8.

What the ruler markers do

• Gray areas at each end are the page margins. Drag the edge between gray and white to change a margin.
• Top triangle on the left sets the first-line indent, the start of a paragraph’s first line.
• Bottom triangle on the left sets the hanging indent for the rest of the paragraph’s lines.
• Small box under the triangles moves both together, which shifts the whole paragraph’s left indent.
• Triangle on the right sets the right indent.
• Click anywhere on the white part to add a tab stop. Drag a tab stop off the ruler to remove it.

The markers only change the paragraphs you’ve selected. Select the text first, then drag.

When the ruler won’t appear

• Ruler box is grayed out: you’re in a view without a ruler, such as Read Mode or Focus. Choose View > Print Layout.
• Only the top ruler shows: switch to Print Layout, then check the vertical ruler setting above.
• Ruler is ticked but invisible: the window may be too narrow, or the ribbon collapsed over it. Maximize the window and pin the ribbon open.

Is Word’s ruler the real size?

Word’s ruler measures your document, not your screen. It changes with the zoom slider, so 1 inch on Word’s ruler only lines up with a real inch at one particular zoom level on your display. Don’t hold a coin or a ring against it and trust the result.

For measuring real objects on screen, use a ruler you calibrate to your display, such as our inch ruler or cm ruler. Or print our printable ruler at 100%.