How to Center the Text Vertically & Horizontally in Word 2007by McKenna FreeseUpdated February 10, 2017
While Microsoft Word is useful for simply writing documents, learning to edit the layout of a document is necessary for anyone who wishes to go beyond merely writing. The ability to change the location of the text itself on the page is essential to editing the document’s layout.
How to Center the Text Horizontally
At the top of the Word window, click on the “Home” tab and find the section titled “Paragraph.” There are four buttons in this section, each of which shows six tiny lines in a different orientation. Hover the mouse over each of these to find the button that says “Center text” – it should be the button that is the second from the left. Click on this button.
If you cannot find the buttons indicated in Step 1, click on the section titles “Paragraph.” A window will open. Click the tab labeled “Indents and Spacing.” Under “General,” there is a drop-down menu for “Alignment.” Click “Centered,” then click “OK” to close to window and return to the Word document.
If you have not yet typed the text you wish to center, simply select the “Centered” option using one of the methods stated above, and then type in your document. Your text should be centered. If you have already typed the text and now wish to center it, click and drag your mouse to highlight the desired portion of the document, and then select the “Centered” option using one of the above methods.
How to Center the Text Vertically
At the top of the Microsoft Word window, select the “Page Layout” tab.
Click the “Page Setup” section title. A window will open. Select the tab labeled “Layout.”
Midway down the window under the “Layout” tab, find the “Vertical Alignment” section. From the drop-down menu, choose “Center.” Click “OK” to close the window and return to your document.
Follow the instructions from Section 1, Step 3 above to select the text you wish to center vertically.
A simple alternative method for centering text horizontally is to press "Ctrl-E" on your keyboard. If you do this before selecting text, it will center the cursor’s current position on the page, as well as the line of text at the cursor’s current position. If you select text and then press "Ctrl-E," your selection will be centered.
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