In Word, the command commonly called “right justify” is Align Right. Put the cursor in the paragraph, then choose Home > Paragraph > Align Right, or press Ctrl+R in desktop Word for Windows. The paragraph’s right edge will line up with its right margin while its left edge stays uneven. Word’s Justify command is different: it spreads most lines across both margins.
Right-align one paragraph or several
- Put the cursor in the paragraph. You do not need to highlight every word when changing one paragraph’s alignment. To change several paragraphs together, select those paragraphs first.
- Open the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, choose Align Right, the icon whose lines meet the right edge. In desktop Word for Windows, Ctrl+R applies the same paragraph command.
- Check the result. The last character of each affected line should meet the right text boundary. Other paragraphs should keep their previous alignment if you changed only one.
- Save the document when the layout is correct. If you did not mean to change that paragraph, use Undo or choose Align Left to reset its alignment.
For example, place the cursor in a date line at the top of a letter and choose Align Right. The date moves against the right margin; the body paragraph below can remain left-aligned. If both move, select only the intended paragraph or check whether they are separated by a paragraph mark. In Word for the web, use the corresponding Home > Align Right button in the paragraph controls when it is available.
Align Right and Justify are different
| Word command | What happens | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Align Right | Lines end at the right margin; the left edge remains uneven. | A date, signature line, short heading, or paragraph deliberately placed at the right. |
| Justify | Word adjusts spacing so most lines meet both the left and right margins. | Body text when a publication style calls for straight edges on both sides. |
In the standard Word terminology, “right justify” usually means Align Right. It is not a third alignment mode between Align Right and Justify. If you want both sides straight, choose Justify instead; our Word justification guide explains that separate task.
For an overview of all four alignment options, see how to align text in Microsoft Word.
Put one item at the right of the same line
Alignment applies to a paragraph. Selecting only a few words inside a paragraph and clicking Align Right changes the paragraph’s alignment; it does not independently push just those words to the edge. For a line such as Invoice on the left and a date on the right, use a right-aligned tab stop in desktop Word:
- Place the cursor in the line, or select the lines that should share the layout.
- Open the Home > Paragraph dialog launcher and choose Tabs.
- Enter a tab-stop position near the right text boundary, set Alignment to Right, choose Set, then OK.
- Place the cursor between the left and right items and press Tab. The right item ends at the tab stop. Adjust the position if it runs into the left item.
Word for the web can display existing tab stops but cannot set or remove them; open the file in desktop Word for this setup. For many rows of labels and values, a simple table may be easier to maintain than a collection of tab stops.
If the result is still in the wrong place
- Only the intended paragraph should move: turn on paragraph marks with Home > Show/Hide and check where the paragraph ends. A line break inside one paragraph does not make a separate alignment unit.
- The text stops before the expected edge: check the paragraph’s right indent and the page margins. Align Right uses the paragraph’s text boundary; it does not ignore an indent.
- You selected a picture: an inline picture behaves with its paragraph, but a floating picture uses Picture Format > Align and may need a wrapping choice other than In Line with Text. See our picture-position guide for the inline-versus-floating distinction.
For broader problems involving tabs, margins, tables, or several kinds of misalignment, use our Word alignment troubleshooting guide.
Sources: Microsoft: align text left or right, center, or justify; Microsoft: paragraph alignment and Ctrl+R; Microsoft: insert tab stops; Microsoft: align pictures and other objects.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com