Setting up APA format in Microsoft Word takes about five minutes once you know which settings to change. The process comes down to adjusting your margins, font, line spacing, title page, headings, page numbers, and reference list. Here’s how to configure each one step by step.
Set Margins, Font, and Line Spacing
These three settings form the foundation of every APA paper. Get them right first, and everything else falls into place.
Margins: Go to Layout (or Page Layout) and click Margins. Select “Normal,” which sets 1-inch margins on all four sides. If your default isn’t 1 inch, choose “Custom Margins” and type 1″ into the top, bottom, left, and right fields.
Font: APA 7th edition accepts several fonts: 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 12-point Aptos, and 11-point Georgia, among others. Pick one and use it consistently throughout the paper, including headings and the reference list. If your instructor hasn’t specified a preference, the default font in your version of Word is fine.
Line spacing: Select all your text (Ctrl+A on Windows, Cmd+A on Mac), then go to Home and find the line spacing option in the Paragraph group. Set it to 2.0 (double). While you’re there, set “Before” and “After” paragraph spacing to 0 pt. Word often adds extra space after paragraphs by default, and APA requires you to remove it. The entire paper should be double-spaced, including block quotations and the reference list, with no extra blank lines before or after headings.
Insert Page Numbers
Every page of an APA paper gets a page number in the top-right corner, starting with 1 on the title page. Go to Insert, click Page Number, choose “Top of Page,” and select the right-aligned option. Word will automatically number every page from that point forward.
If your instructor requires a running head (a shortened version of your title in the header), you’ll type it in the header area to the left of the page number. Student papers do not include a running head under APA 7th edition unless an instructor specifically asks for one. Professional papers still use them.
Build the Title Page
Don’t use Word’s built-in cover page templates. They don’t match APA formatting. Instead, start with a blank first page and build it manually.
Place the paper title three to four lines down from the top of the page. Center it, bold it, and capitalize major words. If your title has a subtitle, put it on the next double-spaced line, also centered and bold. Leave one double-spaced blank line below the title, then add each of the following elements on its own centered, double-spaced line:
- Your name (first name, middle initial if desired, last name)
- Department and institution (e.g., Department of Psychology, University of North Texas)
- Course number and name (e.g., PSY 3100: Research Methods)
- Instructor name (use the format shown on your syllabus)
- Assignment due date
All of this information should sit roughly in the upper half of the page. Don’t try to vertically center it on the page using Word’s vertical alignment feature. Just start three to four lines down and let the double spacing do the rest.
Format Headings
APA uses five heading levels, but most student papers only need two or three. All headings use the same font and size as your body text.
- Level 1: Centered, bold, title case. The text starts on a new line below the heading, indented like a normal paragraph.
- Level 2: Left-aligned, bold, title case. The text starts on a new line below the heading, indented.
- Level 3: Left-aligned, bold italic, title case. The text starts on a new line below the heading, indented.
Do not add blank lines before or after any heading. The double spacing you already set handles the visual separation. A common mistake is pressing Enter an extra time above a heading for breathing room. APA doesn’t want it.
You can manually apply these formats each time, or you can modify Word’s built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) to match APA rules. To do that, right-click a heading style in the Home tab’s Styles group, choose “Modify,” and set the font, size, alignment, and bold/italic options. This saves time on longer papers and keeps your formatting consistent.
Set Paragraph Indentation
The first line of every body paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches. The easiest way to set this globally is to select all your body text, open the Paragraph dialog box (click the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Paragraph group on the Home tab), and under “Special,” choose “First line.” The default depth is 0.5 inches, which is exactly what APA requires. Avoid using the Tab key manually for each paragraph, since it’s easy to be inconsistent.
Exceptions to the first-line indent: the title page, headings, block quotations, reference entries, table and figure titles, and items in a list. These elements have their own indentation rules.
Format the Reference List
Start your reference list on a new page after the body of your paper. Type the word “References” centered and in bold at the top (this is a Level 1 heading). Each entry should be double-spaced with no extra spacing between entries.
The key formatting detail that trips people up is the hanging indent. In a hanging indent, the first line of each reference sits flush with the left margin, and every subsequent line of that same entry is indented 0.5 inches. This is the opposite of a normal paragraph indent.
To apply a hanging indent on Windows, select all your reference entries, then go to Home and click the Paragraph dialog launcher (the small arrow at the bottom-right of the Paragraph group). Under “Special,” select “Hanging.” The “By” field should read 0.5 inches. Click OK. On a Mac, go to Format, then Paragraph, and follow the same steps. Never create a hanging indent by pressing Enter and Tab manually. It looks right on screen but breaks if the text reflows.
Using Word’s Built-In Citation Tool
Word has a References tab with tools to insert citations and generate a bibliography. You can add sources by clicking “Insert Citation,” fill in the author, title, year, and other fields, and Word will format an in-text citation and build a reference list for you.
This tool is convenient but comes with caveats. Microsoft’s own documentation notes that APA and MLA formats can change, and the built-in styles may not match the latest edition exactly. There’s also a known bug: when you cite the same author multiple times, Word sometimes inserts the publication title into the in-text citation when it shouldn’t.
If you use the tool, check every generated citation and reference entry against APA 7th edition guidelines before submitting. Many instructors prefer that students format citations manually or use a dedicated reference manager like Zotero or Mendeley, which tend to stay more current with style updates and give you more control over the output.
Quick Checklist Before Submitting
After writing your paper, do a final pass through these settings. It takes two minutes and catches the most common formatting errors:
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Font: One consistent, approved font throughout
- Spacing: Double-spaced everywhere, 0 pt before and after paragraphs
- Page numbers: Top-right corner, starting at 1 on the title page
- Title page: All required elements present, centered, bold title
- Body paragraphs: 0.5-inch first-line indent
- Headings: Correct level formatting, no extra blank lines
- References: Starts on a new page, hanging indent applied, double-spaced