Office Settings & Configuration

How to Change Default Text Alignment in Word and Outlook

Rana Garcia Oct 19, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to change the default paragraph alignment to left for all newly created Word documents, as well as new emails and replies in Outlook.

Product: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating new text documents in Word or drafting emails in Outlook where the application automatically applies the default styling.
Observed behavior: The text alignment defaults to right alignment, which is inconvenient for the user's workflow and needs to be permanently changed to left alignment.

Before you start

Ensure you have permission to modify template files on your computer, as setting permanent default formatting in Word and Outlook requires updating the global Normal and NormalEmail templates.

Solution 1Recommended

Change Default Text Alignment in Microsoft Word

Modify the global paragraph settings and apply them to the Normal template so all subsequent documents open with left alignment.

This method modifies your Normal.dotm template in Microsoft Word. Any new blank document you create will automatically adopt these new paragraph alignment settings.

Open Paragraph Settings

Open a new or existing document in Word. Navigate to the Home tab on the ribbon, and click the small dialog box launcher arrow in the bottom right corner of the Paragraph group.

Set Alignment to Left

In the Paragraph dialog box, under the 'Indents and Spacing' tab, locate the Alignment dropdown menu and change it to 'Left'.

Set as Default

Click the 'Set As Default' button at the bottom of the dialog box. When the confirmation prompt appears, select 'All documents based on the Normal template' and click OK.

Change Default Text Alignment in Microsoft Word

Template Saved: Your changes are now saved to the Normal template. The next time you open a blank document, the text cursor will automatically align to the left.

Solution 2

Change Default Text Alignment in Microsoft Outlook

Adjust paragraph settings within an email draft and save it to the NormalEmail template for all future messages.

WPS Writer Solution

Easily Set Default Paragraph Alignment in WPS Writer

WPS Writer provides an intuitive and simple way to manage your default paragraph styling for all new documents. Enjoy a lightweight word processor that is perfectly tailored to your formatting habits.

1. Open WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and create a new blank document in WPS Writer.
2. Open Paragraph Settings: Navigate to the Home tab and click the Settings icon located in the bottom right corner of the Paragraph section.
3. Modify Alignment: In the dialog box, set the Alignment dropdown to 'Left'.
4. Apply as Default: Click the 'Default' button at the bottom of the window to apply this formatting to all future documents based on the normal template.

Easily configure and lock in default paragraph alignments for all new documents.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats and global templates.Lightweight, fast-loading, and completely free to use for everyday document processing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my alignment revert to right after restarting Word?

If your changes to the Normal template aren't saving, an add-in might be blocking the save process, or your computer's IT policies may be configured to overwrite the template upon application startup.

Does changing the default alignment affect existing documents?

No, changing the default paragraph alignment only affects newly created documents based on the Normal template. Any existing documents or drafts will retain their original formatting.

Can I set the default alignment for specific templates only?

Yes. If you open a specific template file (.dotx) directly instead of a standard document, modifying the paragraph default and saving will only apply to new files generated from that specific template.

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