How to Justify Text in Word and Avoid Big Gaps

Justified text gives a page that neat, squared-off look you see in books and printed newsletters, with straight edges down both sides. In Word it's one click or one shortcut. The catch is what Word does to the gaps between words to make that happen, and why justified text can look worse rather than better in narrow columns.

Justifying text in three steps

1. Select the text you want to justify. Press Ctrl+A for the whole document.
2. Go to the Home tab.
3. In the Paragraph group, select Justify. Or press Ctrl+J.

Alignment belongs to the paragraph, Microsoft explains, so you don't need to select every word; clicking anywhere in a single paragraph and pressing Ctrl+J justifies that paragraph.

All four alignment shortcuts

Alignment	Shortcut	Looks like
Left	Ctrl+L	Straight left edge, ragged right
Centre	Ctrl+E	Each line centred
Right	Ctrl+R	Straight right edge
Justify	Ctrl+J	Straight edges on both sides

What justifying does to your spacing

Microsoft describes it plainly: Word adds space between words so both edges of each line meet the margins, and the last line of the paragraph stays aligned left. That last line can end up much shorter than the others, which is normal.

Here's the catch. In wide paragraphs the extra spacing is barely noticeable. In narrow columns, text boxes or lines with long words, Word may have to stretch a line a lot, leaving wide gaps between words. Typesetters call these rivers when they line up down the page. If you see them, try one of these:

• Widen the column or text box slightly.
• Reduce the font size a touch.
• Rephrase a sentence that leaves one long word on its own line.
• Switch that paragraph back to left alignment with Ctrl+L.

Justifying text in a text box or table

The same button works inside text boxes and table cells: click inside, then press Ctrl+J. Because those spaces are narrow, the wide gaps problem shows up much faster, so check the result. For text that flows round a picture or box, my guide to adding a text box in Word covers the layout settings that keep things readable.

Centring text from top to bottom

Justify only works side to side. If you want a title page centred vertically, Microsoft points you to Page Setup: on the Layout tab, open the Page Setup dialog box launcher, go to the Layout tab inside it, set Vertical alignment to Center, and apply it to the selected text. Combine that with Ctrl+E for a cover page that sits right in the middle.

Setting justified text as the default

If you want a lot of paragraphs justified, you don't need to do them one by one. Microsoft notes that the Paragraph dialog box launcher, the small arrow in the corner of the Paragraph group, has an Alignment drop-down where you can choose Justified. Select all the paragraphs first, open that box, set the alignment and you're done. If you build documents from a company template, it's worth setting the alignment there once, so every new report starts the way you want it.

When to justify and when not to

Justified text suits printed reports, booklets and newsletters with reasonably wide columns, where the tidy edges look deliberate. It's less suited to screen reading, emails and narrow layouts. For CVs, I'd usually stick to left alignment so the gaps stay even; my guide to formatting a resume in Word goes into the other layout choices.

Readability matters too. Uneven gaps between words make text harder to follow for some readers, so for anything you want everyone to read easily, left-aligned text is the safer default.

Fixing text that won't justify

• Only one line changed. You may have pressed Shift+Enter, which creates a line break inside a paragraph. The line before it gets stretched oddly. Replace it with Enter.
• The last line looks short. That's expected; the final line stays aligned left.
• Nothing happens. Check the document isn't open as read-only or in Read Mode.

Justified text in newsletters and booklets

Printed newsletters and booklets are where justified text earns its place. Columns of a sensible width, a readable font size and justified paragraphs give a page that calm, professional look people associate with print. If you're laying out a booklet, I'd justify the body text and keep headings left-aligned or centred, so they stand out from the blocks of text beneath them. Check every page in print preview before printing a batch, because the gaps that look fine on screen can be more obvious on paper.

It's also worth checking how your justified text looks if someone opens the file on a different computer. A font that isn't installed on their machine gets swapped for another, and different letter widths can change where lines break. If the layout matters, send a PDF rather than the Word file, so what you've checked is what they'll see.

My verdict

Ctrl+J or Home, Justify, and Word squares off both edges. Use it on wide paragraphs in printed documents, watch for big gaps in narrow columns, and keep everyday screen documents left-aligned. That's the balance I'd go for in most business documents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut to justify text in Word?

Ctrl+J justifies the paragraph. Ctrl+L, Ctrl+E and Ctrl+R align left, centre and right.

Why is the last line of my justified paragraph short?

Word keeps the last line aligned left, so it can be shorter than the rest.

Why does justified text have big gaps between words?

Word adds space between words to reach both margins. Narrow columns and long words make the gaps bigger.

How do I centre text vertically on a page in Word?

Use Layout, Page Setup, the Layout tab and set Vertical alignment to Center.