How to Adjust Baseline Shift in MS Word

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Use baseline shift to create special font effects.
Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images

Baseline shift is a typographical technique that allows you to move individual characters up or down in relation to other text on the same line. The most common use of baseline shift is to create superscript and subscript characters, but you can use it for other text effects as well. In Microsoft Word, you won't find a setting labeled "baseline shift," but can achieve the same result using Word's advanced font settings.

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Step 1

Highlight the text you want to adjust in Word 2013, Word 2010 or Word 2007.

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Step 2

Select the "Home" tab, then click the arrow in the corner of the Font section of the ribbon to open the Font dialog box.

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Step 3

Select the "Advanced" tab, and then change the Position setting to either "Raised" or "Lowered," depending on which direction you want to shift the selected text.

Step 4

Click the arrows on the "By" setting to change the number of points by which you want to shift the text. For more precise control, enter the number manually as a decimal. For example, enter "1.75" to shift the text one and three-quarters of a point away from the baseline. You can use increments as small as one-twentieth of a point, or 0.05 points.

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Step 5

Click "OK" to shift the baseline for the selected text.

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