I assume you're talking about a left indent rather than a first-line indent.
To activate this featu

1. Word 2000 and earlier: Check the box for "Tabs and backspace set left
indent" on the Edit tab of Tools | Options.

2. Word 2002 and 2003: Check the box for "Set left- and first-indent with
tabs and backspace" on the AutoFormat As You Type tab of Tools | AutoCorrect
Options.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
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"Kathy" wrote in message
...
I am able to use the tab key to indent a paragraph only on occasion in my
text. WHat do I do to fix this where I access this feature every time I
need
to ?