Can we have a simple indent symbol in the tool bar?

  • Unknown's avatar
    barbarah · Member ·

    The main thing I miss about the Classic Editor is the indent symbol or icon in the toolbar. I write a lot of book reviews and like to indent quotes from books to set them off from my main text. Sometimes I indent paragraphs for other purposes.

    In the past, I’ve switched to the Classic Editor for those paragraphs I wanted to indent, but wrote the rest of the post in the Block Editor. But now that the block inserter isn’t giving us an option for the Classic Editor any more, it’s harder to get to.

    I’ve tried the Quote block. It does indent text, but it makes the font in it smaller and italicized. I’ve gone into the code editor to remove the code that italicizes, but it still leaves the text italicized. Plus when I use a long quote, it doesn’t show up in the email version of my posts.

    I’ve tried the Poetry Block. It does indent and works for longer quotes. But it also puts the text in a slightly discolored box.

    Every word processor I have ever used has a simple indent symbol in the tool bar. Is this not possible in blogging? I want to send a plea to the powers that be to give us a simple way to indent a line or paragraph that doesn’t change the font or background.

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • briandaluis · Staff ·

    Hi barbarah,

    When working with text alignment in the editor, how a block behaves depends heavily on your active theme’s styling rules and the specific type of block being used.

    If text is sitting inside an older legacy Classic block, the editor will display a notification box prompting you to convert it to modern blocks. Because standard paragraph blocks do not feature a native “Indent” button in the toolbar, switching to a Quote block is a common alternative. However, themes like Twenty Eleven have built-in design rules that automatically force all Quote blocks to display in italics, while Verse/Poetry blocks are styled with specific background shading or borders.

    To achieve a clean text indentation without forcing italics, font changes, or background boxes, you can use either of these general workarounds:

    Customize the “Quote Block” Appearance

    By default, the Twenty Eleven theme automatically forces all Quote blocks to display in italics. However, you can manually override this setting to keep the block’s indentation but restore normal text:

    1. Select your text block and convert it into a Quote block using the block type icon on the toolbar.
    2. Look at the block settings sidebar on the right side of your screen.
    3. Under the Typography section, locate the Appearance option.
    4. Click the dropdown (which usually says “Default”) and change it to Regular. This strips away the theme’s forced italics, leaving your text matching the normal paragraph style while maintaining the full block indentation.

    Use the Paragraph “Line Indent” Feature

    If you only want to indent the very first line of a paragraph rather than the entire block of text, you can use a hidden text setting:

    1. Select your standard Paragraph block.
    2. In the right-hand settings sidebar, look at the Typography section and click the three vertical dots next to it to open the advanced menu.
    3. Check the box for Line indent.
    4. A new slider will appear below where you can adjust the pixel spacing to push the first line inward.

    Please give these visual layout options a try and let us know if they help get your text formatted exactly how you want!

  • Unknown's avatar
    inspiring5999c8f430 · Member ·

    I completely support this suggestion. A simple indent button in the Block Editor toolbar would be a useful and intuitive feature for many writers, especially those who frequently include book excerpts, citations, or specially formatted paragraphs.

    While blocks like Quote and Poetry can provide indentation, they also introduce additional styling such as italics, font changes, or background formatting that may not be appropriate for every use case. Sometimes all that’s needed is a clean left indent without altering the appearance of the text.

    The Classic Editor handled this very well, and having a similar option in the Block Editor would improve usability and reduce the need for workarounds or custom HTML. It would also help ensure consistent formatting across web and email versions of posts.

    Clear formatting tools are essential for content creators, whether they are writing book reviews, articles, or educational content. Platforms such as QuranPakTutors.com also benefit from simple formatting options that help present information clearly without unnecessary styling changes.

    A dedicated indent control would be a welcome addition to the editor and would make content creation much more straightforward.

  • isaacauta · Staff ·

    Here’s one more workaround that may get you closer to what you want, especially for the email-version issue you mentioned:

    Use a Group block with padding/margin
    1- Select your paragraph, then wrap it in a Group block (select the block, click the block-type icon, and choose “Group“)
    2- In the right-hand sidebar, open the Dimensions section
    3- Add left padding (or margin) to push the text inward
    4- This keeps your normal font, no italics, and no background box, just a clean indent

    Because it’s a standard Group + Paragraph (not a specialty block), it tends to render more reliably in the email versions of posts than the Quote block does.

    It’s still a workaround rather than the one-click toolbar button you’re after. Your feedback here is valuable, and I’d encourage anyone who wants this feature to keep voicing it, as user requests like this genuinely help shape what gets prioritized.

  • The topic ‘Can we have a simple indent symbol in the tool bar?’ is closed to new replies.