You can set left, center, right, and decimal or special-character tabs. When you use the special-character tab, you can set a tab to align to any character you choose, such as a colon : or a pound £ sign.

To display the Tabs palette:

1. Using the type tool, click in the text frame.
2. Choose Type > Tabs.

If the top of the frame is visible, the Tabs palette snaps to the current text frame and matches its width to the current column.

To align the Tabs palette ruler with your text:

Scroll through your document to display the top of the text frame, and then click the magnet icon  on the Tabs palette. The Tabs palette snaps to the top of the column that includes the selection or the insertion point.

To set a tab:

1. Press Tab in the paragraphs where you want to add horizontal space. (You can also add tabs after you create your tab settings.)
2. To specify which paragraphs will be affected, select a paragraph or a group of paragraphs.
3. For the first tab, click a tab-alignment button (left, right, center, or decimal) in the Tabs palette to specify how text will align to the tab's position.
4. Do one of the following:
   * Click a location on the tab ruler to position a new tab.
   * Type a position in the X box and press Enter or Return. If the X value is selected, press the up or down arrow key to increase or decrease the tab value by 1 point, respectively.
5. For subsequent tabs with different alignments, repeat steps 3 and 4.

You cannot set tabs using increments smaller than one point using the Tab ruler, but you can type tabs to within 0.01-point accuracy by entering a value for X.

To repeat a tab:

1. In the Tabs palette, select a tab on the tab ruler.
2. Choose Repeat Tab in the Tabs palette menu.

The Repeat Tab command creates multiple tabs based on the distance between the tab and the left indent or the previous tab stop.

To move a tab:

1. In the Tabs palette, select a tab on the tab ruler.
2. Do one of the following:
   * Type a new location for X and press Enter or Return.
   * Drag the tab to a new location.

To remove a tab:

In the Tabs palette, drag the tab off the tab ruler.

To change a tab from one alignment to another:

1. In the Tabs palette, select a tab on the tab ruler.
2. Click a tab-alignment button.

You can also hold down Alt (Windows or Mac in Europe) or Option (Mac in US) while clicking the tab stop marker to cycle through the four alignment options.

To specify a decimal or other special-character tab:

1. In the Tabs palette, create or select a decimal tab  on the tab ruler.
2. In the Align On box, type the character to which you want to align. You can type or paste any character. Make sure that the paragraphs you're aligning contain the character you specified.

To insert a tab character in a table:

Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Tab.