Guide

APA format in Google Docs

Updated November 2, 2026

How to set up an APA 7 student paper using the Google Docs menus. If your teacher's instructions differ, follow your teacher.

Set it up, step by step

1. Margins. File → Page setup. Set all four margins to 1 inch, then OK.
2. Font. Select everything (Ctrl+A, or ⌘A on a Mac) and pick one font in the toolbar. APA's examples include Times New Roman 12, Arial 11, Calibri 11 and Georgia 11. Use the same one throughout.
3. Double spacing. With everything selected, Format → Line & paragraph spacing → Double. Then open Custom spacing in the same menu and set Before and After to 0.
4. Page numbers. Insert → Page elements → Page number, and pick the top right. A student paper has the page number only. Add a running head only if your teacher asks for one.
5. Title page. In the upper half of page 1, centered: your title in bold, then a blank line, then your name, your department and school, the course number and name, your teacher, and the due date. Then Insert → Break → Page break.
6. First page of text. Repeat your title at the top, centered and bold. Your paragraphs go below it, aligned left, not justified.
7. Paragraph indents. Select your paragraphs, then Format → Align & indent → Indentation options. Under Special indent, pick First line, enter 0.5, and tap Apply.
8. Headings, if you use them. A main heading is centered and bold. The level below it is at the left and bold.
9. References page. Insert → Break → Page break. Type References, centered and bold. Select your entries, then Indentation options → Special indent → Hanging, 0.5, Apply. Put them in alphabetical order.

Menu names come from Google's help pages. If one has moved, use Help → Search the menus in Docs.

10-point APA checklist

1. Margins are 1 inch on all four sides.
2. One accepted font and size is used throughout.
3. Everything is double-spaced, with no extra gaps between paragraphs.
4. A page number sits at the top right of every page, including the title page.
5. There is no running head, unless your teacher asked for one.
6. The title page has your title in bold, then your name, department and school, course, teacher and due date.
7. The title is repeated in bold, centered, at the top of the first page of text.
8. The first line of each paragraph is indented half an inch.
9. References starts on a new page, with its title centered and bold.
10. Entries are in alphabetical order, each with a half-inch hanging indent.

Or do part of it in one tap

TomFiction's formatting is free on every plan. When you tap, it sets the margins, Times New Roman 12 pt, double spacing, the centered bold title, first-line indents, and the References heading and hanging indents. It shows you what it will change first, and History marks what it did.

TomFiction doesn't build the APA title page or page numbers yet, so add those yourself with the steps above.

Sources

• APA Style: paper format
• Purdue OWL: APA general format
• Google Docs Help: headers, footers and page numbers
• Google Docs Help: line spacing and indents