Guide

MLA format in Google Docs

Updated November 2, 2026

How to set up an MLA 9 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 top, bottom, left and right to 1 inch, then OK.
2. Font. Select everything (Ctrl+A, or ⌘A on a Mac). In the toolbar, pick Times New Roman and size 12. MLA asks for a legible font at 12 pt, and Times New Roman is the usual choice.
3. Double spacing. With everything still selected, Format → Line & paragraph spacing → Double. In the same menu, open Custom spacing and set Before and After to 0 so there are no extra gaps.
4. Last name and page number. Insert → Page elements → Page number, and pick the top right. Click just before the number in the header and type your last name and a space. It should sit half an inch from the top; check under Format → Headers & footers.
5. Heading. On the first lines of page 1, at the left: your name, your teacher's name, the course, and the date written like 2 November 2026.
6. Title. On the next line, type your title in title case and center it with Format → Align & indent → Center. No bold, italics, underline or quotation marks. Set the next line back to Left.
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. Works Cited page. At the end of your last paragraph, Insert → Break → Page break. Type Works Cited and center it, with no bold.
9. Hanging indents. Select your entries, then Format → Align & indent → Indentation options. Under Special indent, pick Hanging, enter 0.5, and tap Apply. Put the entries in alphabetical order by the first word of each.

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

10-point MLA checklist

1. Margins are 1 inch on all four sides.
2. The font is legible and 12 pt, the same throughout.
3. Everything is double-spaced, including the heading and Works Cited, with no extra gaps.
4. Each page has your last name and page number at the top right, half an inch from the top.
5. Page 1 starts with your name, teacher, course and date at the left.
6. The title is centered, in title case, with no bold, italics or underline.
7. The first line of each paragraph is indented half an inch.
8. There is one space after each period, unless your teacher says otherwise.
9. Works Cited starts on a new page, with its title centered.
10. Entries are in alphabetical order, each with a half-inch hanging indent.

Or do most 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, your MLA heading, the centered title, first-line indents, and the Works Cited heading and hanging indents. It shows you what it will change first, and History marks what it did.

You add your last name and page number yourself with the steps above. Google doesn't let extensions add them.

Sources

• Purdue OWL: MLA general format
• MLA Style Center: formatting papers
• Google Docs Help: headers, footers and page numbers
• Google Docs Help: line spacing and indents