outdenting

Outdenting is the act of decreasing the indentation of text or blocks, moving content toward the left margin. It contrasts with indentation, which adds space at the start of a line or block. In editing and programming, outdenting is commonly called dedenting. Outdenting reduces the indentation level of a selected block to align with surrounding content or to restore outer scope.

In code editors, outdenting is used to adjust the structure of code. Many editors map outdent to a keyboard shortcut such as Shift+Tab, or to a command labeled Decrease Indent. In languages where whitespace carries meaning (for example Python), outdenting is syntactically significant because it ends a nested block or reduces the block’s scope.

In word processing and typesetting, outdenting refers to removing left indentation from a paragraph. This can be done through paragraph settings, ruler controls, or by resetting styles to zero indentation. Outdenting is also used to align lists, block quotes, or paragraphs to a common left margin for a cleaner layout.

Related concepts include indentation and dedentation.