The Stubborn Formatting
Google Docs tries to be helpful when formatting long documents. If you press the “Tab” key to indent the first line of a paragraph, and then hit “Enter” to start a new paragraph, Docs assumes you want to maintain that formatting. It will automatically indent the first line of the new paragraph as well. While this is standard practice for writing a novel or a formal essay, it is incredibly frustrating if you are writing a script, a poem, or a complex technical document where only specific lines require indentation, forcing you to constantly hit Backspace at the start of every new line.
Resetting the Paragraph Alignment
To break this formatting loop and stop Google Docs from automatically indenting new paragraphs, you must explicitly clear the inherited formatting or reset the ruler margins.
If you just hit Enter and the cursor is indented, the fastest way to stop it is to press Backspace once. This removes the indent for that specific line, and Docs will usually stop applying it to subsequent paragraphs. If the issue persists, look at the ruler at the very top of your document (if it’s not visible, click View > Show ruler). You will see a small blue rectangle (First Line Indent) resting on top of a small blue triangle (Left Indent). If the rectangle is dragged to the right, every new paragraph will automatically indent. Click and drag that tiny blue rectangle all the way back to the zero mark on the far left. Your text will now align completely flush with the left margin.