![]() | Lay out a page by using columns |
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By default, Word creates text in a single column that runs from one margin to the other. You can format text in multiple columns, which are also known as "newspaper columns." Text usually fills columns in the order in which the columns appear, breaking from one column to another only after a column is filled. If you want more control over where columns break, you can manually insert a column break at a specific location, or adjust all columns to have equal lengths. When you use multiple columns, text flows continuously from the bottom of one column to the top of the next column.
A page that has text in columns
Do any of the following:
![]() | Create columns |
On the View menu, click Print Layout.
Do one of the following:
To create columns in | Do this |
---|---|
The whole document | On the Edit menu, click Select All. |
Part of the document | Select the text. |
Existing sectionsA part of a document where you set specific page formatting options. You create a new section when you want to change properties such as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers. Word treats a document as a single section until you insert a section break. | Click in a sectionA part of a document where you set specific page formatting options. You create a new section when you want to change properties such as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers. Word treats a document as a single section until you insert a section break., or select multiple sections. |
On the Home tab, under Paragraph, click , and then click the number of columns that you want.
![]() | Change the number of columns |
On the View menu, click Print Layout.
Do one of the following:
To apply changes to | Do this |
---|---|
The whole document | On the Edit menu, click Select All. |
Part of the document | Select the text. |
Existing sectionsA part of a document where you set specific page formatting options. You create a new section when you want to change properties such as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers. Word treats a document as a single section until you insert a section break. | Click in a sectionA part of a document where you set specific page formatting options. You create a new section when you want to change properties such as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers. Word treats a document as a single section until you insert a section break., or select multiple sections. |
On the Home tab, under Paragraph, click , and then click the number of columns that you want.
![]() | Change the width of columns |
On the View menu, click Print Layout.
Do one of the following:
To apply changes to | Do this |
---|---|
The whole document | On the Edit menu, click Select All. |
Part of the document | Select the text. |
Existing sectionsA part of a document where you set specific page formatting options. You create a new section when you want to change properties such as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers. Word treats a document as a single section until you insert a section break. | Click in a sectionA part of a document where you set specific page formatting options. You create a new section when you want to change properties such as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers. Word treats a document as a single section until you insert a section break., or select multiple sections. |
On the Home tab, under Paragraph, click , and then click Columns.
In the Width boxes, set width of the columns.
![]() | Insert a column break at a specific location |
In the document, click where you want to break a column.
On the Layout tab, under Page Setup, click Break, and then click Column.
![]() | Adjust all columns to have equal lengths |
If your document has columns of text that do not completely fill a page, you can make the columns on that page the same length so that text flows evenly among them.
On the View menu, click Print Layout.
If your text is not already formatted in columns, create the columns.
Click after the final character at the end of the columns that you want to adjust.
On the Layout tab, under Page Setup, click Break, and then under Section Breaks, click Continuous.
Word inserts a continuous section breakA mark that you insert to end a section. A section break stores the section formatting elements, such as margins, page orientation, headers and footers, and the sequence of page numbers. A section break appears as a double dotted line with the words "Section Break." that balances the text equally among the columns.
Unbalanced and balanced columns
![]() | Tip If you want to force a new page to start after the adjusted columns, click after the continuous section break, and then insert a manual page break. |
![]() | Display column boundaries |
To make layout easier, you can display single dotted-line boundaries around columns, page margins, and objects. These boundaries do not print.
On the Word menu, click Preferences.
Under Authoring and Proofing Tools, click View.
Under Show, select the Text boundaries check box.