When you add newsletter style columns to a document, Word automatically sets the width of each column to fit your page. If the default formatting doesn’t work for your layout, open the Columns dialog box to make adjustments.
-
On the Page Layout or Layout tab, click Columns. At the bottom of the list, choose More Columns.
-
In the Columns dialog box, adjust the settings under Width and spacing to choose your column width and the spacing between columns.
-
If you want columns of varying widths, deselect the checkbox next to Equal column width.
Notes:
-
Insert a column break to control how text flows between columns. For example, insert a column break to end a paragraph in one column and start a new paragraph at the top of the next column.
-
To add a vertical line between columns, select the Line between check box in the Columns dialog box (shown above).
You can see newsletter-style columns in your document in Word for the web, but you can’t create or resize them there.
You can add and manage columns of text in Word. If you have the Word desktop application, click the Open in Word command (or Edit Document > Edit in Word), and follow the steps in Adjust column widths on a page. When you’re done and you save the document, it’ll continue to be stored where you opened it in Word for the web, and when you reopen it, you’ll see the new column widths.
When you create multiple columns in Word, they default to a set width. It’s easy to change that default width for each column. Let’s look at two ways you can do that.
Set Up Column Width Precisely with the Columns Dialog Box
When you set a Word document to use multiple columns, Word assigns a default column width that depends on the number of columns you choose. Here are those default widths:
- One Column: 6.5″ width for the column. This is the standard setup you’re used to seeing when you start typing in a blank document with default page settings. Start with an 8.5″ width for the paper size, take away 1″ on either side for the default page margins, and you’re left with 6.5″ for the actual text.
- Two Columns: 3″ width for each column, with a 0.5″ space between columns.
- Three Columns: 1.83″ width for each column, with a 0.5″ space between columns.
And it goes on like that. Word lets you have up to 13 columns, and the more you add, the less space each column gets.
If you’re happy with the defaults, you can just set the number of columns you want and go about your business. But, you can change things up if you want. Maybe you want smaller columns, with more space in between those columns. Or, maybe you two columns to be a similar size, and then have a smaller column off to the right.
Let’s take a look at how to do all that using the “Columns” dialog box. This is the best way to set up columns if you don’t yet have any text in your document, or if you know the precise measurements you want to hit.
In Word, switch to the “Layout” tab on the Ribbon. That’s where the column magic happens. Click the “Columns” button and a dropdown menu opens with a number of options. Choose any of the numbers on the list to create that many columns with their default widths. Choose the “Left” or “Right” options to create a two-column layout where the column you chose (left or right) is smaller—about half the size of the other column. It’s the “More Columns” option we’re after here. Click that to set up your own custom column widths.
The “Columns” window that pops up lets you perform your customization. The “Presets” section contains the same options you saw on the “Columns” menu. You can also use the “Number Of Columns” box to set a specific number of columns from 1 to 13. So, start by choosing how many columns you want.
Select the “Line Between” option to have Word put a vertical line between columns.
And now, on to actually adjusting the column width. If you want your columns to all stay the same width as one another, you can just adjust the number in the “Width” box for column #1. Changes you make there apply to all columns, no matter how many you have. Same goes for spacing. Adjust the number in the “Spacing” box for column#1 to change the spacing between all columns.
Note that as you change one value (width or spacing), the other value changes as well. Bump up the width, and the spacing goes down. Bump up the spacing, and the width goes down. You only have so much page width to work with, after all. Here, we set the width down to 1″ and the spacing went up to 1.75″ to compensate.
If you want to control the width of each column individually (making some wider and some narrower), disable the “Equal Column Width” check box. When you do that, the width and spacing boxes for each column become available, and you can change them however you see fit. Keep in mind that you still have a fixed page width to work with, so adjust the width or spacing for one column will cause the others to change. You may have to work with it a bit to get things how you want them.
Here, we’ve set up three columns. The first two are 2″ in width and the third is smaller at 1.5″. We left a .5″ spacing between all columns.
Note also that you don’t get to adjust spacing for your final column. This makes sense, because the spacing only happens between columns.
Change Column Width on the Fly with Word’s Rulers
Now that you’ve seen how to set up column widths using the dialog box , let’s take a look at how you can change them on the fly with the Word ruler. This method is great if you already have columns in your document and you want to play around with widths to see what looks right to you.
RELATED: How to Use Rulers in Microsoft Word
First, you need to make sure that your document rulers are visible. If you can’t see them, switch to the “View” tab on the Ribbon, and then select the “Ruler” option. Word’s rulers are great for lining things up, keeping tabs on measurements, and controlling indentation and margins. You should really leave them on all the time.
Assuming you’ve already got your document set up for two or more margins, look at the horizontal ruler at the top of the page. You can see that there’s a gray space in the middle of the ruler between the two columns.
That represents the spacing between columns that we talked about in the previous section, and it’s defined by two margin markers (the upside-down “L”).
Dragging either one of the margin markers changes the size of the spacing, and the margins for the columns themselves. For example, if you slide the left margin marker to the left, the right maring marker automatically moves to the right, increasing the size of the spacing between those margins. The columns of text in your document change as you do this, too, giving you instant feedback on how the changes will look.
Here, we’ve dragged it it so the spacing is much greater than the default, leaving a wide space between columns.
You probably noticed that the ruler also contains a small white triangle (although where it appears changes based on which column you’ve selected text in. That’s the indent marker, and it lets you control the interior indent on paragraphs in each column—the right indent for the left column and the left indent for the right column. If you’re interested in learning more about how to use indents, be sure to check out that guide to using rulers in Word we mentioned earlier. Indent control works the same whether you have multiple columns or just one.
READ NEXT
- › How to Make Columns in Microsoft Word
- › The New NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Is Like an RTX 3080 for $599
- › BLUETTI Slashed Hundreds off Its Best Power Stations for Easter Sale
- › Google Chrome Is Getting Faster
- › How to Adjust and Change Discord Fonts
- › This New Google TV Streaming Device Costs Just $20
- › HoloLens Now Has Windows 11 and Incredible 3D Ink Features
-
1
Open Microsoft Word. Its icon resembles a blue background with a white «W» on top.
- If you’d rather edit an existing document, simply double-click the document in question.
-
2
Click Blank document. It’s in the top-left corner of the templates page.
- If you’re editing an existing document, skip this step.
Advertisement
-
3
Click the Layout tab. It’s at the top of the Word window, to the right of the Home, Insert, and Design tabs.
-
4
Click Columns. This option is below and to the left of the Layout tab. Clicking it will prompt a drop-down menu with the following options:
- One — Default setting for Word documents.
- Two — Splits the page into two distinct columns.
- Three — Splits the page into three distinct columns.
- Left — Concentrates most of the text on the right side of the document, leaving a narrow column on the left.
- Right — Concentrates most of the text on the left side of the document, leaving a narrow column on the right.
- If you highlight a part (or all) of your document before clicking a column option, your document will be reformatted to appear in columns.
-
5
Click a column option. Doing so will apply invisible columns to your document; as you type, you’ll notice that your text jumps to a new line before reaching the standard right-most margin. Once you reach the bottom of the page, your text will continue in the next column until you reach the bottom of the page again, and so on.
Advertisement
-
1
Open Microsoft Word. Its icon resembles a blue background with a white «W» on top.
- If you’d rather edit an existing document, simply double-click the document in question.
-
2
Click Blank document. It’s in the top-left corner of the templates page.
- If you’re editing an existing document, skip this step.
-
3
Click the Layout tab. It’s at the top of the Word window, to the right of the Home, Insert, and Design tabs.
-
4
Click Columns. You’ll find this option below and to the left of the Layout tab.
-
5
Click More Columns. It’s at the bottom of the Columns drop-down menu.
-
6
Click a number of columns. You’ll see options like One, Two, Three, and so on at the top of this window. Clicking an option will apply it to your document.
- If you highlighted text, your settings will be applied only to the highlighted text.
-
7
Modify the column width and separation. You can do this by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of «Width» and the «Spacing» values, respectively.
- You can also uncheck the box next to «Equal column width» in order to make one column wider than the other.
-
8
Check the box next to «Line between» to draw a divider. Doing so will place a visible line between your columns.
- If you don’t want a visible divider, leave this option unchecked.
-
9
Click the «Apply to» drop-down menu. Doing so will allow you to click Selected text or Whole document to apply your column settings to the respective amounts of text.
-
10
Click OK. This will apply your settings and divide any selected text as per your customized column rules.
Advertisement
Add New Question
-
Question
How do I add columns to the middle of the document without changing the format of the entire document?
In Word, type the lines of text in a single column anywhere in the document. Then, select the lines of text and click the Page Layout tab. In the Page Setup options, click Columns and select the desired number of columns. Word automatically creates continuous section breaks before and after the columns. In some cases, it may be impossible to do without changing the format of the document.
-
Question
How do I rotate a page in Word?
Select the pages or paragraphs whose orientation you want to change. Click Page Layout > Page Setup Dialog Box Launcher. In the Page Setup box, under Orientation, click Portrait or Landscape. Click the Apply to box and click Selected text.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
About This Article
Article SummaryX
1. Open Microsoft Word or an existing Word document.
2. Click Blank document.
3. Click Layout.
4. Click Columns.
5. Click a number of columns.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 533,628 times.
Is this article up to date?
If you are working on a text heavy document, or would like to make better use of your page by splitting it in half adding a column is your answer.
Columns split your page into a newspaper style layout, the text will run down two or three narrow columns which can be useful if you are trying to split your content across one page, create a flyer, brochure, report, step by step instructions or even a terms and conditions document.
When inserting a column, Microsoft will spit your page vertically with the text running down the first column before starting at the top of the second and so on.
In this post we will show you how to add one or multiple columns to your Microsoft Word document.
Adding a Column to your Word Document
- Open Microsoft Word
- Click the Insert Tab
- Under the Insert Tab, Click Columns
- Select the number of Columns you would like to insert
Microsoft Word’s Column Options Explained
One, Two, Three will insert that number of even vertical columns into your document
Left, Right will insert a column smaller on the described side and larger on the other. For example, a Left column will create two columns with the left side covering around a quarter of your document leaving the right side covering the remaining space.
More Columns will give you the option to insert more than three columns and customise.
Looking for an easier way to Merge your Microsoft Word Documents together?
These days we are all about finding the most efficient way of doing things, from saving our eyes with dark mode so we can work without straining them to collaborating with your team on a Microsoft Word document without having to worry about merging two files together at the end.
It’s a simple ask, that Microsoft hasn’t quite solved for just yet.
Microsoft has a feature called ‘merge’ that shows you the differences between the two documents and allows you to manually pull across the accepted changes from each. Its a start, but it’s still fairly manual and can be time-consuming.
With that in mind, the smart guys over at Simul Docs – a very fancy new tool that makes collaborating in Word easy added a simple, merge feature to save you time.
Simul Docs will automatically pick up when two people are simultaneously working on the same document, create two new, separate versions for you, then flag with the document owner that there are now two versions that require their review before they can be merged.
See Simul won’t automatically merge the two files for you without asking, because it also knows you may not want to accept all of the changes in both. So it gives you the chance to run your eyes over both files, take as much or as little time as you like and then when you are happy – press merge. At the click of a button, you can merge the two documents back into one and continue collaborating with ease.
When you merge two documents in Simul, rest assured that all of the tracked changes, comments and fancy formatting will remain the same. Nothing will be lost during the process, unless of course you decided during your review process that you didn’t want to take that comment or change over in the merge. Its completely up to you!
Simul also offers some other pretty fancy features to help you collaborate such as version control, tracked changes, edits and comments, easy sharing and accessibility.
Because so many of us do find ourselves working offline, it’s important to Simul Docs that you can access and collaborate from anywhere, even where there isn’t a strong internet connection.
Simul is accessible from anywhere, if you are offline that’s ok, Simul will allow you to continue working as normal, with all of their nifty features and then the moment your device finds a connection Simul will update a live file and share it with the team.
With the ability to work offline, comes the risk of two or more team members working on the document at once without us knowing. Which is why the merge function exists, so you don’t have to worry about who is working when, or from where. Simul has you covered.
With Simul in your team, you can collaborate without concern. Knowing that Simul will have you covered, making merging, collaboration and working offline as easy as it should be.
On the Page Layout or Layout tab, click Columns. At the bottom of the list, choose More Columns. In the Columns dialog box, adjust the settings under Width and spacing to choose your column width and the spacing between columns.
Contents
- 1 How do I change the column width in Word without affecting other cells?
- 2 How do I reduce the space between rows in a table in Word?
- 3 How do I remove spaces after columns in Word?
- 4 How do I increase the space between two columns?
- 5 How do I format a section into two columns in Word?
- 6 How do you change the width of a column without changing the whole?
- 7 How do you change the width and height of a column in Word?
- 8 How do you change column width in pages?
- 9 How do I fix the spacing between words in Word?
- 10 How do I get rid of the white space after a table in Word?
- 11 How do you get rid of extra spaces in Word?
- 12 How do I remove spaces from a column?
- 13 How do you do a section break?
- 14 What can I use instead of a grid gap?
- 15 What is the space between two columns called?
- 16 How do you add space between columns in CSS?
- 17 How do you change the column style of the paragraph to two columns?
- 18 How do I fix columns in Word?
- 19 How do I resize individual cell size in a Word table separately from the other cells?
- 20 How do I change the width of only one cell in Word?
How do I change the column width in Word without affecting other cells?
Case 1: Adjust the Width of One Column without Affecting Others
- First, click “View” tab and then check the “Ruler” box in “Show” group.
- Next you can see the ruler on the top of the document. And there are tabs on the ruler above each column border. Click on one of these tabs to adjust a specific column.
How do I reduce the space between rows in a table in Word?
Follow these steps:
- Select the entire table. (You can choose Select Table from the Table menu.)
- Choose Cell Height and Width from the Table menu. This displays the Cell Height and Width dialog box.
- Make sure the Column tab is selected.
- Adjust the Space Between Columns setting, as desired.
- Click on OK.
How do I remove spaces after columns in Word?
Main Menu > Format > Columns. when window opens you can adjust the spacing between the columns and put a divider lines between each as well.
How do I increase the space between two columns?
- Specify a 40 pixels gap between the columns: div { column-gap: 40px; } Try it Yourself »
- Divide the text in a element into three columns: div { column-count: 3; } Try it Yourself »
- Specify the width, style, and color of the rule between columns: div { column-rule: 4px double #ff00ff; } Try it Yourself »
How do I format a section into two columns in Word?
On the Layout tab, click Columns, then click the layout you want.
- To apply columns to only part of your document, with your cursor, select the text that you want to format.
- On the Layout tab, click Columns, then click More Columns.
- Click Selected text from the Apply to box.
How do you change the width of a column without changing the whole?
To use AutoFit, click a cell in the row or column you want to change. Within the ribbon menu, click “Home.” Under “Cells,” click the “Format” button. Under “Cell Size” click “AutoFit Column Width” or “AutoFit Row Height” as desired.
How do you change the width and height of a column in Word?
Resize rows, columns, or cells
- Select the table. The contextual tabs, Table Design and Layout, appear in the ribbon.
- On the Layout tab, you can specify the custom height and width. To resize specific rows or column, click on a cell and then adjust the row/column.
How do you change column width in pages?
Click a cell in the row or column you want to resize. In the Format sidebar, click the Table tab. In Row & Column Size, click the Height and Width arrows to set the size you want. The entire row or column is resized.
How do I fix the spacing between words in Word?
Change the spacing between characters
- Select the text that you want to change.
- On the Home tab, click the Font Dialog Box Launcher, and then click the Advanced tab.
- In the Spacing box, click Expanded or Condensed, and then specify how much space you want in the By box.
How do I get rid of the white space after a table in Word?
Go to Format | Paragraph. Click the Indents And Spacing tab. In the Spacing section, change any spacing before or after the paragraph to 0. Click in the Line Spacing box, select Single and then click OK.
How to remove multiple extra spaces between words in Word
- Please press Ctrl + H to display the Find and Replace dialog.
- Press More button to show more options.
- After finish the settings, click Replace All to remove all extra spaces between words from the whole document.
How do I remove spaces from a column?
Remove all spaces between numbers
- Press Ctrl + Space to select all cells in a column.
- Press Ctrl + H to open the “Find & Replace” dialog box.
- Press Space bar in the Find What field and make sure the “Replace with” field is empty.
- Click on the “Replace all” button, and then press Ok. Voila! All spaces are removed.
How do you do a section break?
Add a section break
- Select where you want a new section to begin.
- Go to Layout > Breaks.
- Choose the type of section break you want: Next Page Section break starts the new section on the following page. Continuous Section break starts the new section on the same page.
What can I use instead of a grid gap?
‘grid-gap’ has been deprecated in favor of ‘gap’. In a similar vein ‘grid-row-gap‘ and ‘grid-column-gap’ have been deprecated in favor of ‘row-gap’ and ‘column-gap’.
What is the space between two columns called?
Column gutter: The space between columns of type.
How do you add space between columns in CSS?
The space between two rows in a
can be added by using the CSS border-spacing and border-collapse properties
How do you change the column style of the paragraph to two columns?
Select the Page Layout tab, then click the Columns command. A drop-down menu will appear. Select the number of columns you want to create. The text will format into columns.
How do I fix columns in Word?
To fit the columns to the text (or page margins if cells are empty), click [AutoFit] > select “AutoFit Contents.” To fit the table to the text, click [AutoFit] > select “AutoFit Window.” To keep Word from automatically adjusting your column size, click [AutoFit] > select “Fixed Column Width.”
How do I resize individual cell size in a Word table separately from the other cells?
If you’re using windows, you can resize individual table cells by using ctrl+alt+left or right arrow keys.
How do I change the width of only one cell in Word?
I may have it! If you right click the cell to the left of the one you want to extend, choose Column > Width and change the number in in the “Width” box. This will free up the edge of your cell and allow you to drag it to where you want it.
. The border-spacing property is used to set the spaces between cells of a table, and the border-collapse property specifies whether the border of the table is collapsed or not.