Instructions on how to change page orientation, paper size, and page margins.
You may find that the default page layout settings in Word are not enough for the document you want to create, in which case you’ll want to modify those settings. For example, if you print on different paper sizes, you would like to resize the document page to match the paper. Besides, you may want to change the page format depending on the type of document you are creating.
Page layout and format
Word offers a variety of page layout and formatting options that affect how content appears on the page. You can customize the page orientation, paper size, and page margins depending on how you want your document to appear.
To change page orientation (Rotate text pages):
- Select the Page Layout tab.
- Click the Orientation command in the Page Setup group.
- Click Portrait or Landscape to change the page orientation.
- Landscape format means that the web page is oriented horizontally.
- Portrait format means it is oriented vertically.
To change the page size:
- Select the Page Layout tab.
- Click the Size command, and a drop-down menu will appear. The current page size is highlighted.
- Click the size you want—the document’s page size changes.
To format the page margins:
- Select the Page Layout tab.
- Click the Margins command. A menu of options appears. Normal is selected by default.
- Click the predefined margin size you want.
To use custom margins:
- From the Page Layout tab, click Margins.
- Select Custom Margins. This brings you to the Page Setup dialog box.
- Adjust the margin sizes for each side of the page, then click OK.
You can use Word’s Set as a Default feature to save all the formatting changes you’ve made and automatically apply them to new documents.
Page Setup dialog box
Previously, we showed you how to open the Page Setup dialog box from the Margins drop-down menu. As you get used to Word, you may find that you want to use the Page Setup dialog box more often to adjust page margins and adjust other settings. To get there faster, you can use a convenient shortcut located on the Page Layout tab.
To open the Page Setup dialog box:
- Click the Page Layout tab.
- Click the little arrow in the bottom right corner of the Page Setup group. The Page Setup dialog box will appear.
Challenges!
- Open an existing Word document.
- Change page orientation.
- Change the paper size.
- Change the margin to narrow it.
- Adjust margins using custom margins.