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About page breaks and pagination

When you fill a page with text or graphics, Microsoft Word inserts an automatic page break (page break: The point at which one

page ends and another begins. Microsoft Word inserts an "automatic" (or soft) page break for you, or you can force a page break

at a specific location by inserting a "manual" (or hard) page break.) and starts a new page. To force a page break at a specific

location, you can insert a manual page break.

Automatic page break

Manual page break

For example, you can force a page break to ensure that a chapter title always starts on a new page.

If you work on documents of more than several pages in length, and you insert manual page breaks, you might have to frequently

rebreak pages as you edit the document. Instead, you might want to set pagination options to control where Word positions

automatic page breaks. For example, you can prevent a page break from occurring within a paragraph or within a table row. Or

ensure that a page break doesn’t fall between two paragraphs, such as a heading and the following paragraph.

About sections and section breaks

You can use sections (section: A portion of a document in which you set certain page formatting options. You create a new section

when you want to change such properties as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers.) to vary the layout of a

document within a page or between pages.

Section formatted as a single column

Section formatted as two columns

Just insert section breaks (section break: A mark you insert to show the end of a section. A section break stores the section

formatting elements, such as the margins, page orientation, headers and footers, and sequence of page numbers.) to divide the

document into sections, and then format each section the way you want. For example, format a section as a single column for the

introduction of a report, and then format the following section as two columns for the report’s body text.

Types of section breaks you can insert

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The following examples show the types of section breaks you can insert. (In each illustration, the double dotted line represents a

section break.)

Next page inserts a section break and starts the new section on the next page.

Continuous inserts a section break and starts the new section on the same page.

Odd page or Even page inserts a section break and starts the new section on the next odd-numbered or even-numbered page.

Types of formats you can set for sections

You can change the following section formats:

• Margins

• Paper size or orientation

• Paper source for a printer

• Page borders

• Vertical alignment (alignment: The consistent positioning of text, graphics, and other objects. Types of alignment include

left, right, and justified.)

• Headers and footers (header and footer: A header, which can consist of text or graphics, appears at the top of every page

in a section. A footer appears at the bottom of every page. Headers and footers often contain page numbers, chapter

titles, dates, and author names.)

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• Columns

• Page numbering

• Line numbering

• Footnotes and endnotes

Keep lines of a paragraph together on a page or in a column

1. Select the paragraphs that contain lines you want to keep together.

2. On the Format menu, click Paragraph, and then click the Line and Page Breaks tab.

3. Select the Keep lines together check box.

Keep paragraphs together on a page or in a column

1. Select the paragraphs you want to keep together on a page.

2. On the Format menu, click Paragraph, and then click the Line and Page Breaks tab.

3. Select the Keep with next check box.

Always force a page break before a paragraph

1. Select the paragraph that you want to follow the page break.

2. On the Format menu, click Paragraph, and then click the Line and Page Breaks tab.

3. Select the Page break before check box.

Control widow and orphan lines

1. Select the paragraphs in which you want to control widows and orphans (widow and orphan: A widow is the last line of a

paragraph printed by itself at the top of a page. An orphan is the first line of a paragraph printed by itself at the bottom of a

page.).

2. On the Format menu, click Paragraph, and then click the Line and Page Breaks tab.

3. Select the Widow/Orphan control check box.

Note This option is turned on by default.

Prevent a table row from breaking across pages

1. Click the table.

2. On the Table menu, click Table Properties, and then click the Row tab.
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3. Clear the Allow row to break across pages check box.

Insert a manual page break

1. Click where you want to start a new page.

2. On the Insert menu, click Break.

Change the type of section break

1. Click in the section (section: A portion of a document in which you set certain page formatting options. You create a new

section when you want to change such properties as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers.) you

want to change.

2. On the File menu, click Page Setup, and then click the Layout tab.

3. In the Section start box, click the option that describes where you want the current section to begin.

Insert a section break

1. Click where you want to insert a section break (section break: A mark you insert to show the end of a section. A section

break stores the section formatting elements, such as the margins, page orientation, headers and footers, and sequence

of page numbers.).

2. On the Insert menu, click Break.

3. Under Section break types, click the option that describes where you want the new section (section: A portion of a

document in which you set certain page formatting options. You create a new section when you want to change such

properties as line numbering, number of columns, or headers and footers.) to begin.

Can't copy formatting from one section to another.

To copy section formatting (such as margin settings and newsletter-style columns), first switch to normal view. Then, select the

section break at the end of the section with the formats you want to copy. Next, copy the section break to a new location; the text

above the new section break takes on its formatting.

If you want to use the formatting of a particular section in other documents, you can store the section break as an AutoText entry

and then quickly insert it when you want to duplicate the section formatting. Select the section break, point to AutoText on the

Insert menu, and then click New.

In this article
Introduction
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The basics: What is a section break?

Types of section breaks

Keep an eye on your section breaks

Keyboard shortcuts

More information

NOTE If you're looking for the basics of how to edit page formatting, such as margins and page orientation, in your document —

check out the article Understanding page (section) formatting before continuing here.

Introduction
Whether you've been frustrated by section breaks, or never heard of them, you've come to the right place! This article will give you

simple, stress-free solutions for changing Section formatting within a document, and will also provide solace for those who have

suffered the slings and arrows of Section formatting in the past. Working with Section formatting can be a cinch. But there is a

catch: You have to understand a bit about how these little devils think.

Have you ever felt misunderstood? Well, that's how section breaks feel all the time! Contrary to popular belief, there is a logical

reason for everything they do. Take a moment to understand where they're coming from and they'll repay your kindness by saving

you time and tension in every document. If you've never used section breaks, learn what they are and how to insert them where

appropriate. Need help getting in touch with your inner section break (or solving a Section formatting problem fast, before you

throw your computer out the window)? Check out the tip table below, which provides quick answers to the most common section

break quandaries.

The basics: What is a section break?

You already use Section formatting in every document, even if you never touch the settings. Every document has page margins, a

page orientation (portrait or landscape), a paper size, etc. But what happens when you want a different header and footer, different

margins, or different orientation for just some pages of your document? You could place those pages in another file, then mess

with the settings and page numbering to make it all appear as one document when it prints, but that's a hassle! And, it still does

you no good if the document's being sent electronically. This is where section breaks are used to make things much more simple.

Section breaks exist to help you change page, or section, formatting within your document. A section break is just a formatting
mark (similar to a paragraph mark) that stores the settings for all Section formatting up to that point in the document — so that you
can change those settings from that point forward. Every Page Setup command (File menu) as well as page borders, headers and
footers, page and footnote numbering, and text columns all use section breaks to change their settings for just part of a document.

NOTE Okay, if section breaks store formatting, then where's that formatting stored in a single-section document? Glad you asked!

The last section of any document (or an entire single-section document) stores Section formatting inside the document's last

paragraph mark. That's more than an obscure little Word factoid — that information can be important when troubleshooting
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misbehaving documents. Check out the tip sheet "Section Formatting Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting" (Microsoft Office

Document Designer) for details.

Say, for example, that you're working on a report. At the end of the main body of text you need an appendix for several wide

financial tables that will only fit on landscape pages. Here's what you do:

1. Place your insertion point at the bottom of the page immediately before your appendix.

2. Go to the Insert menu and click Break.

3. Select Next page under the heading Section break types in the Break dialog box and click OK.

The section break you just inserted stores the portrait page orientation you've used to that point in the document. So, you

can place your insertion point after that section break and change the page orientation to landscape for just the appendix

pages. What's more, you selected Next page as the section break type because it contains a built-in page break that

automatically starts your new formatting at the top of a new page.

Types of section breaks

As you've seen in the Break dialog box, there are four types of section breaks: Next page, Continuous, Even page, and Odd

page. That said, you might never have occasion to use any of them other than Next page, but it's a good idea to understand their

different uses. All four types of section breaks store exactly the same type of formatting. The only difference is where your next

section starts. Here's a quick summary of what you'll get with each section break type.

Next page section Starts your next section at the top of a new page. This is a section break with its own built-in page break. It's what you'll usually
break need when changing Section formatting because most Section formatting applies to a minimum of one page (margins, orientation,
headers and footers, etc.).

NOTE Please don't confuse section breaks and page breaks, they're not interchangeable! A section break stores formatting — so,
using too many of them can lead to overcomplicated, hard-to-manage documents. A page break is just a formatting mark that moves
your insertion point to the top of a new page. If all you need to do is start a new page, a page break is always the better choice. (For
an even cleaner solution to controlling pagination, check out the paragraph formatting tip sheet "Paragraphs That Stay Put! Using
Line and Page Breaks" in Microsoft Office Document Designer to learn how to add page breaks before a paragraph.)

Continuous Starts your next section immediately after the break, with no space between. Because most Section formatting applies to a minimum
section break of one page at a time, this type of section break is most commonly used when using the text columns feature for less than a page of
your document. And, since tables are an easier solution than text columns most of the time, you're not likely to get too acquainted
with continuous section breaks.

Odd page or Even Odd and even page section breaks are just like next page section breaks, but they force the new section to start on an odd or even
page section break page, respectively.

So, for example, if your first section ends on page 11 and you insert an odd-page section break, your next page number will be 13 —
skipping page 12. Page 12 will still print, however, as a blank page. You'll see it if you view the document in print preview, but you
won't have access to edit that page.

Though you aren't likely to use these often, they might come in handy to force consistency in the way chapters start if you're creating
a document in book format.

Keep an eye on your section breaks

If you can't see your section breaks, turn on formatting marks by clicking the paragraph mark icon on the Standard toolbar .

Section breaks can be difficult to see in print layout view even with formatting marks visible because they can fall at the end of a
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paragraph that contains text. Instead of embarking on a hopeless search for your section breaks, just check out your document in
normal view, where section breaks always appear across the entire page. Take a look at the difference.
And, you can always check out the status bar at the bottom of your Word window to confirm the section you're currently working in
or the number of sections in your document.
Now let's take a look at some common section break issues and how to make them work for you.
The action The basics
Remove a section A section break stores the formatting for the section that comes before
break it. So, if you delete a section break, the content before that break will
take on the next section's formatting.
Add section Most dialog boxes that apply Section formatting contain a drop-down list
breaks labeled Apply to. Keeping an eye on this drop-down list can save you
automatically, tons of time and help keep your document formatting as simple as
using Apply to possible.
options
Apply to options will include such choices as Whole document, This
point forward, This section, Selected text, etc. In most cases, the
options change depending on your active selection, the position of your
insertion point, or how many sections your document contains.
When editing Section formatting, if you select either This point
forward or Selected text, from an Apply to list (such as the Apply to
list on each tab of the Page Setup dialog box), Word automatically
inserts the necessary section breaks as it applies your new formatting.
Change the type Though section breaks store the formatting for the section that precedes
of section break the break, the section break type controls how the next section starts. If
you use a Continuous section break, for example, and then realize that
you really wanted your section to start on a new page, don't take that
section break out and start over! You're likely to lose a lot of formatting
and spend lots of unnecessary time retracing your steps.
It's also not a great idea to add a page break right after a Continuous
section break to solve this because adding excess formatting to your
document adds excess complexity that's just begging to get in your way!
Instead, to change the section break type so that your new section starts
on a new page, place your insertion point anywhere in the new section
and go to the File menu, click Page Setup, and click the Layout tab.
Select New page from the drop-down list labeled Section start.
Tips and more information
Say, for example, that you have a two-section document.
The pages in section one are in portrait orientation; the
pages in section two are landscape.
If you remove the break between the two sections, all
pages become landscape. This is because you removed
the section break that stored the portrait orientation.
CAUTION Some Word formatting that isn't Section
formatting also uses Apply to options, such as paragraph
or table Borders and Shading and Outline Numbered
lists, so please don't assume you need a section break
just because you see an Apply to list in the dialog box!
Best practices If you're working in a long or complex
document, I recommend taking the quick extra step to
insert section breaks yourself, rather than selecting the
Apply to options that do this for you. The reason is that
inserting them yourself enables you to make a conscious
choice about what type of section break is added and
where it falls in the document — so you always know
exactly what you're going to get.
NOTE If you think your section break type changed on
its own, or if you don't see the option you need in the
Section start drop-down list, check out the tip sheet
"Section Formatting Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting"
(Microsoft Office Document Designer) to find out the
method behind this fairly common madness — as well as
the quick and simple cure.
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Keyboard shortcuts
Here are some keyboard shortcuts to use when working with section breaks.

Keystroke Action

ALT+CTRL+N Switches your view to normal view.

ALT+CTRL+P Switches your view to print layout view.

ALT+I, B, N, ENTER Inserts a Next page section break.

More information
You can find more cool tips and information for Word in Microsoft Office Document Designer. If you're comfortable with the basics

of using section breaks, check out the next Section formatting article, "Word Documents from Top to Bottom: Making Headers and

Footers That Work," in Microsoft Office Document Designer. Headers and footers can be a great help in your documents, and you

might be surprised at just how much you can do with them.

About the author Stephanie Krieger, a Microsoft Word MVP, is a professional consultant, trainer, and writer who specializes in

creating solutions with the Microsoft Office System. She helps clients customize software and design templates and also provides

train-the-trainer services.

Almost all formatting you can apply in a Word document falls into one of three easily organizable categories. Word likes to keep
things as simple and organized as possible — and the three categories or three levels of Word formatting provide a great example
of how that organization can save you time. The three levels are Font, Paragraph, and Section formatting.

If you change the orientation of a document and Word tables don't resize automatically to fit the new page width, click into the table and select AutoFit
to Window (on the Table menu, point to AutoFit) to reorient the table.
To print a document that is designed for larger paper than your printer accommodates, select an available paper size from the Scale to paper size drop-
down list in the Print dialog box (File menu).