How to Make Columns in a Word Document, Step by Step

To make columns in a Word document, place your cursor in the text or section you want to format, then choose Layout > Columns and select a layout such as Two. Word flows text down the first column and then into the next. You can apply columns to an entire document, selected text, or a specific section, and adjust their width and spacing in the Columns dialog box.

These instructions are for the desktop version of Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows. The main controls are also available in Word for Mac, although the ribbon layout and a few labels can differ slightly. Columns are useful for newsletters, flyers, brochures, and other pages where text should flow like a newspaper; they are different from table columns, which keep information in separate cells.

What You’ll Need

A document open in the desktop version of Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365.
The text you want to format, if you are applying columns to only part of the document. You can also set up columns first and type into them afterward.
A rough idea of how many columns you need and whether the columns should be equal width. You can change these settings later.

Step-by-Step

Decide where the columns should begin and end. If you want the whole document in columns, you can leave the text unselected. If you want only a block of existing text formatted, drag to select that text first. For a more controlled layout, plan to put the block in its own section using section breaks. Save your document before making large layout changes, especially if it already contains images, tables, or carefully positioned content.
Create a separate section when only part of the page needs columns. Click at the point where the columns should start. On Windows, choose Layout > Breaks > Continuous. Click at the point where the columns should end and insert another continuous section break. A continuous break starts a new section without forcing the next section onto a new page. This lets you keep a heading or introduction in one column and set just the body text into two or more columns.
Open the column options. Click inside the section you want to format, or select the text if you are applying columns to a specific block. Choose Layout > Columns. The menu usually offers presets such as One, Two, Three, Left, and Right. Choose Two for a standard two-column layout. The Left and Right presets use unequal widths, so they can be useful for a narrow sidebar and a wider main text area.
Choose whether the format applies to selected text or a section. If you selected text, Word may add section breaks around it and show Selected text in the Apply to list. Check this setting before confirming. If you are working in a section, choose This section when that option is available. Choose Whole document only when you intend every section to use columns. The exact choices shown can depend on whether text is selected and where the cursor is placed.
Set the number and width of columns. For more control, choose Layout > Columns > More Columns. In the dialog, select a preset or enter the number of columns you want. Clear Equal column width if one column needs to be wider than another, then set the width and spacing for each column. Keep enough width for comfortable reading: very narrow columns cause frequent line breaks and make paragraphs harder to follow.
Add a divider if it suits the design. In the More Columns dialog, select Line between to put a vertical rule between columns. Check the preview to see how the layout will look, then use the Apply to list to confirm its scope. Select OK to apply the settings. If your version displays slightly different wording, look for the Columns dialog from the Layout tab and check its preview and scope controls before confirming.
Review how the text flows. Word fills the first column from top to bottom, then continues at the top of the next column. Add or remove text and check whether paragraphs, headings, and images land in sensible places. If a heading appears at the bottom of a column with its paragraph at the top of the next one, adjust the text or use paragraph pagination settings rather than adding many blank lines.
Control where a column starts or ends. To start the following text at the top of the next column, click before that text and choose Layout > Breaks > Column. This inserts a column break, which is more reliable than pressing Enter repeatedly. To return to a single column after a multi-column section, click in the section after the columns and choose Layout > Columns > One. If the change affects too much of the document, check the section breaks and the Apply to setting.

On Mac: Use the Layout tab and choose Columns for the presets or additional settings. Section and column breaks are also available from Layout > Breaks in current desktop versions. If the ribbon is condensed, expand the Layout tab or use Word’s command search to find Columns. The same principle applies: place the cursor in the correct section and verify the scope before applying a layout.

Common Mistakes

Applying columns to the whole document by accident. If the cursor is in a section and you choose a preset without checking scope, the result may extend farther than intended. Use a separate section for a distinct layout, and confirm Apply to in More Columns.
Using tabs or spaces to imitate columns. Spaces shift when text changes, and tabs can align only at set positions; neither makes text flow automatically into the next column. Use the Columns feature for flowing paragraphs. Use a table when you need fixed rows, labels, or side-by-side content that should remain aligned.
Pressing Enter repeatedly to push text into the next column. Extra paragraph marks are fragile: editing above them can leave large blank gaps. Insert a column break at the exact point where the next column should begin.
Confusing a page break with a section break. A page break moves text to the next page but does not, by itself, create a new formatting section. Use a continuous section break when the layout should change on the same page, or a next-page section break when the new layout should begin on a fresh page.
Making columns too narrow. Long words, links, and larger fonts can break awkwardly in narrow columns. Check the page at normal reading size and adjust the column widths, spacing, font size, or number of columns.

Tips

Use section breaks to mix layouts. A title or short introduction can remain full width while the article beneath it uses two columns. Put a continuous section break before and after the column section, then set each section to the appropriate number of columns.
Show formatting marks while editing. Select Home > Show/Hide ¶ to reveal paragraph marks, section breaks, and column breaks. This makes it easier to see why formatting starts or stops in an unexpected place. Turn the marks off again using the same control; they do not print.
Use a column break sparingly. A deliberate break can keep a new topic or heading at the top of a column. But a fixed break can leave blank space if you later edit the text above it, so review the page after substantial revisions.
Check images and captions separately. A large image set to wrap text can change how paragraphs move through columns. If an image disrupts the layout, select it and review its text-wrapping options, or place it in a separate section or a one-cell table when you need predictable positioning.
Preview the result before sharing. Check the document in Print Layout and use Print Preview to see page boundaries and column flow. A layout that looks fine while editing may shift after changing paper size, margins, or printer settings.

Troubleshooting

Everything changed to columns, not just the selected passage. Turn on formatting marks and look for section breaks around the passage. If there are none, undo the change if possible, add continuous section breaks before and after the intended block, click inside that section, and apply the columns to This section. If you used a selection, reopen More Columns and check whether Selected text is available under Apply to.

The text stays in one column. Confirm that the cursor is inside the section you meant to format, rather than in a preceding or following section. In More Columns, check that the number of columns is greater than one and that the scope is correct. If the document contains a table, remember that page columns do not split the contents of a table into newspaper-style columns.

A large blank space appears above or below the columns. Show formatting marks and inspect for extra paragraph marks, page breaks, or section breaks. Delete only the unwanted break; removing the wrong section break can make the surrounding text inherit different margins or column settings. If you need to keep the formatting but remove a forced new page, replace a next-page section break with a continuous section break where appropriate.

Text starts at the wrong column or leaves an uneven gap. Look for a column break or section break that is forcing the flow. Delete an unnecessary column break, or move it to the point where the next column should start. If the last page of a section has uneven columns, Word may be balancing the text at the section end. Adjust the section boundary or the amount of text; do not add multiple blank paragraphs to force a visual fix.

The columns look different after editing or printing. Check paper size, page orientation, margins, and font substitutions, all of which affect the available column width. Reopen Layout > Columns > More Columns to review width and spacing, then check Print Preview. If a particular paragraph is splitting badly, consider widening the column or changing the paragraph’s keep-together settings instead of shrinking all the text.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make only one page of a Word document use columns?
Yes. Insert a continuous section break before and after the page’s text, then apply columns to that section. If the content must begin on a new page, use a next-page section break at the appropriate boundary.

Can I make three columns instead of two?
Yes. Choose Layout > Columns > Three, or open More Columns and enter three. Review the width and spacing, especially if the page has wide margins or a large font.

How do I make the columns different widths?
Open Layout > Columns > More Columns, clear Equal column width, and set the widths and spacing. The available width is limited by the page size and margins, so make sure the measurements fit the page.

How do I put a line between columns?
Open the More Columns dialog, select Line between, confirm that the correct section is selected under Apply to, and choose OK. The divider follows the columns in that section.

Can I use columns in Word for the web?
Word for the web may not provide all the desktop column and section-break controls. For precise column layouts, open the document in the desktop Word app, apply the formatting there, and then review the saved file in the web version.

How do I get back to a normal single-column page?
Click in the section you want to change and choose Layout > Columns > One. If only part of the document should return to one column, use section breaks to separate that area and verify that the change applies to the intended section.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

Spotted an error in this guide? Let us know.