Can You Make One Page Landscape in Word?

Yes. In Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, insert a Next Page section break before and after the page, then set that section to landscape: choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page, click on the page, and choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape. Word applies page orientation to a section, not just to an isolated page, so the section breaks keep the surrounding pages in portrait orientation.

Why section breaks control page orientation

Word documents are divided into sections, and each section can have its own page setup. Orientation, margins, paper size, columns, and some header and footer settings can differ from one section to another. By contrast, a regular page break only moves following text to a new page; it does not create a separate area with independent page settings.

That distinction explains why changing orientation while the document has only one section usually turns every page landscape. To make just one page landscape, you isolate it in its own section. A section break can also affect page numbering and headers or footers, so after inserting one, it is worth checking that those features still behave as intended.

How to make one page landscape on Windows

For a page already in the middle of a portrait document, create a section boundary on each side of it. Turn on formatting marks first if you want to see exactly where the boundaries are: on the Home tab, select the paragraph-mark button (¶). The marks are not printed; they help you distinguish section breaks from ordinary page breaks.

Click at the very beginning of the page that should be landscape, before its first character or object.
Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page. Word starts a new section on the following page, separating the target page from the preceding section.
Click at the end of the target page’s content, after the last paragraph, table, or other item.
Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page again. This starts another section after the landscape page, so later pages can keep their original orientation.
Click somewhere on the target page and choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape.
Check the pages before and after it. They should remain portrait. If the wrong pages changed, undo the orientation change and confirm that the cursor was inside the intended section.

The second break starts the next section on a new page. If the document already contains manual page breaks or other section breaks, inspect the layout before adding more: overlapping breaks can create an unexpected blank page or shift content.

A practical example: a wide table in a report

Suppose a report is portrait, but one table has many columns and is difficult to read at portrait width. Put a Next Page section break immediately before the table and another immediately after it. With the cursor in the table’s section, choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape. The table can then use the wider page, while the report’s introduction and conclusion remain portrait.

Landscape orientation does not automatically make the table fit. You may still need to adjust column widths, text size, or margins. If the table spans several pages, keep all of those pages in the same landscape section; inserting a section break in the middle could cause the later part to return to portrait. A table that begins or ends close to a page boundary may also reflow when the section becomes wider, so check its page breaks after changing orientation.

This technique works for other wide content too, including a large chart, a process diagram, or a page with side-by-side material. If the content is only slightly too wide, first consider whether narrower margins or smaller table columns would solve the problem without changing the page orientation.

Make the following pages portrait again

If the landscape page is the last page in the document, you only need to isolate it from the preceding section. If there is content after it, the section break after the landscape page is essential: click in the section that follows and set its orientation to portrait if necessary. Word often carries the previous section’s page setup into a newly created section, so do not assume that the next section will automatically have the orientation you want.

When the pages after the target also turn landscape, click inside the first affected page and choose Layout > Orientation > Portrait. This should change the section containing that page, not the landscape section before it. If several later pages need the same layout, keep them together in one portrait section rather than creating unnecessary breaks between them.

To remove a section break, show formatting marks, select the break, and delete it. Be cautious: removing a section break joins the sections, and the resulting section may take on page setup or header and footer formatting from the surrounding content. If the document has important layout details, save a copy before making structural edits.

Margins, page numbers, and headers

Orientation is only one part of a section’s layout. A landscape page may need different margins to provide a usable writing area, especially if it contains a table close to the edge. With the cursor in the relevant section, use Layout > Margins to choose a preset or open Custom Margins. Check the Apply to setting in the Page Setup dialog if you change values there; it should cover the intended section, not the whole document.

Headers and footers can also behave differently across section boundaries. Word commonly links a new section’s header and footer to the previous section. If you want a landscape page to have a different header or footer, open it by double-clicking the area, then use the Header & Footer tab’s Link to Previous control to turn off the link. Treat headers and footers separately: changing the header link does not necessarily turn off the footer link.

Page numbers usually continue through section breaks, but section settings can be changed to restart numbering or use a different format. If numbering unexpectedly restarts, open the page-number options for the affected section and choose Continue from previous section, where available. Always review a printed or exported copy, since a landscape page can place a footer in a position that looks different from the portrait pages around it.

Common problems and how to fix them

Every page turns landscape: The document may still be one section, or the cursor may have been in a section covering the whole document. Undo, add the section breaks around the target page, and apply orientation again from inside that section.
A blank page appears: Look for an extra paragraph mark, a manual page break, or more than one Next Page section break near the boundary. Turn on ¶ marks and remove only the redundant item.
The wrong page changes: Section boundaries may not be where you expect, particularly after earlier edits. Show formatting marks and click inside the section you intend to change before choosing Orientation.
Content moves to another page: Landscape changes the available page dimensions and may alter pagination. Review nearby paragraphs, tables, and page breaks rather than assuming the original page boundaries will stay fixed.
Headers or page numbers differ: Check Link to Previous and the page-number format for each section. A section break permits separate settings; it does not guarantee that all section settings will match.

When troubleshooting, it helps to make one change at a time. Undoing immediately after an unexpected result is often easier than trying to repair several altered breaks or layout settings at once.

Word on Mac and Word for the web

In Word for Microsoft 365 on Mac, the same principle applies: use a section break before and after the page, then change the orientation while the cursor is in that section. The Layout tab contains the Breaks and Orientation controls, although their arrangement or wording can vary slightly with the Word version and ribbon layout. Look for the Next Page section break option, not a standard page break. If a command is not visible, check the Layout tab’s menus or the Word Help search.

Word for the web may not expose every section-formatting control available in the desktop app, and the available commands can depend on the current version. For a document where only one page must be landscape, open it in the desktop Word app if you cannot find the required section-break or orientation options. After editing on desktop, you can reopen the document in a browser to review it, but check the layout carefully if you plan to print or share it.

Alternatives to changing page orientation

A landscape section is usually the cleanest choice when the page needs substantially more horizontal room. For a modestly wide table, however, other adjustments may be simpler. You can reduce excess cell padding, resize columns, abbreviate headings, or use narrower margins for the relevant section. For a chart or diagram, resizing the object may preserve the portrait page design.

Another option is to place the wide material in an appendix or separate document, particularly when readers are likely to print the main report in portrait. You can also use a landscape page for an entire group of related tables rather than switching orientation repeatedly. Choose based on readability and how the document will be used: squeezing content onto a portrait page can make it harder to read than a clearly marked landscape page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make just one page landscape without changing the others?
Yes. Put the page in its own section with a Next Page section break before it and another after it, then choose Landscape while the cursor is in that section.

Can I make one page landscape without section breaks?
Not reliably through Word’s normal page-orientation settings. Orientation is section-level, so section breaks are the standard way to give one page a different orientation from the pages around it.

Why does Word make the whole document landscape?
The document may have no section break around the target page, or the orientation change was applied while the cursor was in a section that includes every page. Add the boundaries and apply the setting inside the isolated section.

Will a landscape page change my page numbering?
It does not have to. Page numbering can continue across sections, but a section’s numbering settings may be configured to restart. Check the page-number options if the sequence changes unexpectedly.

Can I make a single page landscape in Word for the web?
Some section and layout controls may be limited or unavailable in the browser version. If you cannot insert the needed section breaks or set the section orientation there, open the file in desktop Word and make the change.

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

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

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