How to Make Columns in Word After a Title or Heading

To put text in columns below a full-width title in Microsoft Word, select the body text and choose Layout > Columns > Two. For text you have not written yet, make a continuous section break after the title, then set that section to two columns. The section break keeps the title separate so it does not get pulled into the columns.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, or Word for Mac. The ribbon wording can vary slightly between versions.
A document with a title or heading in its own paragraph. If you are starting from scratch, add the title and press Enter before setting up the body.
Your body text, if you already have it. You can also create the columns first and type into them afterward.

Step-by-Step

Save the document and check the paragraph layout. Make sure the title is on its own line, separate from the text that should appear in columns. If the title and body are currently one continuous paragraph, place the cursor between them and press Enter to start a new paragraph. A paragraph break is not the same as a section break: the latter is what lets Word give the title and body different page layouts.
Choose the method that matches your document. If the body text is already written, select the body paragraphs and use the Columns command. If you are about to write the body, insert a continuous section break after the title first. Both approaches can keep the title full width, but setting up a section is especially clear when you want to control where columns begin and end.
For existing text, select only the body paragraphs. Drag from the beginning of the first body paragraph to the end of the last one. Include the paragraphs that should flow into columns, but leave the title unselected. If the body continues onto several pages, include all of it only if you want the whole selection in columns. To columnize just one passage, select that passage instead.
Apply two columns to the selection. On Windows, open the Layout tab, select Columns in the Page Setup group, and choose Two. Word may create section breaks around the selected text so that the title and any unselected content keep their original layout. Check the result immediately: the title should remain above the columns, and the body should begin in the left column.
For new text, place a continuous section break after the title. Click at the start of the first body paragraph, or create a new paragraph below the title and leave the insertion point there. Go to Layout > Breaks > Continuous. This starts a new section on the same page rather than forcing the body onto a new page. If the title is at the top of a document, the break belongs between the title paragraph and the first body paragraph.
Set the new section to two columns. Click in the body section below the title. Choose Layout > Columns > Two. If you open the detailed column settings, check the Apply to option and choose This section where available. Avoid choosing Whole document unless you really want the title and every other section to use columns too. You can now type the body, and Word will flow text from the bottom of the left column to the top of the right one.
Adjust the column layout if needed. For more control, open Layout > Columns > More Columns. Choose the number of columns, adjust the spacing, and, if useful, select Line between to add a vertical divider. Make sure Equal column width is selected for a standard newspaper-style layout. Use the preview to check the arrangement, then apply the settings to the right section or selection.
Check the flow and save. Look at the end of the left column and the top of the right column. Word normally fills the first column down the page before continuing in the next. If you need the second column to start at a particular point, place the cursor there and choose Layout > Breaks > Column. This inserts a column break without starting a new section. Save the document after checking the title, page breaks, and any images or lists.

On Mac: The same basic approach applies in Word for Mac. Use the Layout tab and its Columns and Breaks commands; depending on the Word version, the detailed column controls may appear in a dialog or a menu. Choose the continuous section break and apply columns to the section below the title. Keyboard shortcuts are not necessary for these layout commands. To undo a recent change, use Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac.

Common Mistakes

Applying columns to the whole document. If the cursor is in a section and you choose a column layout, Word can apply it to that whole section. If the title shares that section, it may become part of the columns. Use a continuous section break after the title, then choose This section in the column settings where that option appears.
Selecting the title along with the body. When formatting existing text, a selection that includes the title can make it flow into the first column. Reselect only the body paragraphs, or undo and create a section break between title and body before applying columns.
Using a page break instead of a continuous section break. A page break moves the following text to a new page but does not give the title and body separate column settings. To start columns below a title on the same page, use Layout > Breaks > Continuous.
Pressing Tab to imitate columns. Tabs and repeated spaces do not create stable newspaper-style columns. Text will not automatically flow from the bottom of one column to the next, and the layout can shift when you edit. Use Word’s Columns feature for flowing text; use a table only when you need separate, independently edited blocks.
Adding many manual column breaks. A column break is useful when a new section of text must begin at the top of the next column. Too many breaks can leave large blank areas after edits. Use them sparingly and remove one if the columns no longer balance.

Tips

Turn on formatting marks with Home > Show/Hide ¶ if you need to see paragraph marks, section breaks, or column breaks. Select the button again to hide the marks; they do not print.
Use a heading style for the title, such as Home > Styles > Title or a Heading style. Styling the title does not create the section boundary, but it makes the document easier to format and navigate.
For a traditional article, try two columns with moderate spacing and a readable font size. Preview the page at normal zoom and in print preview. Narrow columns can make long words and justified text look awkward, so adjust spacing or margins if the lines feel cramped.
If only a few paragraphs need columns, select just those paragraphs rather than changing the entire body. If a later section should return to one column, add another continuous section break before it and set that section to Layout > Columns > One.
Keep images, captions, and lists in mind. A wide image may not fit inside a narrow column. If it should span the page, it may need its own section with one column, bounded by continuous section breaks.

Troubleshooting

The title has moved into a column. Undo the change with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. Check whether the title and body are in the same section, then insert a continuous section break at the start of the body. Click in the body and apply two columns to that section. If you are formatting existing text, select the body only and reapply the command.

The columns begin on a new page. You may have inserted a next-page section break or a page break. Turn on formatting marks to identify it. Replace the page break with a continuous section break if the columns should begin below the title on the same page. Also check for extra blank paragraphs that may be pushing the body down.

All pages changed to columns. Open Layout > Columns > More Columns and check the scope of the change. Select This section or the selected text rather than the whole document, if those choices are shown. If the document has no section break after the title, add one and apply columns from within the body section.

The text does not flow into the next column as expected. Confirm that you used Word’s Columns command rather than tabs or a table. Check for a column break or section break that may be forcing text to start elsewhere. Delete an unwanted break by turning on formatting marks, selecting the break, and pressing Backspace or Delete. Be careful: removing a section break can also change the formatting of the surrounding section.

The columns look uneven or have too much empty space. Word balances columns at the end of a section in some layouts, but a manual column break or a section boundary can affect the result. Remove unnecessary breaks, check the text selection, and review the column spacing in More Columns. For a deliberate split, insert one column break where the second column should begin instead of adding blank lines.

The command is missing or behaves differently. Word for the web has fewer advanced page-layout controls than the desktop app, and some options may not be available in the same place. Open the file in the Word desktop app for the most reliable control of section breaks and column settings. In the desktop app, confirm you are on the Layout tab rather than looking for the command under Home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put columns below a title on the same page?
Yes. Insert a continuous section break after the title, then apply columns to the section below it. A continuous break keeps the body on the same page when there is room.

Can I make only part of the body two columns?
Yes. Select the paragraphs you want to change and choose Layout > Columns > Two. Word can create section boundaries around the selection. Check that the title and surrounding text remain outside it.

How do I make the second column start at a specific sentence?
Put the cursor before that sentence and choose Layout > Breaks > Column. Word moves the sentence and following text to the next column without starting a new section.

Can I have one column after the two-column text?
Yes. Insert a continuous section break where the layout should change. Click in the new section and select Layout > Columns > One. Check that the later text is in its own section before changing the setting.

Why does Word keep changing the title when I change columns?
The title may share a section with the body, or the selection may include the title. Separate the title and body with a continuous section break, then apply the columns to the body section only.

Do the columns continue onto the next page?
Yes. Word continues the section’s columns onto following pages until the section ends or its layout changes. Use a new section break if later pages should return to one column.

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