How to Make One Page Landscape in Word for Mac

To make just one page landscape in Word for Mac, isolate it in its own section with a Next Page section break before and after it, then choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape while your cursor is in that section. Section breaks matter because Word applies page orientation to a section, not to an individual page. You will need the document open in Word for Mac and a clear idea of which page should change.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Mac. The steps below apply to current Microsoft 365 versions; some older versions may show slightly different ribbon labels.
The document you want to edit, preferably saved before you begin. Section breaks can affect pagination, headers, footers, and page numbers.
Optional: a mouse or trackpad and the Home tab’s paragraph-mark button, ¶, to show formatting marks and make breaks easier to inspect.

Step-by-Step

Save a working copy. Choose File > Save As if you want to preserve an untouched original. Adding section breaks is reversible, but it can change where text and objects fall across pages. A copy gives you an easy way back if the layout becomes difficult to restore.
Find the page and its boundaries. Scroll to the page that should be landscape. Identify the first content on that page and the last content on it. Remember that Word pages are created by flowing text, not fixed sheets: changing orientation can move paragraphs, tables, or images and may change which content appears on the target page.
Show formatting marks if the page boundary is unclear. On the Home tab, select the ¶ button. Word will show paragraph marks, page breaks, and section breaks. These marks do not print. They help you spot an existing manual page break or section break that might otherwise make a new break redundant.
Insert a section break before the target page. If the target is not the first page, click immediately before the first character of the first paragraph on that page. Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page (in the Breaks menu, select the Next Page option under Section Breaks). This starts a new section on a new page. If the target is the document’s first page, skip this step: it already begins a section.
Insert a section break after the target page. Click at the end of the last paragraph or content on the target page, after its text and before the following page’s content. Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page again. The content after the break will begin a new section on the next page. If the target is the final page, you still need a section break after its content to isolate it; the new section may contain the document’s final paragraph mark.
Check the section boundaries. With formatting marks visible, look for a Next Page section break before and after the page. Make sure you have not added a second break where one already existed. A manual page break is not the same as a section break: a page break moves text to another page but does not create a separate orientation setting.
Set the target section to landscape. Click somewhere in the target page’s content so the insertion point is inside the section you want to change. Select Layout > Orientation > Landscape. Word applies the orientation to the current section. If the entire document changes, undo immediately with Command-Z and check that the section breaks really surround the target page.
Review what follows the landscape page. Scroll through the page before it, the landscape page, and the page after it. The neighboring sections should remain portrait. Check that no content has spilled into an additional landscape page and that tables, images, and page numbers still appear as intended.
Hide formatting marks and save. Select ¶ on the Home tab again to hide the marks. Save with Command-S. If the file will be printed or shared, use File > Print or export a PDF and check the page orientation and breaks in the preview.

If the target is the first or last page: You only need a break on the side where another section exists. For the first page, insert a Next Page section break after it; for the last page, insert one before it. A middle page needs both. Avoid inserting a break at the very beginning of the document unless you intend to create an extra blank page.

Common Mistakes

Using a page break instead of a section break. A page break starts the next text on a new page, but both sides remain in the same section. The orientation command can therefore affect more pages than intended. Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page, not a plain page break.
Changing orientation before isolating the page. If the cursor is in a section covering the whole document, Landscape can turn every page sideways. Add the boundary section breaks first, then set the orientation while the cursor is in the isolated section.
Putting a break in the wrong place. A break inserted partway through a paragraph or before the wrong paragraph can move text unexpectedly. Use formatting marks and place the boundaries immediately before the target page’s first content and after its last content.
Assuming one section always equals one page. A section can run across multiple pages. If the landscape section contains too much material, Word will create more landscape pages. Keep only the intended page’s content between the two section breaks and inspect the result after changing orientation.
Deleting a break without checking its effect. Section breaks store layout settings. Removing one can combine sections and change orientation, margins, headers, or footers. If the result changes unexpectedly, use Command-Z before making more edits.

Tips

Use Next Page rather than Continuous for this job. A Continuous section break can change formatting without starting a new page. Next Page is easier to manage when the goal is a separate landscape page between portrait pages.
Keep the section boundaries visible while editing. Showing ¶ makes the structure clear. After you are done, turn the marks off; they are editing aids and do not appear in print.
Check tables and wide objects. Landscape gives a page more width, but a table may still have fixed column widths or text wrapping. Adjust column widths or use Table Layout > AutoFit where available, and review images, charts, and text boxes individually.
Review headers and footers after changing orientation. Sections may have headers and footers linked to the preceding section. If you need a different header on the landscape page, open the header or footer and inspect Link to Previous on the Header & Footer tab. Turn it off only when you want to edit this section independently.
Use print preview as a final check. A page can look fine in the editing window but shift when Word paginates or prints. Preview the whole document, not only the landscape page, and confirm that the pages before and after it remain portrait.

Troubleshooting

Every page became landscape. Undo with Command-Z. Turn on formatting marks and confirm that the target content is enclosed by section breaks. Click inside the isolated section and select Layout > Orientation > Landscape again. If you cannot identify the section, place the cursor in the page and inspect the visible breaks above and below it.

The landscape page is followed by a blank page. Look for a duplicate Next Page section break, an existing manual page break, or an empty paragraph that has been pushed onto a new page. Show ¶ and remove only the redundant break or paragraph. Be cautious: deleting the section break that separates portrait and landscape sections can make their formatting merge.

Two or more pages are landscape. The landscape section likely contains more than one page of content, or one of its section boundaries is misplaced. Check the first and last content within the section. Move the after-break to immediately after the intended page’s content, then recheck pagination. If changing the orientation itself caused text to flow onto another landscape page, reduce spacing or resize content carefully; avoid adding repeated breaks as a workaround.

The next page also changed orientation. Confirm that a Next Page section break comes after the landscape page and before the following content. A plain page break will not isolate the orientation. If the section break is present, click in the following page and set its section to Layout > Orientation > Portrait.

The layout keeps shifting as you edit. Orientation affects the space available for text, so a small change can repaginate the document. First confirm the section breaks, then adjust paragraph spacing, table widths, or image size. Save and check the neighboring pages after each substantial adjustment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make only one page landscape in Word for Mac?
Yes. Put that page in its own section with Next Page section breaks before and after it, then set that section to Landscape. The rest of the document can remain portrait.

Why does Word need section breaks instead of a page break?
Orientation is a section-level setting. A page break only moves text to a new page; it does not create a separate section that can have its own orientation.

Will this work in older versions of Word for Mac?
The section-break method is the same in many recent versions, but the ribbon layout can vary. Look for Breaks on the Layout tab and choose a Next Page section break. If your version uses menus, look under the Insert or Layout menus for the section-break command.

Can I make a page landscape if it contains a table?
Yes. Isolate the page as a section and change its orientation. Then review the table width, column sizes, and text wrapping; landscape provides more horizontal space but may not automatically resize every table neatly.

Will the page numbers restart after the section break?
Not necessarily. Section breaks do not automatically require a numbering restart, but header and footer settings can differ by section. If numbering changes, open the page-number formatting options and check that numbering continues from the previous section.

Can I return the page to portrait later?
Yes. Click inside that section and choose Layout > Orientation > Portrait. To remove the separate section entirely, delete its breaks only if you are prepared to review and restore the formatting that may merge with neighboring sections.

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