Make One Page Landscape in Word (Keep Others Portrait)

To make just one page landscape in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, place it in its own section: add a Next Page section break before and after it, click inside that section, then choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape. The other sections can remain portrait. If the page’s content is already selected, a quicker option is Layout > Page Setup dialog launcher > Margins, choose Landscape and set Apply to to Selected text.

The quickest method: apply landscape to selected content

If the material that needs extra width is easy to select, Word can place it in its own section automatically. Select the text, table, or other content you want on the landscape page. Then open the Layout tab, click the small diagonal arrow in the lower-right corner of the Page Setup group, and choose the Margins tab in the dialog. Under Orientation, choose Landscape. In the Apply to list, choose Selected text and click OK.

Word adds section breaks around the selection so the chosen content can use a different page orientation. This method is convenient for a table or chart that is already in the document, but it does not promise that the selection will occupy exactly one physical page. If the selected material is long, it can run across multiple landscape pages. If you need precise control over where a page begins and ends, use the manual section-break method below.

On a Mac, the ribbon labels and dialog layout can vary slightly by Word release, but the underlying method is the same: isolate the content as a section and change that section’s orientation. Look for the Layout tab’s Page Setup controls. If the needed section-break or Apply to controls are unavailable in Word for the web, open the document in the desktop app.

Why section breaks are necessary

Page orientation is a section setting in Word, not an independent setting that can be assigned to any single sheet of paper. A section can contain one page or several pages. If you choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape while the document has only one section, Word normally changes the orientation of that entire section, which may mean the whole document turns landscape.

Section breaks mark boundaries between parts of a document that can have different page setup. To landscape one page in the middle, you generally need one break before that page and another after it. The page then sits in a landscape section between portrait sections. This is why inserting an ordinary page break is not enough: a page break starts a new page, but it does not create a separate section with its own orientation.

There is an important practical distinction between a page and a section. A section break controls formatting, while text flow determines how many pages the section occupies. Changing margins, font sizes, tables, or other content can cause a section to grow or shrink, so check the page count after changing orientation.

Manual steps for one landscape page in the middle

Use this approach when you know which physical page should be landscape and want the surrounding pages to stay portrait. It works best when the page already has a clear start and end, such as a page containing a wide table.

Save the document, then turn on formatting marks from Home > Show/Hide ¶. The marks make section boundaries visible; they do not print.
Click at the very beginning of the content that should start the landscape page. Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page. This creates a new section beginning on the next page.
Click at the end of the content that should remain on the landscape page, immediately after its final character or object. Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page again. This starts another section on the following page.
Click anywhere between the two section breaks. Choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape. Because the cursor is inside the middle section, the orientation change applies there rather than to the entire document.
Review the pages before and after the landscape section. Confirm that they are still portrait and that the content has not moved in an unexpected way.

Be careful about where the breaks go. A Next Page section break itself starts a new page, so placing one after content that has already flowed to a new page can create an unwanted blank page. If the target material is not currently isolated on one page, first decide what should be included in the landscape section and adjust the break locations accordingly.

Making the first or last page landscape

The same section principle applies at the beginning and end of a document, but there is only one neighboring boundary to manage. For a landscape first page followed by portrait pages, insert a Next Page section break after the first page’s content. Click in the first section and choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape; click in the following section and set it to Portrait if needed.

For a landscape final page, insert a Next Page section break before the content that belongs on that page. Change the orientation in the final section to Landscape. The break may create a new final page, so check whether the content fits and whether an extra blank page has appeared. If the last page is just a wide table, the selected-content method may be faster, but inspect the result because Word may move surrounding paragraphs as it creates the section.

If a document contains several landscape pages in a row, they can usually share one landscape section. You do not need a separate pair of section breaks for every page unless pages within that run need different formatting.

Keep headers, footers, and page numbers consistent

Section breaks can affect headers and footers as well as orientation. Word often links the header and footer in a new section to the previous section, so editing a linked header can change content in both places. If you need a different header or footer on the landscape page, double-click that area and use the Header & Footer tab’s Link to Previous control to turn off the link for the relevant header or footer.

Page numbering can also be continued or restarted across sections. If numbers unexpectedly restart at 1, open the page-number options for that section and select Continue from previous section, or set the desired starting number. The exact choice depends on whether the landscape page is part of a report with continuous numbering or a separate insert with its own numbering scheme.

Landscape pages may display headers and footers in a different position because the page is wider. Check both the top and bottom margins, and verify that page numbers remain visible. A landscape section can also have different margins, columns, and paper settings, so changing orientation does not automatically guarantee that every other layout feature matches the portrait pages.

Common problems and how to fix them

The entire document turns landscape: The cursor may be in the only section, or the orientation change may have been applied to the whole document. Undo the change, create section breaks around the target content, and change orientation while the cursor is inside the isolated section.
An extra blank page appears: Turn on Show/Hide ¶ and inspect nearby page and section breaks. A Next Page break may be pushing content onto another page, or an existing page break may now combine with a section break. Remove only the unnecessary break; deleting a section break can also change the formatting of the sections around it.
The landscape page is not the page you expected: Text may have reflowed after the section was created. Check the break positions and the content between them, then adjust the boundaries rather than repeatedly changing orientation.
The table still does not fit: Landscape provides more width, but a very wide table may still exceed the printable area. Try narrower margins, smaller cell margins, shorter headings, or a smaller font. You can also adjust column widths using Table Layout controls. Avoid shrinking text so much that the table becomes difficult to read.
Page numbers or headers change: Check whether the section is linked to the previous one and whether page numbering is set to continue. Make changes in the header or footer for the specific section, not in a linked section by mistake.

To remove a section break, show formatting marks, select the break, and delete it. Do this cautiously: Word can merge the adjacent sections and retain formatting from one of them, which may alter page orientation, margins, or headers. Save a copy first if the document has complex layout.

Choosing between section breaks and selected text

Use the selected-text method when a specific block of content—often a wide table—is the thing that needs room and you are comfortable letting Word create the boundaries. Use manual section breaks when page boundaries matter, such as for a particular numbered page in a report or a landscape appendix between portrait chapters.

For example, suppose a report has portrait pages 1 through 4, a wide comparison table, and portrait pages afterward. If the table is already a distinct block, selecting it and applying Landscape to Selected text is efficient. If the table must begin on page 5 and be followed by a caption or notes on the same landscape page, manual section breaks let you specify the section more deliberately. In both cases, inspect the final pagination: content before or after the changed section can move because Word repaginates the document.

There is no need to rotate a screenshot or convert the page to an image just to make it wider. Keeping the table or text as editable Word content is usually easier to revise, search, and make accessible. A PDF export will preserve the mixed portrait-and-landscape layout when the Word section formatting is correct.

Check the result before printing or sharing

Review the document in Print Layout view and use File > Print to inspect the print preview. Check that the landscape page is oriented correctly, the full width of the content is visible, and no unintended blank page follows it. If you are exporting, use File > Save As or File > Export to create a PDF, then review the PDF pages as well. Printer settings can sometimes impose paper-size or scaling choices that make the printed result differ from the on-screen layout.

Also confirm the paper size. A landscape letter page is wider than a portrait letter page but has the same physical sheet dimensions rotated; choosing a different paper size is a separate setting. If the page looks unusually large or small in print preview, check Layout > Size and the printer’s paper settings rather than assuming the orientation change failed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make only one page landscape without changing the rest?
Yes. Put that page in its own section with section breaks before and after it, then apply Landscape to that section. The pages in the other sections can stay portrait.

Why does Word change every page to landscape?
Most likely, the document is still one section or the orientation change was applied to the whole document. Create section boundaries around the target page and place the cursor inside that section before changing orientation.

Can I use a page break instead of a section break?
No, not for independent orientation. A page break moves content to a new page; a section break creates a boundary where page setup, including orientation, can differ.

Will one landscape page make my page numbers restart?
It should not have to. In the landscape section’s page-number settings, choose Continue from previous section if the numbering has restarted and you want a continuous sequence.

Can Word for the web make one page landscape?
Section-formatting options can be limited in Word for the web. If you cannot insert or manage the required section breaks there, open the file in the Word desktop app, set the layout, and then save the document.

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