How to Make Columns in Word (Newsletter Style)
Columns make newsletters, leaflets and flyers look polished and are easier to read than long lines of text. Word can flow your text across two, three or more columns automatically.
Quick reference
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Columns for the whole document | Layout → Columns |
| Columns for part of a page | Select text first, then Layout → Columns |
| Force text to the next column | Ctrl + Shift + Enter |
| More options | Layout → Columns → More Columns… |
1. Columns for the whole document
1. Go to the Layout tab.
2. Click Columns.
3. Choose Two or Three. Left and Right give one narrow and one wide column.
2. Click Columns.
3. Choose Two or Three. Left and Right give one narrow and one wide column.
Your text now flows down the first column and continues at the top of the next.
2. Columns for just part of a page
Want a full-width title with two columns underneath?
1. Select only the text that should be in columns.
2. Layout → Columns → Two.
2. Layout → Columns → Two.
Word adds Continuous section breaks before and after the selection automatically, so the rest of the page stays as one column.
3. Push text to the next column
Click where you want the next column to start and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter (or Layout → Breaks → Column).
4. Fine-tune the columns
Layout → Columns → More Columns… lets you:
• Set exact widths and spacing between columns.
• Tick Line between for a neat vertical divider.
• Choose Apply to: This point forward to start columns from the cursor.
• Tick Line between for a neat vertical divider.
• Choose Apply to: This point forward to start columns from the cursor.
5. Balance uneven columns
If the last column is much shorter than the others, click at the very end of the column text and insert Layout → Breaks → Continuous. Word evens the columns out.
6. Go back to one column
Click in the section and choose Layout → Columns → One.
Troubleshooting
Everything went into columns, including the title. Undo, select only the body text, and apply columns again.
Pictures don't fit. Resize them to the column width, or set Layout Options → Top and Bottom.
I can't see the section breaks. Press Ctrl + Shift + 8 to show formatting marks.
Wrapping up
Select your text, Layout → Columns → Two, and use Ctrl + Shift + Enter when you want to start the next column.
