Breaks and Columns
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Start new pages with page breaks, give parts of a document their own layout with section breaks, and split text into columns.
Sometimes you need to decide exactly where a new page starts, or give one part of a document a different layout from the rest. In this lesson, you'll learn page breaks, section breaks, and columns: the three tools that control how your text flows across the pages.
Open the Word sandbox and follow along. The tools are on the Layout tab.
Page breaks
When a page is full, Word starts a new one automatically. A page break lets you start a new page early, wherever you choose. Everything after the break moves to the top of the next page.
Use a page break to start a new chapter, put a title page on its own, or keep a table from being split.
To insert a page break:
- Click where the new page should start.
- Press Ctrl + Enter, or go to Layout > Breaks > Page. (In Microsoft Word, you'll also find Page Break on the Insert tab.)
To remove a page break: turn on Show/Hide ¶. You'll see a line labeled Page Break. Click just before it and press Delete.
Never push text to the next page by pressing Enter again and again. As soon as you edit anything above, those empty lines shift and your "new page" ends up in the middle of a page. A page break always starts the next page, however the text above changes.
Section breaks
A page break moves text to a new page, but it can't change the layout. When one part of a document needs a different layout from the rest, you need a section.
A section is a part of a document that can have its own page setup: its own margins, orientation, columns, headers, and footers. A section break divides the document into sections.
For example, a report can have portrait pages for the text and one landscape page in the middle for a wide table. That landscape page needs its own section.
| Section break | What it does |
|---|---|
| Next Page | Starts the new section on a new page |
| Continuous | Starts the new section on the same page, with no page change |
To insert a section break:
- Click where the new section should start.
- Go to Layout > Breaks.
- Choose Section Break (Next Page) or Section Break (Continuous).
Now any page setup change (orientation, margins, or columns) applies only to the section the cursor is in.
A page break only moves text to a new page. A section break can also change the layout. If you just want a new page, use a page break. If the next part needs different margins, orientation, or columns, use a section break.
Columns
Once you've divided a document into sections, you can give those sections different layouts. One common layout is columns. Columns split text into side-by-side strips, like a newspaper or a newsletter. The text fills the first column to the bottom, then continues at the top of the next one.
To split text into columns:
- Click in the text, or the section, you want in columns.
- Go to Layout > Columns.
- Choose One, Two, or Three. You can also choose Left or Right for one narrow and one wide column.
- For exact widths or a line between the columns, choose More Columns.
Columns apply to the whole section. To put only part of a page in columns, such as a title across the full width with two columns underneath, insert a Continuous section break after the title first. Then set the columns only in the section below it.
To force text to the top of the next column early, use Layout > Breaks > Column. It works like a page break, but for columns.
Common mistakes
Here are the most common traps, and how to fix them:
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Using Enter to start a new page | The page start moves when text above changes | Delete the empty lines and press Ctrl + Enter |
| Changing orientation without a section break | Every page turns landscape | Undo, insert section breaks around the page, then change it |
| Applying columns without a section break | The whole document goes into columns | Insert a Continuous section break, then set the columns again |
| Deleting a section break by accident | The two sections merge and the layout changes | Undo straight away, or insert the break again |
| Choosing a page break instead of a section break | The new page can't have a different layout | Replace it with a Next Page section break |
Exercise
Now it's time to control where your text flows yourself.
Click New in the sandbox title bar. Then type these paragraphs:
School NewsletterWelcome back! This term we have new clubs, a science fair, and a sports day. Read on for all the details and dates you need.Club Sign-Up Sheet
Now do each task and press Check.
What to remember
- A page break (Ctrl + Enter) starts a new page wherever you choose.
- A section break splits the document into parts that can each have their own layout.
- Next Page breaks start a new page; Continuous breaks stay on the same page.
- Columns (Layout > Columns) apply to the whole section.
- Use a Continuous section break to mix full-width text and columns on one page.
- Turn on Show/Hide ¶ to see breaks and delete them.
That's the end of Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, you'll add tables and pictures to your documents.