# Breaks and Columns

Course: [Word](https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/word) · Section: Page Layout
Source: https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/word/page-layout/breaks-and-columns

> 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:**

1. Click where the new page should start.
2. 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:**

1. Click where the new section should start.
2. Go to **Layout** > **Breaks**.
3. 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:**

1. Click in the text, or the section, you want in columns.
2. Go to **Layout** > **Columns**.
3. Choose **One**, **Two**, or **Three**. You can also choose **Left** or **Right** for one narrow and one wide column.
4. 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 Newsletter`
- `Welcome 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.