View Options in Word
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Switch between Print Layout, Web Layout, and Read Mode, zoom in and out, and use the ruler to see margins and indents.
Word can show the same document in different ways. Some views are best for writing, some for reading, and some for checking the layout before you print. In this lesson, you'll learn the document views, how to zoom, and how to use the ruler to see and set margins and indents.
Open the Word sandbox and follow along. Everything in this lesson is on the View tab.
Views and zoom only change how the document looks on your screen. They never change the document itself, its formatting, or how it prints. Switch freely.
Print Layout
The first view to know is the default one. Print Layout shows your document as separate pages, exactly as they'll print: margins, headers, footers, page breaks, pictures, and columns.
It's the default view and the one you'll use most, because what you see is what you get on paper.
To switch: View > Print Layout, or click the Print Layout button in the status bar.
Web Layout
If Print Layout focuses on pages, Web Layout focuses on screen viewing. Web Layout removes the pages. The document becomes one long, continuous strip, and the text wraps to the width of the window, the way a web page does.
Use it when you're writing and don't care about page breaks, or to preview a document that will be read on screen or saved as a web page. Headers, footers, and page breaks aren't shown.
To switch: View > Web Layout, or the Web Layout button in the status bar.
Read Mode
Read Mode is a Microsoft Word view for reading, not editing. It hides the ribbon and most buttons, enlarges the text, and lays the document out in screen-sized columns that you page through with the arrow keys, like an e-book.
In Microsoft Word: View > Read Mode. Press Esc to return to editing.
The sandbox doesn't have Read Mode. To get a similar, distraction-free view there, switch to Web Layout and zoom in. In Microsoft Word, Read Mode is great for proofreading a long document because there's nothing else on the screen.
Zoom options
Once you've picked a view, you can also control how big the page appears. Zoom makes the page look bigger or smaller on screen. You'll find zoom on the View tab and in the status bar.
| Option | What it shows |
|---|---|
| 100% | The page at its real size |
| One Page | One whole page fits in the window, for checking the layout |
| Multiple Pages | Several pages side by side, for checking how the document flows (Microsoft Word) |
| Page Width | The page fills the window from side to side, for comfortable reading and typing |
| A number, like 150% | A custom size, typed in or picked from the zoom box |
In Microsoft Word, you can also hold Ctrl and turn the mouse wheel to zoom.
Ruler
The last tool in this lesson is the ruler: a measuring strip along the top (and in Print Layout, the left side) of the page.
To show or hide it: tick Ruler on the View tab.
The ruler shows:
- Margins: the gray parts at each end are the margins; the white part is where text goes.
- Indents: small markers show the indents of the paragraph the cursor is in. Drag the top triangle to set a first-line indent, the bottom triangle for a hanging indent, and the square to move the whole paragraph's left indent.
- Tab stops: click the ruler to add a tab stop; drag it off the ruler to remove it.
The ruler is the quickest way to check whether paragraphs line up. Click into different paragraphs and watch the indent markers move. If two paragraphs that should match have their markers in different places, you've found the problem.
Common mistakes
Here are the most common traps, and how to fix them:
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Staying in Web Layout by accident | Headers, footers, and page breaks seem to vanish | Switch back to Print Layout |
| Thinking zoom changed the font size | You change the real font size to "fix" it | Check the size box; use zoom for your view only |
| Dragging the wrong indent marker | Only the first line moves, or every line except the first | Undo, and drag the square to move the whole paragraph |
| Can't find the ruler | Indents and margins are hard to see | Tick Ruler on the View tab |
| Proofreading at 50% zoom | You miss typos | Zoom to 100% or more, or use Page Width |
Exercise
Now it's time to try the views yourself.
Type a few lines in the sandbox so you have something to look at. Then do each task and press Check.
What to remember
- Print Layout shows real pages; Web Layout shows one long page; Read Mode (Microsoft Word) is for distraction-free reading.
- Zoom changes only your screen view: 100%, One Page, Page Width, or any number.
- The ruler (View > Ruler) shows margins, indents, and tab stops, and lets you drag them.
- Views and zoom never change the document or how it prints.
In the next lesson, you'll use the Navigation Pane to move around long documents.