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Layout or Page Layout in Microsoft Word – 2023’s Master

Layout in Microsoft Word

Page Layout in Microsoft Word refers to the arrangement or setting of certain pages or entire documents based on the requirements of the content being displayed.

Before beginning the process of taking printouts, it is very important to set the page’s margins, orientations, sizes of columns, and spacing.

Layout or Page Layout in Microsoft Word

Page Layout tab in MS Word
Layout options

On the layout tab, we can see a number of different categories, such as Page Setup, Paragraph, and Arrange, and each of these groups contains a different set of commands to deal with.

Page Setup:

Page setup in MS-Word
Page setup group on the Layout tab

Margins: Margin is the space between the content beginning or ending in the document and the edges of the document pages. The default space between the content beginning or ending and the document edges of the margin is Normal,” which occupies the 1-inch space.

Orientations: Orientation is the page layout in which the document is displayed or printed. The two common types of orientations are Portrait and Landscape.

Size: Choose different page sizes in a Word document based on your requirements. The default page size of a page is 8.5 x 11 inches, called Letter size.

Columns: Splitting (dividing) the text vertically in the pages is called columns. These include one column, two columns, three columns, left columns, and right columns.

Breaks: Adding the new section breaks to the next pages or the current section on the same page allows you to apply different Headers, Footers, Columns, Watermarks, or other works in the document pages wherever you want.

Line Numbers: Start each line in a document by using the Line Numbers in the Margin for your further reference, even when the content starts with a Bulleted or Numbered List.

Hyphenation: The last word in a line moves down to the next line when it has not had enough space. When you select an Automatic or Manual Hyphenation, arrange some part of a word on the current line and move the remaining part of a word down. It is a great way to achieve uniform spacing and save space on your document page.

Paragraph:

Indenting, Line and Paragraph spacing in word
Paragraph options

On the layout tab, paragraph options include indent and spacing, these are explained below.

Indent: Indent is how far you want to move the paragraph away from the left margin or from the right margin. Generally, Professional material contains no indent, but some follow.  According to Wikipedia, “Professionally printed material typically does not indent the first paragraph but indents those that follow.”

Spacing: Give more or less space above or below the selected paragraphs based on your requirements.

Arrange:

Arranging objects
arrange illustrations

Position: Positioning is placing an object (picture, shape, etc.) on the page wherever you want. Whether it is on the top left, top center, top right, middle left, middle center, middle right, bottom left, bottom center, or bottom right

Wrap Text: Text wrapping means arranging the text around an object. By default, an object is arranged in line with text when you insert an object (a picture or a drawing of a shape) into a Word document.

Bring Forward: Bring a selected object ahead of all other objects.

Send Backward: Send a selected object backward from all other objects.

Selection Pane: Selection pane is one of the great ways to select, show, hide, and change the order of the objects in the Word document.

Align: Placing objects (Pictures, Shapes, Icons, etc.) to the margins, edges, or relative to one another in the word document

Grouping: Grouping means making more objects together into one object to move, resize, and change their styles and effects as if they were a single object.

Rotate: Rotating an object is a circular movement in different degrees around its center point. Rotate has various commands to rotate and flip the objects, such as Rotate Right 900, Rotate Right 900, Flip Vertical, and Flip Horizontal.

What is layout, or Page Layout in MS Word?

The Layout is the arrangement or the setting of some pages or whole documents based on the content requirement. Setting Margins, Orientations, Sizes Columns and Spacing of a page is a very important process before taking printouts.

How can I change the page orientation in Microsoft Word using Page Layout?

To change the page orientation, go to the “Page Layout” tab, click on “Orientation,” and choose between “Portrait” (vertical) or “Landscape” (horizontal) for your document.

How do I adjust margins using Page Layout in Microsoft Word?

To adjust margins, go to the “Page Layout” tab, click on “Margins,” and select a preset margin setting or choose “Custom Margins” to set margins according to your specific needs.

What is the “Breaks” option in Page Layout used for in Microsoft Word?

The “Breaks” option allows you to insert various types of breaks, such as page breaks or section breaks, to control page and section formatting within your document.

What does the “Columns” feature in Page Layout do in Microsoft Word?

The “Columns” feature lets you divide your document into multiple columns, making it easy to create newsletters, brochures, or other multi-column layouts in Word.