This tutorial shows how to create newspaper-style columns in Microsoft Word.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
I’m a technical writer and editor who shares step-by-step software tutorials and writing tips for the real world
on this channel and on my blog at erinwrightwriting.com.
Newspaper-style columns, which are also called newsletter columns,
allow text and images to flow from one column to the next.
This tutorial shows how to create newspaper-style columns in Microsoft Word.
We’ll also look at how to create column breaks,
and how to return to a single column, just in case you change your mind.
I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365.
These steps will also work in Word 2019 and Word 2016.
The steps to create columns are the same in Word 2013 and Word 2010.
However, the steps to add column breaks are different in those older versions of the software.
Please check the description box below for a link to an article with instructions for those versions.
Before we begin, I encourage you to reveal the formatting marks in your document
by selecting the Home tab if you’re not already there,
and then selecting the Show/Hide button in the Paragraph group.
I want my columns to start after this banner image,
so I am going to place a section break immediately after the image by selecting the Layout tab
and then selecting Breaks in the Page Setup group.
Next, I’m going to select Continuous so that the text below the image stays in the same location.
Please note that we will cover section breaks in depth in a separate tutorial.
To begin creating the columns, place your cursor in the section where you want to create columns.
I want my columns to affect the text after the banner image,
so I’m going to place my cursor here below the section break.
You can also select specific text.
If your document doesn’t have section breaks or you don’t select specific text,
you can place your cursor anywhere in the regular text and the columns will be applied to the entire document.
Next, select the Layout tab in the ribbon, if you're not already there.
Then, select Columns in the Page Setup group.
And then select an option from the drop-down menu:
Two columns.
Three columns.
Left, which creates a thin column on the left side.
Or, Right, which creates a thin column on the right side.
Alternatively, you can select More Columns for additional options.
If you selected More Columns, the Columns dialog box will appear where you can use the menu arrows
to enter a specific number of columns.
It’s important to use the menu arrows here because the other options in this dialog
won’t respond to numbers typed into the text box.
Next, choose a column width and spacing between columns.
Uncheck "Equal column width" if you want to enter specific widths for individual columns.
You can also select "Line between" to add a vertical line between the columns.
When you’re finished, select the OK button.
Your text should now be formatted with columns.
If your document contains images before you create columns,
the images may need to be manually resized to fit in the columns, which can be difficult if the images are large.
Instead, add images after creating the columns.
Word will then automatically resize the images to fit within the existing columns.
Please see my other tutorial “How to Insert and Modify Images in Microsoft Word”
for information about working with images in Word.
Now we’re going to create a column break that will move the text after the break to the next column.
To begin, insert your cursor where the break should begin.
Then, select the Layout tab in the ribbon.
Followed by Breaks in the Page Setup group.
Next, select Column in the drop-down menu.
The content after the break should move to the next column.
If you want to return your text to the normal one-column format,
insert your cursor into the text formatted with multiple columns.
Then, select the Layout tab in the ribbon.
Next, select Columns.
And then One from the drop-down menu.
Your text should return to a single column.
Note that if you originally selected text to become columns,
Word automatically created section breaks before and after the columns.
Those section breaks will probably stay in your text unnecessarily after you return to a single-column format.
To remove those unnecessary breaks,
place your cursor at the start of the section break where the columns began.
Then, press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Then, repeat the process by placing your cursor at the start of the section break where the columns ended
and press the Delete key again.
If you revealed your formatting marks at the start of this tutorial,
you can now return to the Home tab.
And then reselect Show/Hide to hide the marks.
As always, remember to save your file to save your changes.
I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word, including “How to Insert Headers and Footers in Microsoft Word”
and “How to Insert Placeholder Text in Microsoft Word.”
Please see the complete list in the playlist titled “How to Use Microsoft Word,” which is linked in the description box below.
The companion blog post for this video showing all the steps we just performed
appears on erinwrightwriting.com, which is also linked below.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic
related to Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat
that you would like me to talk about in the future.
And please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss future tutorials.
And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds]