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To make text flow into two side-by-side columns in Word, place the cursor where the layout should start and select Layout > Columns > Two. If you need two independent blocks—such as labels beside descriptions—that must stay aligned, use a two-column table instead.
Choose between page columns and a table
Word’s page-column setting creates newsletter-style columns: text fills one column and continues into the next. It is the right choice for continuous prose. A table is usually better for separate pieces of content that need to remain opposite one another, because each item stays in its own cell rather than flowing automatically.
Table columns have separate width and AutoFit controls; changing them does not use the page’s Layout > Columns settings. See Microsoft’s guide to resizing a table column or row.
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Make two flowing columns
- In the Word desktop app, click where the two-column layout should begin. To limit the change to particular paragraphs, select those paragraphs first.
- Choose Layout > Columns > Two. Without a limited selection, the setting applies to the document’s current section.
- Type or paste the text. Word flows it through the first column and then into the second.
Microsoft documents this workflow for Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016. Ribbon wording can vary slightly by platform or build. See Microsoft’s instructions for creating multiple columns.
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Adjust column widths, spacing, and the divider
For more control, choose Layout > Columns > More Columns. The dialog lets you adjust the number and width of columns and the space between them. To make the columns different widths, clear Equal column width. Where the option is available, you can also enable a vertical line between columns. Microsoft describes the width controls in its column-width guidance and the divider option in its instructions for adding a line between columns.
Apply columns to only part of a page
For a region that starts and ends within a page, use continuous section breaks to isolate it. A continuous break lets the format change without starting a new page. Microsoft describes this use: “A continuous section break is useful to create format changes such as a different number of columns on a page.”
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- Place the cursor where the two-column region should begin.
- Choose Layout > Breaks > Continuous to start a new section at that point.
- Click within the new section and choose Layout > Columns > Two.
- At the end of the two-column region, insert another continuous section break.
- Click in the section after that break and choose Layout > Columns > One to return the following text to one column.
Column settings apply to a section, so check that each break is in the intended position and that the cursor is in the section you mean to format. Microsoft’s section-break guide explains the available break types and how to insert them.
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Word normally fills a column before continuing into the next. To force the following text to begin at the top of the next column, insert a column break where the new column should start. In Word for Windows in Print Layout, choose Layout > Breaks > Column; Microsoft also documents Ctrl+Shift+Enter for this action. That shortcut is documented for Windows desktop, so do not assume it works the same way on every platform.
If the break is difficult to find or remove, turn on Home > Show/Hide to display formatting marks. Microsoft’s column-break instructions cover the desktop workflow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Word for the web can and cannot do
Word for the web can display a document that already has newsletter-style columns, but Microsoft says it cannot create or resize those columns. It also cannot add section breaks. Use the desktop app to create or change column layouts and to isolate a section with section breaks. See Microsoft’s guidance on adjusting column widths and inserting section breaks.
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