How to Use Section Breaks and Page Breaks in MS Word
Section breaks and page breaks help control document layout, formatting, and structure.
1. Page Breaks
Purpose :
A page break moves the content after the break to a new page without affecting formatting.
How to Insert a Page Break :
- Place the cursor where you want to start a new page.
- Go to the "Insert" tab.
- Click "Page Break" or press
Ctrl + Enter (Windows) / Cmd + Enter (Mac).
Common Uses :
* Start a new chapter or section on a fresh page.
* Separate content while keeping consistent formatting.
2. Section Breaks
Purpose :
A section break allows different parts of a document to have unique formatting (e.g., different headers, footers, margins, or page numbers).
Types of Section Breaks :
- Next Page – Starts a new section on the next page.
- Continuous – Starts a new section on the same page.
- Even Page – Moves content to the next even-numbered page.
- Odd Page – Moves content to the next odd-numbered page.
How to Insert a Section Break :
- Place the cursor where you need a break.
- Go to the "Layout" tab (or "Page Layout" in older versions).
- Click "Breaks" in the Page Setup group.
- Choose the appropriate section break type.
Common Uses :
* Have different headers/footers on different pages.
* Change page orientation (portrait/landscape) within the same document.
* Use multiple columns in one section and single-column formatting in another.
How to Remove a Break
- Click "Home" > "Show/Hide ¶" to view breaks.
- Place your cursor before the break.
- Press Delete (for Page Break) or Backspace (for Section Break).
