How to Make a Singular Page Landscape in Word: A Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Page Orientation in Microsoft Word

Changing the orientation of just one page to landscape in Microsoft Word can be a handy trick for presenting large tables, images, or diagrams that don't fit well on a portrait page. To achieve this, you need to apply section breaks, which allow different formatting within the same document. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Place your cursor at the beginning of the page you want to change.
2. Go to the Layout or Page Layout tab in the ribbon.
3. Select Breaks and then click on Next Page under Section Breaks. This creates a new section in your document.
4. Move the cursor to the beginning of the following page (after the one you want landscape) and insert another Next Page section break.
5. Click anywhere on the page you want to be landscape.
6. Go to Layout > Orientation and select Landscape.

Only the page between your two section breaks will change to landscape while the rest remain in portrait orientation. This is especially useful when presenting floor plans, room layouts, or mood boards in design project documents—something I, as a designer, encounter often. Visual clarity is paramount, and sometimes a single landscape page provides the breathing room large visuals demand. If you’re laying out visuals or documents with floor plans, using a 2D floor planner can help you optimize space before importing images into Word.

Tips 1:

When using section breaks, be careful not to delete them accidentally, as this can revert your page back to the default orientation throughout the document. For a seamless look, check your document in Print Preview to ensure that only your chosen page is in landscape format.

FAQ

Q: Can I have multiple landscape pages in the same Word document?

A: Yes, by repeating the process with section breaks and changing the orientation for each desired page, you can have as many landscape pages as you need.

Q: Why do I need section breaks and not just page breaks?

A: Section breaks allow for different formatting (like orientation) within the same document, while page breaks just move text to the next page without changing formatting.

Q: Will headers and footers change on landscape pages?

A: By default, headers and footers continue across sections. You can unlink them if you want different content or placement on landscape pages.

Q: Does this method work in all versions of Word?

A: These steps work in most modern versions of Word, including Word 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365.

Q: What if my tables or images still don’t fit after making a page landscape?

A: Consider resizing your table/image, adjusting margins, or using design tools to optimize your layout before inserting, ensuring the best visual effect.