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How to Change Page Orientation in Word (Portrait and Landscape)

Tap through each step to control your page orientation, even on select pages only.

  1. Open the Layout tab

    Click "Layout" in the top menu.

  2. Click "Orientation"

    Press the "Orientation" button and choose between "Portrait" and "Landscape."

  3. Apply it to the entire document

    With no specific section selected, this changes every page in the document at once.

  4. Make just some pages different

    Select only the pages you want to change, apply Layout > Breaks > Section Break (Next Page), and then switch the orientation for that section only.

  5. When landscape makes sense

    Landscape orientation gives you more horizontal room, which is especially useful for wide tables, large charts, or spreadsheets pasted into a report.

Portrait by default, landscape when content needs room

Most documents work fine in the default portrait orientation, but a single wide table or chart can look cramped or get cut off. Rather than shrinking content to an unreadable size, switching just that page to landscape keeps everything legible.

The trick to mixed orientation: section breaks

Word treats orientation as a section-level setting, not a per-page one. To have some pages in portrait and others in landscape within the same document, you must insert a "Next Page" section break before and after the pages you want to change, then apply the new orientation only within that section.

Frequently Asked Questions

I changed the orientation but it affected the whole document instead of one page.

This happens when there is no section break isolating that page. Insert a section break (Next Page) immediately before and after the target page, then reapply orientation with your cursor inside that section.

Will a landscape page look strange when printed with portrait pages?

No β€” most printers handle mixed orientation within one print job automatically, rotating each page as needed. Preview the document before printing to confirm it looks correct.