To turn just one page landscape in Word, place it in its own section, then change the orientation for that section only. Section breaks mark where the landscape page starts and ends; they let the surrounding pages stay portrait. Before you begin, save your document and identify the page you want to change. If the page contains a table, chart, or wide image, check that the content will fit on one landscape page after the change.
What You’ll Need
- A Word document you can edit. The steps below apply to the desktop versions of Word for Windows and Mac; menu names can vary slightly by version.
- Access to the Layout or Page Layout tab, where Word places section breaks and page orientation controls.
- A moment to check the pages around your target page after changing the layout, since a different page width can affect how nearby content flows.
Step-by-Step
- Find the page and its boundaries. Scroll to the page you want to make landscape. Note the last content on the page before it and the last content on the target page. If the page begins or ends in the middle of a paragraph, decide whether that paragraph should move with the landscape page or remain with the neighboring page. Word lays out pages dynamically, so a page number alone is not a reliable boundary; use the actual content and page breaks as your guide.
- Show formatting marks if the boundaries are hard to see. On the Home tab, select the paragraph mark button, often shown as ¶. This reveals paragraph marks, page breaks, and section breaks that are normally hidden. On Windows, Ctrl+Shift+8 also toggles formatting marks; on Mac, Command+8 commonly does so. These marks do not print. They make it easier to spot an existing break and reduce the chance of inserting a duplicate.
- Insert a section break before the target page. If the target is not the first page, click at the end of the content immediately before it, after the final paragraph mark if possible. Open Layout (called Page Layout in some versions), select Breaks, then choose Next Page in the Section Breaks group. This starts a new section on the following page. If the target is the document’s first page, it already begins its own section, so you do not need a break before it. A regular page break is not a substitute: it moves text to another page but does not create a separate section whose orientation you can change.
- Insert a section break after the target page. If another page follows, click at the end of the target page’s last content and insert another Layout > Breaks > Next Page section break. The target page is now between two section boundaries. If the target is the last page, you do not need a trailing break. Be careful to place the second break after all content that belongs on the landscape page. A break inserted too early can leave a paragraph or table in the next section.
- Check that the target section contains the right content. With formatting marks visible, look for the first section break before the page and the second one after it. The target content should fall between them. If a break has landed inside a paragraph, table, or list, undo it and insert it at the intended boundary. If you see an existing section break already in the right place, you may be able to use it instead of adding another one. Avoid deleting a break unless you know which sections it joins; removing one can change the layout of more than one page.
- Set the orientation for the isolated section. Click somewhere in the target page’s section. On the Layout tab, select Orientation > Landscape. In versions that show a Page Setup dialog, open the dialog from the Layout tab, select Landscape, and set Apply to to This section. Do not choose Whole document, because that changes every section. If Word asks whether to apply the setting to the current section or the whole document, choose the current section. The pages before and after should remain portrait.
- Review page flow and save. Scroll through the document from the page before the target to the page after it. Confirm that only the intended page is landscape and that no content has shifted onto an unexpected extra page. A landscape page is wider but shorter than a portrait page, so a long table or several paragraphs may overflow onto another page. If it does, adjust the content or layout as needed, then save the document. Hide formatting marks again by selecting ¶ if you prefer a clean editing view; they do not affect printing.
Common Mistakes
Changing orientation without section breaks: Orientation is a section-level setting. If the document has only one section, choosing Landscape can change every page. Add the section breaks around the intended page first, or check whether suitable section breaks already exist.
Choosing a page break instead of a section break: A page break controls where text starts, not which pages share orientation settings. In the Breaks menu, choose Next Page under Section Breaks, not the ordinary Page Break option.
Applying the change to the whole document: In a Page Setup dialog, check the Apply to setting before confirming. Select This section. If the entire document turns landscape, undo the change immediately, then isolate the page and try again.
Putting a boundary in the wrong place: A section break after the first line of the target page can leave the rest of that page in another section. Similarly, a break before the page’s final content can make that content portrait or push it elsewhere. Use formatting marks and check both boundaries.
Assuming one landscape section always equals one physical page: A section can span multiple pages. If the content is too long or the margins are too large, Word may lay it out across two landscape pages. The section breaks isolate orientation; they do not guarantee that all content fits on one sheet.
Tips
Make a copy of an important document before changing its structure. Section breaks affect more than orientation: headers, footers, columns, and page numbering can also have section-specific settings. If the document uses a special header or footer, check it after inserting breaks. Word may link headers and footers to the previous section, so avoid changing the Link to Previous setting unless you want those elements to differ.
For a wide table, consider changing only that table’s page to landscape, then check the table width and margins. You can also reduce unnecessary cell padding or adjust column widths before shrinking the text. Keep the text readable and avoid making the page landscape simply to compensate for a table that can be rearranged more clearly.
When making the change in a long document, turn on the Navigation Pane or use Find to return to the page after each adjustment. Page numbers can change as content reflows, so verify by checking the page’s content rather than relying on the old page number. If the document will be printed or shared, save it and inspect Print Preview or export a PDF to confirm the page breaks and orientation look as intended.
Troubleshooting
Every page turns landscape. The document may not have section breaks around the target page, or the orientation setting may have been applied to the whole document. Undo the change, insert a Next Page section break before and after the target content, click inside the isolated section, and apply Landscape to This section. If the page is the first or last page, only the boundary that is needed is required.
A blank page appears. Turn on formatting marks and look for consecutive page or section breaks, or a manual page break immediately beside a section break. Remove only the redundant break, then check the document again. Also inspect paragraph settings for a page-break-before option if a paragraph is being forced onto a new page. Do not delete a section break casually: it can merge sections and change orientation or header and footer behavior.
The wrong page becomes landscape. One of the section breaks may be before or after the wrong content, or the page may have reflowed after the orientation change. Show formatting marks, inspect the section boundaries, and move or reinsert them at the correct content boundaries. Then click within the section that contains the intended page and reapply Landscape to that section.
The landscape section takes up more than one page. Check whether the text, table, or image exceeds the available page height or width. Reduce excess spacing, resize oversized objects, or adjust margins carefully. If the content genuinely needs more room, it may not be possible to keep it on one physical page without changing its size or layout. Review the surrounding pages after each adjustment because reflow can change where sections begin.
The menus or options are missing. Look under Layout or Page Layout, since names and ribbon arrangements vary. If you are using Word for the web and cannot insert or manage the needed section breaks, open the document in the desktop Word app and make the layout change there. The resulting document can then be saved and reopened for review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make only one page landscape without changing the rest?
Yes. Put that page in a separate section with a Next Page section break before and after it, then apply Landscape to that section. Use only one boundary if the page is at the beginning or end of the document.
Why do I need section breaks instead of page breaks?
A page break starts text on a new page but does not create a separate set of page-layout settings. Section breaks let one part of a document use a different orientation from the rest.
Will the page number change when I change orientation?
It can. If the layout causes text to reflow or adds a page, page numbering may shift. Check the document after changing orientation. If numbering or headers and footers behave differently, review the settings for the affected section.
Can I do this in Word for the web?
Some layout controls may be available, but the options for managing section breaks can vary. If you cannot insert or check the required breaks, open the file in desktop Word, make the change there, and then review the saved document.
Can I make two non-adjacent pages landscape?
Yes. Isolate each page in its own section and apply Landscape to each of those sections. Keep the sections between them portrait, and check each boundary so the orientation does not carry over to neighboring pages.