A wide table, chart, image, or block of text can sit on a landscape page while the rest of your Word document stays portrait. The fastest fix is to apply landscape orientation to the selected page content in desktop Word. The steps below cover desktop Word on Windows and Mac.
Make one selected page landscape on Windows
This fixes a finished page that needs to turn sideways while the pages around it stay portrait.
Select the content that should appear on the landscape page.
Go to Layout and open the Page Setup dialog launcher.
Under Orientation, choose Landscape.
Next to Apply to, choose Selected text.
Select OK.
Choose selected text for the fastest result
Selected text is the best first choice when the page already contains the table, picture, or content block you want to turn sideways. Word applies the orientation change around that selection instead of changing the whole document.
The control is in Layout, then the Page Setup dialog launcher. In that box, the two choices that matter are Landscape under Orientation and Selected text next to Apply to.
If the selection runs onto another page, Word can create more than one landscape page. Immediately undo the orientation change with Ctrl+Z, select only the content that belongs on the landscape page, then apply the setting again.
Build a one-page section with breaks
In Word for Windows, insert section breaks manually when you need explicit content boundaries. The enclosed content must still fit on one landscape page.
- 1.Place the cursor before the target page.
- 2.Go to Layout, select Breaks, then choose Next Page.
- 3.Place the cursor after the target page content.
- 4.Go to Layout, select Breaks, then choose Next Page again.
- 5.Click inside the target section, open the Page Setup dialog launcher from Layout, choose Landscape, set Apply to to This section, then select OK.
Switch from the cursor forward on Windows
This fixes a document where the landscape page starts at the cursor and must return to portrait on the following page.
Click where the landscape page should begin.
Go to Layout and open the Page Setup dialog launcher.
Under Orientation, choose Landscape.
Next to Apply to, select This point forward.
Select OK.
Click at the start of the following page.
Open the same Page Setup dialog.
Choose Portrait.
Set Apply to to This point forward.
Select OK.
Set one page landscape on Mac
Use this method when you are editing in Word for Mac and the page content is ready to select. For part-document orientation changes on Mac, section breaks are the control Word uses to separate the landscape area from the rest of the file.
Select all the text on the page or pages you want to change.
Open the Format menu and select Document.
Select Page Setup at the bottom of the dialog box.
Next to Orientation, choose Landscape.
Select OK.
Next to Apply to, choose Selected text.
Select OK.
Use keyboard controls on Windows
This fixes the same one-page layout job without relying on the mouse.
Select the page content you want to make landscape.
Press Alt to show Word's ribbon KeyTips.
Press the KeyTip for Layout.
Use the displayed KeyTips to open the Page Setup dialog launcher.
In Page Setup, choose Landscape under Orientation.
Set Apply to to Selected text. Use This section only when the intended content already occupies a separate section.
Choose OK.
Handle Word for the web and mobile
In Word for the web, select Open in Word to open the file in the desktop app.
Follow the Windows or Mac steps above. Use Selected text for selected content, or This section only for an already isolated section.
In Word for the web, Layout and Orientation can change the whole document orientation.
For a mixed portrait and landscape document, use the desktop steps above. Microsoft notes that page-orientation features on mobile vary by device and subscription.
Avoid older layout and rotation shortcuts
Look for the Layout tab; some Word instructions call it Page Layout. The steps in this guide use the Page Setup dialog so you can choose which content the orientation change applies to.
Rotating a text box, shape, WordArt, or picture through Shape Format or Picture Format, then Rotate, only turns that selected object. It does not change the Word page orientation.
For an actual landscape page, follow the Windows or Mac page-orientation steps above.
Undo a one-page landscape change
To undo a recent orientation change, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac.
Deleting a section break merges adjacent sections and adopts the following section's formatting, including orientation. It can also affect headers and footers, so it is not a reliable way to undo only an orientation change. If deletion produces unwanted changes, undo it immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make just one page landscape in Word without section breaks?
You can avoid inserting section breaks manually: select the content and apply Landscape to Selected text. Word still uses section boundaries to separate the orientations.
Why did Word make two pages landscape instead of one?
The selected content or section may need more than one page after the orientation change. Check the selection and section boundaries; section breaks alone do not make oversized content fit on one page.
Can Word for the web make only one page landscape?
Use desktop Word for the methods in this guide. Word for the web can change the document orientation, but it cannot insert section breaks.
Does rotating a table or picture make the page landscape?
No. Rotating a picture or changing the direction of content inside a table does not change page orientation. Use the Windows or Mac page-orientation steps above.
