Using columns in Microsoft Word Office 365 is a great way to format documents for newsletters, brochures, or professional reports. Columns make your text more readable and visually appealing, giving it a newspaper or magazine-style layout.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to create columns in Word Office 365, customize them, and apply them to specific sections of your document.

⭐ Why Use Columns in Word?

Columns can be useful for:

Newsletters or magazines
Brochures and flyers
Professional reports or handouts
Organizing long text for better readability

By breaking text into columns, you can make documents look more polished and structured.

✅ How to Make Columns in Word Office 365

Follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Open Your Document

Launch Microsoft Word Office 365.
Open an existing document or create a new one.

Step 2: Select the Text (Optional)

If you want columns for the entire document, you don’t need to select anything.
If you want columns for only a portion, highlight the text you want to format.

Step 3: Go to the Layout Tab

Click on the Layout tab in the top menu bar.
This is where all page formatting options, including columns, are located.

Step 4: Click on Columns

In the Page Setup group, click Columns.
A drop-down menu appears with options:
- One – Default single-column layout
- Two – Split text into two columns
- Three – Split text into three columns
- Left – Wider left column, narrower right column
- Right – Narrower left column, wider right column
- More Columns – Custom column options

Step 5: Customize Columns (Optional)

For more control:

Click More Columns in the Columns menu.
Choose the number of columns you want.
Adjust the width and spacing between columns.
Check Line between if you want a vertical line separating columns.
Click OK to apply.

Step 6: Apply Columns to Selected Text or Entire Document

In the More Columns menu, you can select:

This point forward – Applies columns from the cursor position onward
Selected text – Only the highlighted text
Whole document – Applies columns to the entire document

🔧 Tips for Working with Columns in Word

Break text into columns smoothly: Use Column Breaks (Layout → Breaks → Column) to control where one column ends and the next begins.
Headers and footers remain full-width by default.
Adjust spacing: If text looks cramped, increase spacing in More Columns → Spacing.
Images in columns: Insert images and adjust their wrapping style to fit inside columns.

📝 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Can I create different numbers of columns in the same document?

Yes. Use Section Breaks (Layout → Breaks → Next Page) to apply different column layouts to different sections.

2. How do I remove columns?

Go to Layout → Columns → One to return to a single-column layout.

3. Can I add a line between columns?

Yes. Check Line between in the More Columns menu.

🎯 Final Thoughts

Creating columns in Word Office 365 is a straightforward way to enhance the layout and readability of your documents. With the steps above, you can apply columns to an entire document, a section, or selected text, and even customize their width, spacing, and separation lines.

Columns aren’t just for newspapers—they’re a powerful formatting tool to make your Word documents look professional and organized.