Change Margins in Word

Changing the Margins in your Word document can have a big impact on the way it looks to the reader. You can change the margins any time during the writing process, and you can even change the margins for specific portions of text. Whether you're perfecting your margins for a school paper or honing your resume, follow this guide to change your margins in a variety of ways to suit your needs.

Steps

Using the Page Layout Menu

1. Click the "Page Layout" Tab. This tab contains tools to format the structure of the page. These screenshots are for Word 2013, but the method works for 2010 and 2007 as well.
   • For Word 2003, click the File menu, select Page Setup and then click the Margins tab. Refer to Step 4 for information on using the Page Setup menu.
2. Click "Margins" button inside the Page Setup group. A list of preset margin options will appear. Normal will give you 1” margins around the entire page, Narrow will make the margins 0.5” all around, and the Office 2003 Default option will give you the default settings found in Word 2003.
3. Select Custom Margins if you want to define them yourself. Clicking Custom Margins at the bottom of the menu will open the Page Setup menu.
4. Type in your desired measurements. Make sure that you enter the values you need for all sides of the document. The Gutter margin is extra space for the side of a document that is going to be bound. Click OK when you are done.
   • If you want to see how your margins look on your document, you can use the Print Preview tool or print a page to see how it looks on paper.

Dragging the Margin Bar

1. Press Ctrl + A to select the entire text. This will ensure that you are changing the margins for your entire document, and not just the current positions of your cursor.
2. Find the Margin Bar. The grayed-out portion on both ends of the document ruler represents the thickness of your left and right margins.
   • If you cannot find the ruler at the top of the page just click the View tab and tick the small box before "Ruler" inside the “Show" group. In Word 2003, click the View menu and select the “Ruler”.
3. Position your mouse pointer over the inner end of the grey portion of the ruler. Notice that your mouse pointer changes in two a double-headed arrow.
4. Click and drag to your desired measurement. A line will appear for guidance and you will see your text adjust automatically.
5. Do the same for your top and bottom margins. Follow the same procedure for your top and bottom margins by using the vertical ruler at the left side of the document.
   • Double-clicking on that portion where your mouse changes into a double-headed arrow brings up the same dialogue box that appears when you follow Step 4 of the first method.

Changing Margins for a Specific Part

1. Highlight the portion where you want the margins changed. If you don’t highlight the text, you will end up changing margins for the whole document.
   • This method can be useful for a variety of reasons, such as wanting to set off a poem or a letter within a novel, or including a block quote in an academic essay.
2. Drag the small bottom triangle in the margin bar. Dragging this triangle will adjust the indent. If done correctly, only the margins of the highlighted text will change, while the rest will remain the same. You can drag the triangle on the right and left sides of the document to adjust each margin.
3. Make sure that the margins look good. Only the margins of the highlighted text will change. If you are unhappy with them, you can use the Undo function to revert your changes.

Using Microsoft Word 2008 (Mac OS X)

1. Click the Format Tab at the top of your screen. It's the third tab from your left.
2. Select "Document". It's the third tab from the top.
3. Type in how big you want your top, bottom, left, and right margins to be. The Gutter margin is extra space for the side of the document that is going to be bound.
   • Click "OK" when you're done.

Tips

• Don't play around with the margins of academic papers to make them seem as long or short as you need them to be. This is an obvious trick.
• However, if you're tweaking your margins so your resume will be able to fit on one page, that is acceptable--within reason.
• Good margins are a sign of professionalism. If you're turning in a paper with the wrong margins, you won't be making the best impression.
• Leaving the margin under .25" may lead to text being cut off.

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