# How to create columns in Google Docs on Mac: browser steps for Pages format > How to create columns in Google Docs on Mac: select your text, open Format > Columns, and fix the greyed-out menu in Pages format. URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/create-columns-in-google-docs Updated: 2026-11-07 On a Mac, Google Docs runs in your browser, and you make columns from the Format menu. Select the text, click Format > Columns, and choose the number of columns you want, as long as the document is in Pages format. ## Quick answer - On a Mac, you make columns in Google Docs in your browser, from Format > Columns. - Select the body text first and leave headings out of the selection. - Columns are not available in Pageless format. Switch to Pages format with File > Page setup. - Google lists no keyboard shortcut for columns. Ctrl + Option + o opens the Format menu. Applies to: Google Docs in Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge on macOS. Time: 5 min. Difficulty: Easy. ## What you need - A Mac with Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge - A Google account with edit access to the document - The document set to Pages format, not Pageless ## How to Create columns in Google Docs on Mac in Google Docs on a Mac 1. **Open the document in your browser.** Open Google Docs in Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge on your Mac, then open the file. You need edit access. If you only see Viewer or Commenter access, ask the owner for editing rights before you start. Tip: Make your own copy first if you want to test a layout without touching the original. 2. **Confirm the document uses Pages format.** (File > Page setup) Click File, then Page setup. At the top of the dialog, select Pages, then click OK. Columns do not work in Pageless format, so this check comes first. 3. **Select the text you want in columns.** Drag with your trackpad or mouse over the body paragraphs. Leave out the title and any heading that should stay across the full width of the page. 4. **Open the Format menu.** (Format) Shortcut: Ctrl + Option + o. Click Format in the Google Docs menu bar, the row under the document name. Google's shortcut list also gives Ctrl + Option + o for this menu on a Mac. 5. **Choose Columns and the number you want.** (Format > Columns) Click Columns, then choose the number of columns. The selected text flows into the columns you picked. Google's help does not list a maximum, so test the layout if you need many columns. 6. **Adjust column options if needed.** (Format > Columns > More options) To change column settings, select the columns and click Format > Columns > More options. Make your changes, then click Apply. Google's help does not describe spacing or divider settings, so look at the panel on your screen. 7. **Insert a column break where needed.** (Insert > Break > Column break) Click where the new column should begin. Then click Insert > Break > Column break. If that option is missing, first put the text into two or more columns. 8. **Remove columns when you are done.** (Format > Columns > 1 column) Select the columns, then click Format > Columns > 1 column. The text returns to a single column. Only the layout changes, and your words stay in place. 9. **Switch format if Columns is greyed out.** (Format > Switch to Pages format) If the Columns entry is greyed out or missing, click Format > Switch to Pages format. This quick switch does the same job as File > Page setup. Tip: Headers, footers and page numbers return after the switch. Check them afterwards. Google Docs on a Mac runs in your browser. Google's help pages describe the browser version, and the Columns menu path is the same one used on Windows. The steps here work in Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge. You do not install anything, and you do not need a separate Mac app to make columns. ## Before you start: check the page format and access Two things decide whether the Columns option works. The first is the page format. Google's help says columns are not available in documents in Pageless format, so the option you need will not appear there. The second is access. Google's pages confirm only the Pageless limit. A third-party guide also suggests checking edit access when Columns stays greyed out, which is worth doing if someone else shared the file with you. The quickest check takes a few seconds. Open File > Page setup. If Pages is selected at the top of the dialog, you are ready to make columns. If Pageless is selected, change it before you touch the Format menu. ## Make columns for part of a page Columns apply to the text you select. You do not need to split the whole document. A common layout puts a title across the top and body text in columns underneath. To build that, select only the body paragraphs, then open Format > Columns. If you select the title too, it moves into the columns along with the body text, so leave it out of the selection. ## Worked example: a two-column book club newsletter Say you write a short newsletter for a book club. The title and the date stay at the top. Below them sit several short reviews. You want the reviews in two columns, so you click at the start of the first review and drag to the end of the last one. Then you open Format > Columns and choose the two-column layout. ![A writer at a Mac laptop, planning how to create columns in Google Docs on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/create-columns-in-google-docs/how-to-create-columns-in-google-docs-1-3a007f.jpg) Read the page from top to bottom after you apply the layout. If the second column starts in the middle of a review, click at the start of that review and insert a column break. Then check the last column. A short last column can look unfinished, so move a paragraph or two to balance the page. ## Change spacing and other column options Once the columns exist, open the settings with Format > Columns > More options. Select the columns first, make your changes, and click Apply. Google's help page does not name a Column Options dialog or describe spacing and divider lines. Check the panel on your screen for what it offers, and do not expect a setting the help page never mentions. If the layout you need is not possible with columns, a table with fixed cells may serve better. The table section below explains the difference in more detail. ## Start a new column at the right spot A column break moves the text after the cursor into the next column. Use it when a list or paragraph splits badly, for example when a short heading ends up alone at the bottom of a column. Click where the new column should begin. Then click Insert > Break > Column break. The option only appears once the text sits in two or more columns. If it is missing, add the columns first, then try again. Do not use a page break for this job, because it starts a new page instead of a new column. ## Why Columns is greyed out or missing Most of the time, the cause is Pageless format. Google introduced pageless format on June 8, 2022. Google's help says columns are not available in pageless documents. Page-based elements, such as headers, footers and page numbers, also hide in that mode. So the missing option is expected behavior, not a fault in your Mac or your browser. Switch the page format, and the Columns entry returns. ## Switch to Pages format and keep your text Use File > Page setup, select Pages at the top of the dialog, and click OK. The Format menu also offers a quick switch, labelled Switch to Pages format. Either route works. After the switch, select your text and open Format > Columns again. Your text stays where it is. Only the page setup changes. If the document has a table of contents or a footnote, check it after the switch, since the page layout changed under it. ## What you lose when you switch formats Pageless format hides headers, footers and watermarks. They return when you switch back to Pages. In Pageless format you also cannot add page numbers, or add headers and footers. Finish that header and page number work in Pages format, then leave the document there. If you need to check a header during your layout work, follow the steps in [how to add a header and footer in Google Docs on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/add-a-header-and-footer-in-google-docs). Those steps assume Pages format, so switch first. ## Keyboard shortcuts for columns on Mac Google's keyboard shortcut page lists no shortcut for columns, column breaks or section breaks. That is the first thing to know, since many searches expect one. The closest keyboard route is the Format menu. Press Ctrl + Option + o on a Mac to open it, then move through the items with the arrow keys. Insert page break is ⌘ + Enter. That creates a page break, which is different from a column break. Some browser extensions claim a column shortcut. Google does not list one, so treat those claims as unverified. ## Common mistakes people make - Selecting the whole document when only one section needed columns. - Leaving the title inside the selection, so it moves into the columns. - Trying Format > Columns in Pageless format and deciding the feature is broken. - Pressing ⌘ + Enter to start a new column, which makes a page break instead. - Editing a file that only grants view or comment access, then blaming the menu. - Reformatting the page and forgetting that the headers and page numbers came back in a different place. ## Columns or a table: which one fits your page Columns flow text from one column into the next, the way a magazine page does. A table holds fixed cells, so each item stays in its own box. Use columns for paragraphs that should fill the space evenly. Use a table for a grid of short items, such as a schedule, a menu, or a list of names with phone numbers. ## Check the layout before you share the file Scroll the whole document, not only the top. Look at where each column ends. Check the header, footer and title on the page. If you need page numbers, add them after the layout is final, because Pageless format does not allow them. ![Person typing on a laptop while editing a two-column document in a web browser](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/create-columns-in-google-docs/how-to-create-columns-in-google-docs-2-12c470.jpg) Menu labels can change when Google updates Docs. If a label on your screen differs from this page, look for the same word inside the same menu. Google publishes no version numbers for these steps, so the help pages remain the best reference. ## Next steps once your columns are set When the layout is final, add page numbers with [how to add page numbers in Google Docs on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/add-page-numbers-in-google-docs). Page numbers depend on Pages format, so switch back first if you changed the format while you worked. If the document also needs a contents list, use [how to add a table of contents in Google Docs on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/add-a-table-of-contents-in-google-docs) after the layout is set. Do the layout first, so the page breaks in the contents list match the final pages. ## Shortcuts - Open the Format menu: Ctrl + Option + o - Insert page break (not a column break): ⌘ + Enter ## If it does not work - **Columns is greyed out or missing from the Format menu** Check whether the document is in Pageless format. Switch to Pages format with File > Page setup, select Pages, and click OK. If it stays greyed out, confirm you have edit access. - **Column break is missing from Insert > Break** Put the text into two or more columns first. Google lists Column break only after the text is in columns. - **Headers, footers or page numbers disappeared** Pageless format hides them. Switch back to Pages format and they return. - **The title or a heading moved into a column** Select the columns and click Format > Columns > 1 column. Then reselect only the body text and apply Columns again. - **Column settings look wrong after you apply them** Select the columns and open Format > Columns > More options. Make the change and click Apply. - **Text does not split where you want it to** Click the exact spot where the new column should begin, then open Insert > Break > Column break. ## With Lazur Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download - “Where is the Columns option?”: You see the Columns entry circled in the Format menu, and you pick the number of columns yourself. (Points at it) ## FAQ ### Is there a Google Docs app for Mac that makes columns? Google Docs runs in a browser on a Mac. Google's help pages describe the browser version, and the Columns menu path matches the one used on Windows. Use Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge, then follow the steps on this page. ### Why is Columns greyed out in my document? The most likely cause is Pageless format. Google's help says columns are not available in pageless documents. Open File > Page setup, select Pages, and click OK. If the option stays greyed out, check that you have edit access. ### How many columns can I make in Google Docs? Google's help describes choosing the number of columns, but the sources checked do not confirm a maximum. Some third-party guides give a smaller limit, so test the layout with your real text before you share it. ### Will I lose my header if I switch to Pageless format? No. Headers, footers and watermarks are hidden in Pageless format, not deleted. They return when you switch the document back to Pages format. Page numbers and new headers also need Pages format. ### Is there a keyboard shortcut for columns on Mac? Google's shortcut list shows none for columns, column breaks or section breaks. Ctrl + Option + o opens the Format menu, and ⌘ + Enter inserts a page break, which is a different action. ### Why does Column break not appear in the Insert menu? Google lists the option only when the text is already in two or more columns. Put the text into columns first, click where the new column should start, then open Insert > Break > Column break. ## Sources 1. [Add or delete columns in a document - Computer - Google Docs Editors Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/7029052?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop), Google, checked 2026-11-07 2. [Change a document's page setup: pages or pageless - Computer - Google Docs Editors Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/11528737?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop), Google, checked 2026-11-07 3. [Keyboard shortcuts for Google Docs - Computer - Google Docs Editors Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/179738?hl=en), Google, checked 2026-11-07 4. [Google Docs introduces new pageless feature - Boise State OIT](https://www.boisestate.edu/oit/2022/06/08/google-docs-introduces-new-pageless-feature/), Boise State University OIT, checked 2026-11-07