How-to · Word for Mac
How to create columns in Word on Mac: text columns, widths and column breaks
To create columns in Word on Mac, open the Layout tab, click Columns, and choose Two, Three, or another preset. Select the paragraphs first if you want columns for only part of the document, and use More Columns when you need exact widths or a line between columns.
Quick answer
- Select the text first if you want only part of the document in columns.
- Go to Layout > Columns, then pick Two, Three, Left, Right, or More Columns.
- Use More Columns to set widths, clear Equal column width, or add a line between columns.
- Force a new column with Layout > Breaks > Column or ⌘⇧Return.
- Columns don't work inside a text box on Mac, and Word for the web can't create them.
What you need
- Word for Mac with the document open
- The text you want in columns
- The Layout tab visible in the ribbon
- A copy of the file if it matters
How to Create columns in a Word document on Mac in Word on a Mac
Open the document and click the body text
Open the Word document in Word for Mac. Click once in the body text so Word knows you are working on the main document, not a header or footer.
Tip: Make a copy of the file first if the document matters. Undo works, but a copy is safer.
Open the Layout tab
Click the Layout tab in the ribbon at the top of the window. Microsoft's pages call it Layout or Page Layout, depending on the version. Use whichever name appears.
Tip: The ribbon tabs stay in the same order in each Word version, so scan the row from left to right.
Click Columns
In the Page Setup group, click Columns. The dropdown lists One, Two, Three, Left and Right. More Columns sits at the bottom of the list.
Tip: If you want exact widths, skip the presets and choose More Columns at the bottom.
Choose Two, Three or another preset
Click Two for two equal columns. Word reflows the text into the new columns. Choose Left or Right if you want a narrow column beside a wider one.
Tip: Start with Two. You can switch to another preset later from the same menu.
Scroll through every page
Check each page for headings that split badly, pictures that moved, and tables that now sit in a narrow column. Fix any issue before you move on.
Tip: Look hardest at the first and last pages, where layout surprises tend to show up.
Undo if the layout is wrong
⌘Z
If the result isn't what you wanted, press ⌘Z to undo. To go back to a single column, choose Layout > Columns > One.
Tip: Undo one step at a time. Press ⌘Z again to step back further.
Text columns and table columns are different features
People search for columns in Word for two different jobs. One is text columns, the newspaper style where paragraphs run down one column and then jump to the top of the next. The other is table columns, the vertical lines of cells inside a table. This page covers text columns first. Table columns get their own section further down, so you don't mix them up.
Text columns live on the Layout tab. Table columns live on the Table Layout tab, which appears when your cursor sits inside a table. If you click a table and can't find the Columns button, check which tab is open. The two features use different menus, and most of the confusion starts there.
Check your Word version before you follow the steps
Microsoft's training page for columns lists Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019 and Word 2016 as applicable versions. It describes the Layout > Columns path on that same page. The page has no Mac-specific steps or keyboard shortcuts, though. So the menu names here come from Microsoft's general pages and a How-To Geek guide dated January 11, 2022.
Office for Mac updates often. Microsoft's release notes list version 16.114.3, dated October 27, 2026. The 2026 entries show no feature updates for the column menus. That means the steps should still match a current copy. Still, look at your own ribbon. If a name differs, search the ribbon for the same word.
Create columns for a whole document
This is the job most people mean. You want the whole document in two or three columns, with the same layout on every page. Start with the document open and the body text on screen. Headers and footers are separate, so work in the body. The steps below walk through the process from start to finish.
Two columns work well for newsletters, flyers and short reports. Three columns suit glossaries, product lists and narrow reference sheets. Choose the count that fits the content, then check how the headings sit at the top of each column.
Format only part of a document in columns
Sometimes one section needs columns and the rest does not. A two-page article with a short list is a common example. Microsoft's training page is direct about the order: select the paragraphs first, then choose Layout > Columns. Skip the selection and you risk changing more than you intended.
To select, drag from the first word to the last word of the section. Then open Layout > Columns and click a preset. Read the text before and after the new columns. Confirm that only the section you picked changed. If something else moved, press ⌘Z right away and try again.
Some third-party guides describe an Apply to option inside the More Columns dialog. Microsoft's Mac pages do not confirm that option. If your dialog shows Apply to, use it. If it doesn't, selecting the paragraphs first is the dependable route.
If the page after the columns needs its own layout, add a section break first. Insert a section break in Word on Mac covers those steps.
Column presets compared
| Option | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| One | Returns the text to a single column | Normal documents and the default layout |
| Two | Splits the text into two equal columns | Newsletters, flyers, short articles |
| Three | Splits the text into three equal columns | Glossaries, lists, narrow reference sheets |
| Left | A narrow column on the left, a wide one on the right | Sidebars and side notes |
| Right | A wide column on the left, a narrow one on the right | Captions and margin notes beside the text |
| More Columns | Opens the dialog for widths, spacing and a divider | Exact layouts the presets can't give you |
The presets set the count and the rough shape. They don't let you set exact measurements. For that, you need the More Columns dialog, which the next section covers. Use presets first. Open the dialog only when a preset misses what you need.
Set column widths, spacing and a line between columns
Open Layout > Columns > More Columns. Under Width and spacing, you set the width of each column and the gap between them. Microsoft's column width page says to clear Equal column width when you want columns of different widths. Clear it, then type a width for each column.
Check Line between to draw a vertical line between the columns. It helps readers see where one column stops and the next one starts. It suits forms, catalogs and classic newsletter layouts. Leave it off for a plainer look.
Microsoft's page doesn't describe a Number of columns field or an Apply to field on Mac. Some guides mention them. Treat them as optional and read your own dialog. The presets remain the most reliable way to set the count.
Start a column at a set spot with a column break
Columns fill from top to bottom. You might want a heading to start a new column, or a paragraph to begin at the top of the next one. Click where the new column should start. Then choose Layout > Breaks > Column. Word moves the text that follows into the next column.
The shortcut on Mac is ⌘⇧Return, which means Command, Shift and Return. Microsoft's keyboard shortcut list shows it for Word for Mac. On Windows the same action uses Ctrl+Shift+Enter. A column break is different from pressing Return. Return adds a new paragraph, while a column break pushes text to the next column.
5
Word versions on Microsoft's column training page, from Word 2016 to Microsoft 365
Create multiple columns in Word (Microsoft Support)⌘⇧Return
Shortcut for a column break in Word for Mac, per Microsoft's keyboard shortcut list
Keyboard shortcuts in Word (Microsoft Support)16.114.3
Latest Office for Mac build in Microsoft's release notes, dated October 27, 2026
Release notes for Office for Mac (Microsoft Learn)Fix common column problems
Most problems come from one of four causes. Columns don't work in a text box. The file is open in Word for the web. The columns are equal when you wanted different widths. Or a break sits in the wrong place. Each cause has a clear fix, and the troubleshooting list covers them.
Why the Columns option seems missing in a text box
Text boxes do not support multiple columns in Word on Mac or Windows. A Microsoft Q&A answer from a volunteer moderator says this. The Mac version behaves the same way, so there is no hidden setting to find. The workaround is two text boxes linked together. Select the first box, open Shape Format, and click Create Link. Then click the second box to finish the link.
Why Word for the web won't change columns
Microsoft's page on column widths says Word for the web displays newsletter-style columns but cannot create or resize them. To change them, click Open in Word, or choose Edit Document > Edit in Word. That opens the desktop app, where the Layout tab works as described above.
A search result suggests Word for the web gained column support in 2024. That source was not checked here. Microsoft's own page is the one to trust, so test the feature in your browser before you depend on it.
Table columns: a different job
To add a column to a table, click a cell in the column beside the spot you want. Open the Table Layout tab, then click Insert Left or Insert Right. Microsoft's table page for Word for Mac covers these steps. It applies to Word 2021 and Word 2019 for Mac, so the wording in Microsoft 365 may differ a little.
Table columns don't change text columns. A table sits inside the column layout like any other object. If you need a table on a two-column page, set up the columns first and insert the table after. That way you don't have to resize the table twice.
Mistakes people make with columns
- Forgetting to select the paragraphs first, so the whole document changes.
- Clicking Columns inside a text box and expecting it to work.
- Choosing Two when they need a sidebar, which calls for Left or Right.
- Pressing Return again and again to push text to the next column, instead of using a column break.
- Adjusting widths by hand before checking whether More Columns can do it.
- Turning on Line between without checking how the page looks with and without it.
What to do after the columns are set
Check page numbers, headers and any table of contents once the layout is final. Columns can change where pages break, so do this last. Add page numbers in Word on Mac covers the next step.
If the columns need to look the same on another computer, save a copy as PDF. Save as a PDF in Word on Mac walks through that. Keep the Word file too, so you can edit it later.
The Layout tab also holds margins, orientation and other page setup options. If columns are part of a bigger page design, check those settings in the same tab. Change them before you finalize the columns, so the layout doesn't shift twice.
Word shortcuts for this on Mac
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Insert a column break (Mac) | ⌘⇧Return |
| Undo the last change | ⌘Z |
| Insert a column break (Windows) | CtrlShiftEnter |
If it does not work
- Columns does nothing in a text box
- Text boxes don't support multiple columns on Mac or Windows. Select the first text box, open Shape Format, click Create Link, then click the second text box. The two boxes share one text flow.
- Word for the web shows columns but won't change them
- Microsoft says the web version can't create or resize columns. Choose Open in Word, or Edit Document > Edit in Word, then edit in the desktop app.
- Some columns are wider than others and you want them equal
- Open Layout > Columns > More Columns and check Equal column width. Presets always produce equal columns, so use this box if you want unequal ones instead.
- A heading lands at the bottom of a column
- Click just before the heading and insert a column break with Layout > Breaks > Column, or press ⌘⇧Return.
- The change hit the whole document
- Press ⌘Z right away. Then select only the paragraphs you want, and apply Layout > Columns again.
- There is no Start new column checkbox
- Sources conflict on whether that checkbox exists, and Microsoft's Mac pages don't confirm it. Use a column break instead, which Microsoft documents.
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Questions people ask
Can I put only part of a Word document in columns on Mac?
Yes. Select the paragraphs first, then choose Layout > Columns and pick a preset. Microsoft's training page gives this order. Check the text above and below the columns afterward to confirm nothing else moved.
How do I go back to one column?
Choose Layout > Columns > One. If you selected only part of the document, the change applies to that selection. Press ⌘Z right after a change you don't want.
What does Line between do in the Columns dialog?
It adds a vertical line between columns. Open Layout > Columns > More Columns, then check Line between. Microsoft's column width page describes it this way.
Why are my columns different widths?
Presets make equal columns. To set different widths, open More Columns, clear Equal column width, and type a width for each column under Width and spacing.
Can I create columns in Word for the web?
Microsoft says Word for the web displays newsletter-style columns but cannot create or resize them. Choose Open in Word, or Edit Document > Edit in Word, and make the change in the desktop app.
Is the column break shortcut the same on Windows?
No. On Mac it is ⌘⇧Return. On Windows it is Ctrl+Shift+Enter, according to Microsoft's keyboard shortcut list.
Why does Columns not work when I click in a text box?
Text boxes don't support multiple columns on Mac or Windows. Use two text boxes linked with Create Link on the Shape Format tab instead.
Which Word version do I need for columns?
Microsoft's training page lists Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019 and Word 2016. If the Layout tab has a Columns button, your copy has the feature.
Sources
- Create multiple columns in Word · Microsoft Support · checked 2026-11-07
- Adjust column widths on a page · Microsoft Support · checked 2026-11-07
- Add or delete rows or columns in a table in Word or PowerPoint for Mac · Microsoft Support · checked 2026-11-07
- Keyboard shortcuts in Word · Microsoft Support · checked 2026-11-07
- Release notes for Office for Mac · Microsoft Learn · checked 2026-11-07
- Columns option doesn't show up in the Mac version · Microsoft Q&A · checked 2026-11-07
- How to Make Columns in Microsoft Word · How-To Geek · checked 2026-11-07
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