How to insert a section break in Word on Mac: steps for Microsoft 365

A section break tells Word where one section ends and the next one begins. Each section can have its own margins, page orientation, headers, footers, page numbers, and column layout. A page break is different. It only moves the text to the next page, and the new page keeps every setting from the page before. If you need one page turned sideways in the middle of a report, or a new header for the appendix, you need a section break. This guide covers the Mac steps, which work in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024 and Word 2021.

Insert a section break with the Layout tab

Start by putting your cursor where the new section should begin. Word inserts the break at the cursor. Click at the start of the paragraph that opens the new section, not at the end of the paragraph before it. If you click in the middle of a sentence, Word splits that sentence across two sections, and that is rarely what you want.

Next, click the Layout tab on the ribbon, then click Breaks. A list opens with four break types. For most jobs, choose Next Page. Microsoft's Mac screenshot caption calls this list the Section Breaks menu, but the step text says Breaks. Your label may differ slightly in your build, so look for the four break types instead of the exact wording. Microsoft uses the same route on Windows, so the steps carry over if you switch computers.

The four break types and when to use them

Continuous is the one people mix up most. It keeps the new section on the same page, which is useful for changing the number of columns in the middle of a page. Next Page starts the new section on the following page, which is what most chapters and appendices need. Even Page and Odd Page are for printed books. They start the new section on the next even-numbered or odd-numbered page, which matters when pages face each other.

Use the menu bar route: Insert > Break

The menu bar gives you a second route. Click Insert in the Mac menu bar, hover over Break, and click Section Break (Next Page). A University of Utah graduate school guide describes this route for Word on Mac. A Microsoft Q&A answer dated April 1, 2024 describes a slightly different path, Insert > Section Break > Next Page, on Word for Mac version 16.83. Both sources are a university guide and a user report, not Microsoft's own help page. Check Microsoft's help page first when menu labels change.

Either route places the same break. Use whichever one you find first. The Layout tab route is the one Microsoft documents, so it is the safer one to teach to a colleague who is new to Word.

Add a Section Break button to the Quick Access Toolbar

If you insert section breaks every day, a toolbar button saves a few clicks. The University of Utah guide shows how. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar arrow, choose More Commands, and open the Quick Access Toolbar tab. Select Insert Page Section Breaks, click the right arrow to add it to the toolbar, then click Save.

The guide does not name a Word version, so the labels may shift in newer builds. If the entry is missing, search the command list for Section Breaks and add the matching command.

Keyboard shortcuts for section breaks

Microsoft's Word keyboard shortcuts page for Mac lists no section break shortcut. It lists Command+Return for a page break and Command+Shift+Return for a column break. That gap causes a common mistake. People press ⌘Return expecting a new section, get a plain page break, and then wonder why the next page still has the old header.

Some personal lists online give other key combinations. Microsoft's documentation does not confirm them. Test any shortcut in a blank document before you rely on it, and use the Layout tab until you know it works.

Check that the break landed in the right place

Turn on non-printing characters with the ¶ button on the Home tab. Word then shows paragraph marks, and the section break appears as a marker in the text. Scroll to the spot where the new section starts. The break should sit at the start of a paragraph, with no words split across it.

Next, open View > Print Layout. Check the headers, footers, and page numbers on the pages on either side of the break. If a header looks the same as the one before it, the new section still links to the previous one. The worked example below shows how to fix that.

Worked example: a separate header for the appendices

Suppose you write a proposal with a cover page, a main body, and a set of appendices. The appendices need a header that reads Appendix, while the body keeps the project name. Put your cursor at the first line of the first appendix. Choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page. The appendices now start on a fresh page in their own section.

Next, double-click the header on the first appendix page. On the Header and Footer tab, turn off Link to Previous. Only then should you type the new header text. If you skip the unlink step, the appendix header changes the body header too, because both sections share one header. That makes it look like the break did not work, when the break is fine.

Check the result in Print Layout. The Appendix header should show on the appendix pages only. The body pages should keep their header. If the appendices need their own page count, change the start number for that section in the page number settings.

Delete a section break in Word for Mac without breaking the layout

Deleting a break is harder than inserting one. A section break stores the settings for the section above it. When you delete the break, the text above takes on the settings of the section below. Check margins, headers, and page numbers after every delete. Undo right away if the result looks wrong.

The method that works most often comes from a Microsoft Q&A answer about breaks left behind by PDF conversion. Turn on the ¶ button. Put your cursor at the start of the break and press Shift+Right Arrow, or put it at the end of the break and press Shift+Left Arrow. Then press Delete. The question dates from December 2023, so check the labels if your menus look different.

For many breaks at once, use Find and Replace. Choose Edit > Find > Advanced Find & Replace. Set Find what to Special > Section Break, not the section character. Leave Replace with blank, then click Replace All. Word removes each matching break in the range you search.

Common mistakes people make with section breaks

• Using a page break when you need a section break. Command+Return ends the page, but the new page keeps the old header, margins and page numbering.
• Clicking in the middle of a sentence first. Word splits the sentence across two sections.
• Choosing Continuous for a new chapter. A continuous break stays on the same page, so the chapter does not start on a new page.
• Editing a linked header without unlinking it. Every linked section changes at once.
• Deleting a break without checking formatting. The text above can pick up the settings of the section below.
• Expecting Word for the web to add the break. Open the file in the Word desktop app first.

Word for the web cannot add section breaks

If you work in a browser, Word for the web can add page breaks, but it cannot add section breaks. Microsoft's help article says to use the Open in Word command. That opens the document in the Word desktop app. Make the section break there, then save. The document saves back to Word for the web.

Some guides online name this command differently. Look for the option that opens the file in the desktop app, and match on what it does rather than the exact wording.

Which Word versions and macOS releases these steps cover

Microsoft's help article says the steps apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024 and Word 2021, on Windows and on Mac. Microsoft does not attach a Mac version number to the steps. To see your build, open Word and choose Word > About Word.

The most recent Word for Mac release in Microsoft's release notes is version 16.114.3, build 26102720. It came out on October 27, 2026, and Microsoft lists it as quality and performance improvements. The recent entries show no menu changes. That does not cover every earlier build, so check your menu if the steps do not match.

Your macOS version also matters. Microsoft says macOS 14 Sonoma or later is required to keep receiving updates for Microsoft 365 and Office apps. Older macOS versions still run the apps, but they get no further updates, including security updates. Microsoft also says macOS 12 Monterey is the minimum for installing versions 16.78 or later.

Why this trips up so many people

Formatting slows many people down. An Adobe Acrobat-commissioned UK study of 2,000 adults, reported by IT Brief UK on November 6, 2026, found that almost a third of UK professionals lack confidence in core digital workplace tasks. Creating presentations was the hardest task, with 32% reporting low confidence. Extracting content from PDFs came next at 30%, then spreadsheets at 29%. The study does not single out section breaks, so read it as context, not proof.

Word takes up a large share of working time too. Microsoft's Work Trend Index, published May 9, 2023, put Word at 10% of employee time across Microsoft 365 creation apps. Excel took 18%, PowerPoint 8% and OneNote 7%. That data is from 2023 and measures activity, not how many people struggle with formatting.

What to do after the break is in place

Once the sections are set, a table of contents can pick up your headings for you. The steps are in how to insert a table of contents in Word on Mac. Put the table of contents after the cover page and before the body, then check that its page numbers match the sections you made.

If the document goes to an editor or a client, turn on Track Changes before you send it. The steps are in how to turn on Track Changes in Word on Mac. For more on the app itself, see the AI assistant for Word on Mac page.

Keep the section break marker visible while you edit. Many surprises happen when you edit text near a break you cannot see. Check the ¶ view before you change anything close to a break.