How to Make One Page Landscape in Word

To make one page landscape in Microsoft Word, put that page in its own section and set the section to Landscape. The key is using section breaks rather than ordinary page breaks: a page break starts a new page, while a section break lets Word apply different page-layout settings to part of a document.

The menu names and locations can differ slightly by Word version and platform, but the basic method works in desktop Word for Windows and Mac. Save a copy first if the document is important, especially if it already contains headers, footers, columns, or other section formatting.

What You’ll Need

A Word document you can edit.
Access to Word’s Layout or Page Layout controls. Word for the web may offer fewer section-formatting options than the desktop app.
A way to see formatting marks, if needed. The Show/Hide ¶ button makes section breaks visible; it is usually on the Home tab.

Step-by-Step

Decide which page to rotate. Find the page that should be landscape. If the page is not full yet, insert or select its content first. Word’s page layout is controlled by sections, so the goal is to create a section containing only that page.
Put the cursor at the page’s beginning. Click immediately before the first character or object on the page. If the page is blank, click at its start. Avoid selecting the whole page’s text; you need to insert a break at a location, not replace the content.
Insert a section break before it. Open the Layout tab, choose Breaks, and under Section Breaks select Next Page. In some versions the tab is called Page Layout. This starts a new section on the following page, separating the target page from the material before it.
Put the cursor at the page’s end. Click after the last character or object on the page. If the page ends with a paragraph mark, place the cursor after that mark. If the page contains a table that reaches the bottom, click in the paragraph immediately following the table; Word keeps a paragraph after tables, and this can affect where the break goes.
Insert another Next Page section break. Use Layout > Breaks > Next Page again. This creates a new section after the target page, isolating it between two section breaks. If the second break lands on a later page, check whether extra paragraphs or page breaks are present.
Change the target section to Landscape. Click anywhere on the page you want to rotate. Choose Layout > Orientation > Landscape. Because that page is now its own section, the orientation should apply to it rather than the whole document. If Word displays an Apply to control, choose This section.
Check the pages around it. Confirm that the page before and after remains Portrait and that the desired page is Landscape. Look over page numbers, headers, footers, tables, images, and margins; the wider page can change how content fits.
Hide formatting marks and save. If you turned on Show/Hide ¶, turn it off when finished. Save the document, then review the layout in Print Layout view or Print Preview. This helps catch an extra blank page or content that shifted unexpectedly.

For a document that already has sections, inspect where existing breaks are before adding more. Changing orientation affects the section containing the cursor, so confirm that the target page is bounded by the breaks you intend to use.

Common Mistakes

Using page breaks instead of section breaks: A page break moves content to a new page but does not create a separate layout section. Word may therefore rotate the surrounding pages too.
Changing orientation with the cursor in the wrong section: Word applies the layout to the current section. Click on the target page first, and check any Apply to option for This section.
Adding only one section break: Without a break after the target page, later pages can remain part of the landscape section. Use one break before and one after.
Deleting a break without checking its effect: A section break stores formatting boundaries. Removing it can merge sections and change orientation, margins, headers, or footers.
Expecting content to stay in exactly the same position: Landscape changes the page dimensions and may cause text, tables, or images to reflow. Check both the target page and nearby pages afterward.

Tips

Turn on Show/Hide ¶ before troubleshooting. Section breaks appear with labels such as “Section Break (Next Page),” making their positions easier to spot.
Use Next Page when the landscape section should start on a fresh page. Continuous section breaks are intended for changes within the same page and can behave differently.
If the page contains a wide table or image, adjust its width after changing orientation. Landscape gives more horizontal room but does not automatically resize every object neatly.
Review headers and footers after rotating a page. Sections can have linked headers and footers, so changes made in one section may carry over depending on the document’s settings.
For a page in the middle of a document, the reliable pattern is Portrait section, Landscape section, then Portrait section. The orientation of the first and last sections can remain unchanged.

Troubleshooting

The whole document turned landscape: Undo the change if possible. Add a Next Page section break immediately before and after the intended page, click inside that page, and set Orientation to Landscape. If an Apply to menu appears, select This section.

The next page is landscape too: The break after the target page may be missing, misplaced, or deleted. Show formatting marks, locate the end of the landscape page, and insert a Next Page section break there. Then click in the following section and choose Portrait if necessary.

A blank page appeared: Turn on formatting marks and look for extra paragraph marks, page breaks, or duplicate section breaks. Remove only the unnecessary mark, then check that the remaining section breaks still separate the target page. A Next Page section break can create a blank page when combined with another break or an existing page break.

The landscape page starts in the wrong place: The first break may be below the content that should be on the rotated page, or there may be a manual page break nearby. Inspect the break labels and move or replace the break so the landscape section begins before the intended page’s content.

Word for the web does not show the needed controls: Open the document in the desktop Word app if available. Section and page-layout controls vary by version, and the web app may not expose all options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make just one page landscape in Word?

Yes. Place the page in its own section with a Next Page section break before and after it, then set that section to Landscape.

Why does changing orientation affect every page?

The pages are probably in one section, or the orientation change was applied to the whole document. Add section breaks around the page and apply the setting to This section.

Can I make a page landscape without a section break?

For a page in the middle of a document, section breaks are the dependable way to apply a different orientation to only that page. A page break alone does not isolate layout settings.

How do I return the following pages to Portrait?

Insert a section break after the landscape page, click in the section that follows, and choose Layout > Orientation > Portrait. If the break is already there, you may only need to change that section’s orientation.

Will changing a page to landscape alter its content?

It can change line wrapping and the placement of tables, pictures, and other objects because the page becomes wider and shorter. Review the page and adjust object sizes or spacing as needed.

Does this method work in Word for Mac?

Yes, desktop Word for Mac has section breaks and orientation controls, although menu labels or locations may differ slightly by version. The same principle applies: isolate the page in its own section.

Further reading: Microsoft Support. Details can change, so check the official page for anything that matters to you. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. How we write an answer.