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What is a Section Break ?

You can use sections to vary the layout of a document within a page or between pages.

Section formatted as a single column

Section formatted as two columns

Just insert section breaks to divide the document into sections, and then format each section the way you want.

For example, format a section as a single column for the introduction of a report, and then format the following section as two columns for the report’s body text.

Types of Section breaks

You can create a new section at any time by selecting (Insert > Break) and choosing the approriate break

There are four types of section breaks:

Next Page - Inserts a section break and breaks the page so that the next section starts at the top of the next page.

Continuous - Inserts a section break and starts the new section immediately, without inserting a page break.

Odd Page - Word begins the new section on the next odd-numbered page. This section break is often used for chapters that begin on odd-numbered pages. NOTE: If the section break falls on an odd-numbered page, Word leaves the intervening even-numbered page blank.

Even Page - Similar to Odd Page, but Word begins the new section on the next even-numbered page.

Page break -

Column break -

Text wrapping break -

What attributes does a section have ?

Margins

Paper size or orientation

Paper source for a printer

Page borders

Vertical alignment

Headers and footers

Columns

Page numbering

Line numbering

Footnotes and endnotes

Keep in mind that a section break controls the section formatting of the text that precedes it.

For example, if you delete a section break, the preceding text becomes part of the following section and assumes its section formatting.

Note that the last paragraph mark (¶) in the document controls the section formatting of the last section in the document — or of the entire document if it doesn’t contain sections.

Things to Remember