If you have read Everything You Need to Know About Columns in Word 2010 and 2007, then you learned how to insert columns, adjust the spacing between columns, and even how to add a line between your columns.
However, sometimes columns can be a bit frustrating, to say the least. You can never get your text to line up the way you want, maybe you want something specific in the right column and no matter how hard you try, you can’t make that happen, maybe you want your columns to appear even, or maybe you just want to move to a new column at the end of a section.
Using column breaks, a close kin to section breaks, gives you more freedom and flexibility with your columns!
How to Insert a Column Break
Photo © Rebecca Johnson
- Click where you want your column to break.
- Select Column Break from the Breaks drop-down menu on the Page Layout tab in the Page Setup section.
Insert a Continuous Break
Photo © Rebecca Johnson
- Click at the end of the column that you want to have balanced.
- Select Continuous Break from the Breaks drop-down menu on the Page Layout tab in the Page Setup section.
Once you have your section break inserted, anytime you add text to a column, Microsoft Word will automatically move the text between the columns to make sure they are evenly balanced.
Delete a Break
You might have place a break in a column that you no longer need, or maybe you inherited a document with a column break that you cannot find. Deleting the Column Break or Continuous Section Break isn’t hard once you see it!- Click the Show/Hide button on the Home tab in the Paragraph section to display non-printing characters.
- Click in the section break.
- Press Delete on your keyboard. Your Column Break or Continuous Section Break is removed.