How to Split a Page in Half in Word (Columns, Tables, and Booklets)

To split a page in half in Microsoft Word, the quickest route is two columns: go to Layout, click Columns, and choose Two. Your text now flows down the left half of the page and continues at the top of the right half. If you want two independent halves instead, insert a table with one row and two columns and hide its borders.

“Split in half” can mean a few different things, though: side-by-side halves, a top and bottom half, two small pages printed on one sheet, or simply seeing two parts of a long document on screen at once. This guide covers each one, so you can pick the method that matches what you actually want on the page.

Quick Answer

1. Click where you want the split to start, or select the text you want to split.
2. Open the Layout tab on the ribbon.
3. Click Columns and choose Two.
4. To add a dividing line or change widths, click Columns again, choose More Columns, and adjust the settings.
5. To force text into the right half, place the cursor and choose Layout, Breaks, Column.

In This Guide

• Before you start: which kind of split do you need?
• Method 1: Split a page into two columns
• Method 2: Split a page with a 1 x 2 table
• Method 3: Split a page horizontally (top and bottom)
• Method 4: Two pages per sheet and book fold
• Not the same thing: splitting the window with View, Split
• Which method should you use?
• Troubleshooting
• Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Start: Which Kind of Split Do You Need?

These steps are written for Word for Windows in Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016, as of September 2026. Microsoft notes that steps and options may differ in Word for Mac and Word for the web, so if a button looks different on your screen, look for the same name nearby on the ribbon (the strip of tabs and buttons across the top of the Word window).

Decide what result you want first, because each goal uses a different tool:

• Text that flows from the left half into the right half, like a newsletter or a two-column handout. Use columns (Method 1).
• Two separate boxes of content side by side, such as a list on the left and notes on the right, where each side stays put. Use a table (Method 2).
• A top half and a bottom half, such as two copies of a flyer on one sheet that you cut apart. Use a table with two rows or two text boxes (Method 3).
• Two half-size pages printed on one sheet of paper, or a folded booklet. Use the 2 pages per sheet or Book fold page setting (Method 4).
• Seeing two parts of the same document on screen at once without changing the document. Use View, Split.

You need a copy of Word and the document open in editing mode. If the document opened in Read Mode or Protected View, click Enable Editing or switch to Print Layout first.

Method 1: Split a Page Into Two Columns

Columns (sometimes called newsletter-style columns) divide the page vertically. Text fills the left column to the bottom of the page, then continues at the top of the right column. This is the best choice when your content is one continuous piece of writing.

1. Decide how much of the document to split. To split the whole document, click anywhere in it. To split only part of it, select that text first.
2. Click the Layout tab on the ribbon.
3. In the Page Setup group, click Columns.
4. Choose Two. Expected result: The page (or your selected text) is divided into two equal columns, and text flows from the left half into the right half.
5. For more control, click Columns again and choose More Columns. This opens the Columns dialog box.
6. In the dialog box, check Line between if you want a vertical line down the middle of the page.
7. To make one side wider than the other, clear the Equal column width check box, then change the numbers under Width and spacing. Spacing is the gap between the two columns.
8. If you see an Apply to list in the dialog, choose where the columns should start. Options such as whole document, this point forward, or selected text can vary by version and by what you selected.
9. Click OK. Expected result: Your page shows two columns with the width and divider line you chose.

Microsoft explains these settings in its guide to the Columns dialog box and its page on how to adjust column widths on a page.

Move text into the right half with a column break

If your text is short, it may all sit in the left column while the right column stays empty. A column break tells Word to start the next text at the top of the next column.

1. Click just before the first word you want in the right half.
2. Go to Layout, click Breaks, and choose Column. Expected result: Everything after the cursor jumps to the top of the right column.

Good to know about columns

• Word stores layout settings like columns per section (a part of the document with its own page layout). If your document has more than one section, a column change applies only to the current section.
• When you apply columns to selected text only, Word adds section breaks around that text automatically. Turn on Show/Hide (the paragraph mark button on the Home tab) to see them.
• To go back to a normal single-column page, click Layout, Columns, One.

Method 2: Split a Page With a 1 x 2 Table

A table with one row and two columns gives you two independent halves. Text typed on the left never flows into the right, which makes this ideal for forms, comparison lists, question and answer sheets, or a photo next to a caption.

1. Click where you want the split to appear.
2. Go to Insert and click Table.
3. Move your pointer across the grid until it highlights two cells side by side in one row (shown as 2×1), then click. Expected result: A table appears that stretches across the page, split into a left cell and a right cell.
4. Click in each cell and add your content. Each cell grows taller as you type.
5. To change the balance between halves, drag the middle border left or right.
6. To hide the lines, click inside the table, open the table design tab that appears (usually called Table Design), click the Borders arrow, and choose No Border. Labels can vary slightly by version. Expected result: The table borders disappear, and the page looks like two plain halves.

After you remove borders, Word may still show faint dotted gridlines on screen. Gridlines never print; they only show where the cells are. You can turn them on or off from the table layout tab with the Gridlines (or View Gridlines) button, and the setting applies to every table in the document. See Microsoft’s page on how to show or hide table gridlines.

If your table ends up wider than the page, our guide on how to fix a table in Word that runs off the page walks through the fixes.

Method 3: Split a Page Horizontally (Top and Bottom)

Word’s Columns feature only splits the page vertically. For a top half and a bottom half, use a two-row table or two text boxes.

Option A: A table with two rows

1. Go to Insert, click Table, and choose one column and two rows (1×2 on the grid).
2. Click inside the table, then on the table layout tab set the row height, or drag the border between the rows down until each row fills about half the page.
3. Add your content to each row, then remove borders with Borders, No Border if you do not want lines. Expected result: Two stacked halves. If you need a cutting guide, keep only the middle border visible.

Option B: Two text boxes

Text boxes are movable containers for text, useful when you want exact placement on the page.

1. Go to Insert, click Text Box, and choose Draw Text Box.
2. Drag across the top half of the page to draw the first box, then type or paste your content.
3. Repeat for the bottom half.
4. To remove a box outline, select the box and use the options on the Shape Format tab to change or remove the outline.

To delete a text box, click its border (not the inside) and press Delete. If the pointer is inside the box, Delete removes the text instead of the box. Microsoft covers these steps in add, copy, or remove a text box in Word.

Method 4: Two Pages Per Sheet and Book Fold

Sometimes “split a page in half” means you want each half of a sheet of paper to be its own small page, like a half-letter handout or a folded program. Word handles this with the Multiple pages setting in Page Setup.

• 2 pages per sheet prints consecutive pages side by side on one sheet.
• Book fold uses two pages per sheet and orders the pages so they come out correctly when you fold the printed sheets into a booklet.

Set up book fold (booklet) printing

Set this up before you add lots of content, because images and tables may need adjusting afterward.

1. Go to Layout, click Margins, and choose Custom Margins.
2. Under Pages, open the Multiple pages list and choose Book fold (or 2 pages per sheet for simple side-by-side pages). Expected result: With Book fold, the orientation switches to Landscape automatically.
3. For a long document, choose a number in Sheets per booklet to split it into several smaller booklets.
4. Increase the Gutter value if you need extra space on the inside fold for binding.
5. On the Paper tab, pick your paper size. The finished booklet is half the width of that paper size.
6. Click OK.

When you print, go to File, Print. If your printer does not print both sides automatically, choose Manually Print on Both Sides and flip the sheets on the short edge when Word prompts you. Microsoft’s full steps are in create a booklet or book in Word. For more printing detail, see our guide on how to print a booklet in Word.

Print-only option: pages per sheet in the Print screen

If you only want a printout that shrinks two normal pages onto one sheet, without changing the document, look in File, Print for a pages-per-sheet setting (usually shown as 1 Page Per Sheet) and change it to 2 Pages Per Sheet. The exact wording and location can depend on your printer driver.

Not the Same Thing: Splitting the Window With View, Split

Word’s Split command does not change the page at all. It divides the Word window into two panes so you can scroll to two different parts of the same document at once, for example the introduction and the conclusion. Nothing about the printed page changes.

1. Go to the View tab and click Split. On a narrow window, you may need to click Arrange first, then Split. Expected result: A divider bar appears across the middle of the window, and each pane scrolls on its own.
2. Drag the divider bar up or down to resize the panes.
3. To remove the split, double-click the divider bar or drag it to the top or bottom edge of the window.

Which Method Should You Use?

Your goal	Best method	Changes the printed page?
One flowing article split left and right	Layout, Columns, Two	Yes
Two independent side-by-side halves	1 x 2 table with no borders	Yes
Top half and bottom half	Two-row table or two text boxes	Yes
Two small pages on one sheet or a folded booklet	Multiple pages: 2 pages per sheet or Book fold	Yes
Shrink a normal document onto fewer sheets once	File, Print, 2 Pages Per Sheet	Printout only
Look at two parts of a long document at once	View, Split	No

Troubleshooting

All my text stays in the left column

Columns fill top to bottom, so short text never reaches the right half. Insert a column break with Layout, Breaks, Column where you want the right half to begin.

Columns changed the whole document when I wanted one page

Undo with Ctrl+Z, select only the text you want in columns, and apply Columns, Two again. Word wraps the selection in its own section so the rest stays in one column.

I cannot get rid of the columns

Click inside the columned area, then choose Layout, Columns, One. If some text is still in columns, it is probably in a different section; click there and repeat. Turning on Show/Hide helps you see the section breaks.

Dotted lines still show after I removed table borders

Those are gridlines, which appear on screen only and never print. Turn them off with the Gridlines or View Gridlines button on the table layout tab if they distract you.

My booklet pages print in the wrong order

Check that Multiple pages is set to Book fold, not 2 pages per sheet. When printing manually on both sides, flip the sheets on the short edge as Word instructs.

The Columns button is greyed out

Make sure the document is in editing mode and Print Layout view (View, Print Layout). If the cursor is inside an object such as a text box or a table, the button may not be available, so click in normal body text and try again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I split a page in half vertically in Word?

Go to Layout, Columns, Two for flowing text, or insert a table with one row and two columns for two separate halves.

How do I split a page in half horizontally in Word?

Columns only work vertically, so use a table with one column and two rows, or draw two text boxes with Insert, Text Box, Draw Text Box, one on each half.

Can I add a line down the middle of the page?

Yes. With columns, open Layout, Columns, More Columns and check Line between. With a table, keep only the middle border visible.

Can I split just one page and keep the rest normal?

Yes. Select the text on that page before applying columns. Word adds section breaks so the column layout applies only to the selection.

Can I split a page in half in Word for the web or on a Mac?

Tables work in both. Microsoft notes that column options and steps may differ in Word for Mac and Word for the web, so if you do not see More Columns, open the document in the Word desktop app for full control.

What is the difference between Split and Columns?

View, Split only divides your screen so you can see two parts of a document. Layout, Columns changes how the page itself looks and prints.

How do I print two half-size pages on one sheet?

Use Layout, Margins, Custom Margins, then set Multiple pages to 2 pages per sheet, or Book fold for a folded booklet.

Summary

1. For flowing text, use Layout, Columns, Two, and add a column break to control where the right half starts.
2. For two independent halves, insert a 1 x 2 table and set its borders to No Border.
3. For top and bottom halves, use a two-row table or two text boxes.
4. For two small pages per sheet or a booklet, set Multiple pages in Page Setup.
5. Use View, Split only when you want to see two parts of a document on screen.

Next step: open your document, decide whether you need flowing columns or two fixed halves, and apply Method 1 or Method 2 to a copy first so you can compare the result.