How to Change Page Size in MS Word?

You can choose to change the size of a single page, or change the page size of all pages in a document in Word. Being able to change the page size of your document is really helpful as you can reuse the same document for different purposes and print them in different page sizes without wasting paper. The default page size in Word is 8.5 x 11 inches or the Letter size and is supported by all generic printers.

Word has a list of predefined page sizes and you can choose from them. You also have the option of defining the page size of your document. The following steps show how you can change the page size of your document. The options for changing page size are available in the Page Setup group under the Layout tab.

1. Open a new or existing Word document to change the page size of the document.

2. Go to the Layout tab and open the drop-down menu associated with the Size option under the Page Setup group. In older versions of Word, you would have to go to the Page Layout tab instead of the Layout tab.

3. Click on one of the preset options available. You can see the size measurements of the page written below its name.

The default size is A4, and we have changed it to Letter size. You will notice that the margins and the page size change as shown below.

Changing to a Custom Page Size

You might need to change the page size of your document due to different official, academic or personal reasons. These page sizes can be different from the preset page sizes, and Word lets you create custom page sizes for your purpose. You can follow the steps given below to change your page size to a custom value.

1. In a new or existing Word document, place your cursor on the page whose size you wish to change and go to the Layout tab in the ribbon. Under the Page Setup group, select the Size option. The associated dropdown menu appears.

2. Select the More Paper Sizes… option.

3. The Page Setup dialog box appears. In the Paper Size: section, type in the desired values for Width: and Height: in their respective places. Check the Preview section to understand how your page would look and click the OK button to close the dialog box.

Click on the Set as Default button if you wish to set this page size as the default for all your documents.

You can also open the Page Setup dialog box by clicking on the angular arrow present at the right bottom of the Page Setup group of the Layout tab.

Depending on your custom page size, you might get a notification stating that the margins are outside the printable area. You can Fix the page size accordingly, or Ignore it.

In some cases, if the custom sizes you enter are too high or too small, Word cannot allow such values. You get a notification as shown below and would have to fix your custom values.

After you set the custom values to allowed values, you will observe that the page size of your document has been changed accordingly. We have set the page size value to 31cm x 41.7cm as shown below. Notice that the margins have changed accordingly.

Conclusion

Being able to change page setup comes in handy when you have to present or print the same document for different purposes. Often, there are standard page sizes set for presentations on different occasions, and you can change the page sizes accordingly. Also, you can print for binding in different sizes this feature of Word.