If you are reading this, you probably are running the Microsoft Office Word program on a PC with a high-resolution widescreen monitor.
On a PC with a high-resolution widescreen monitor, the Word program automatically shows multiple pages of a document side-by-side at the same time. For instance, on my 24” 4k resolution monitor, Word displays two pages side-by-side by default.
Needless to say, this happens only when the document consists of more than a page.
Although this is a nice feature to have, as you can simultaneously view two pages side-by-side, many users find it a distraction.
Most users, including me, would like to see just one page of a document at a time, especially while composing or editing a document. Having only one page on the screen at a time helps you focus better. Besides that, many users switch to the Focus mode in Word program while editing, which also displays two pages side-by-side by default.
Luckily, Microsoft Word offers an easy way to switch back from the multiple pages side-by-side view to a single page view with the click of a mouse button. Here is how to do that.
Method 1 of 2
Make Office Word show one page at a time
Step 1: When the Word program displays two pages in side-by-side mode, click on the View tab and then click on the Vertical option to quickly switch back to the default single-page mode.
Note that if you are using the Word in Focus mode, please move the mouse cursor to the top edge of the screen to see the ribbon, including menu names.
The best part is that Microsoft Word will remember this setting for all documents. This means, from here on, Word will always open documents in single-page mode only.
Method 2 of 3
Another way to make Word show one page at a time
Step 1: Click on the View tab and then click the One Page option. The Word will now show only one page now. However, it might change the Zoom settings to make this happen. No worries, you can correct it in the next step.
Step 2: Once again, in the View tab, click on the 100% icon. That’s it!
Method 3 of 3
Change zoom settings to see one page at a time
You can change the current zoom setting to 130% or 150% to get out of the side-by-side mode. However, note that you cannot change the zoom setting when you are viewing a document in side-by-side mode. You need to switch back to the single-page viewing mode and then move the zoom slider at the bottom right of the Word window to change the zoom settings.
When you zoom in, the text size of the document increases. So, you might want to change the text size under the home tab when you set the zoom to 130% or 150%.
Our how to check Microsoft Office 2019 or Office 365 activation status guide might also interest you.
Chris Banks says
Thank you SO much!! I really appreciate the time you took to make this very, very easy and effective! Thanks!
gkb says
Hi There! I use Word 10 in Windows 365. I have spent pretty much the entire evening reading others’ ideas on how to correct the problem of correcting 2 pages of a document on screen, in stead of only one. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Your solution worked. I had to select under VIEW the ONE PAGE option and then under VIEW select the PAGE WIDTH option under ZOOM, but that combination worked perfectly!!! Thanks again!
David says
Rather agree with others here. What we need is ways to stop Office from doing creative things such as changing our screen layouts without permission, and to stop it permanently. Side-by-side and other alternative layouts are fine, provided that I’m in control. With Office, I’m not.
Most of us can change the layout back again when Office has interfered, but why should we have to? Where are the settings to stop it happening in future?
Simon says
Thanks for nothing. Yes, another completely WOFTAM response by a person who cannot read. Do you think you’re helpful? You didn’t mention resizing the window (maybe I didn’t read all of the drivel that was in the article) – yep, dragging the window to about the size of one page shows one page too.
I want to make this a permanent setting, not have to do it every time.
Constantly Annoyed by Microsoft says
I HATE MICROSOFT, particularly WORD, because of things like this. The “Vertical” in “View” was already selected/default. I had to go to “One Page” then zoom 200%. Corel WordPerfect is ** HANDS DOWN ** more user-friendly and intuitive than Word could ever be. IMO, WordPerfect is the best word processing program, particularly when it comes to legal documents.
JD says
Resetting my setting because some jackass decided to set them how they wanted instead of leaving them how I wanted them is insane. You have to realize that Microsoft and many other software vendors are run by egotistical morons who want everyone to do everything their way. After all, if everyone isn’t using their gee-whizz ideas, then they would be wasting company time programming needless features very few people want and lose their job. Which is why so much software has started to pester people with nonsense forced onto them by these sorts of anti-social programmers and control-freak managers.
Richard Searles says
When are Microsoft going to start actually reading what people are complaining about, and giving a satisfatory solution that WORKS????!!!!!
Who bloody wants to see a four-page word doc with two side by side and the other two below.
I HATE MICROSOFT and wish I’d saved up for a Mac.
Annette says
you completely DID NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION!!! You might as well delete this. The question is HOW DO YOU MAKE IT A DEFAULT SETTING…most people know how to go to view, single page and all of that basic common sense stuff…you wasted my time! so disappointing.
RonP says
Bang on, Great, perffick, nice one geezzer, Ho! and Thank you very much.
C says
I know how to manually do it. I’m trying to find a way to make it so I DON’T have to manually fix it every single time. I want to change the DEFAULT so I don’t have to fix it manually every time.
Fiona Fraser-Thomson says
I’ve just had my 2xpages on screen turn into 4xpages on screen and simply cannot change it. I found Victoria’s tip helpful – went in, changed it back to 2xpages (I am proofing a book so need it to be 2xpages) – it duly did so, and I closed. Then I opened it up again – hey presto! back to 4xpages!
Also I think the above “tool” will be no use to me as I have Windows 10, not 11.
If there’s anyone out there who can resolve this, I’d be most grateful.
Fiona
stuart says
Pointless! It doesn’t stop useless Word doing it every time. You have wasted my time!
Melissa says
This ‘solution’ is useless. I still have to manually turn it back to single page viewing every time I open a document. It’s very, very annoying.
Victoria says
I figured out a way to change it. Go to View and then click on “One Page” in the Zoom section. So far I have opened two additional documents and it stayed that way!!
Herbie Davis says
What a waste of time reading your article. Microsoft Word does NOT “remember” to open all future documents as one page, and I still have to manually correct this every time I use the blasted thing. Microsoft are such a bunch of idiots.
admin says
Thank you for the tip Stewart.
Stewart W says
As a workaround you can add the ‘Zoom’ function to your Quick Access Toolbar. Once added you can change to One Page view in 2 quick clicks without leaving your Home tab on the ribbon.
Dev Mac says
My preferred method for solving this is View -> Draft. It unfortunately removes the ‘look’ of working a printed page, but that’s far less of a pain than being forced into the anti-productive side by side view.
In regards to the solutions presented on this website:
Option 1 is invalid. It doesn’t work in any of the versions of Word I’ve used. They’ve all had View -> Vertical on by default and still show two pages side by side 100% of the time.
Option 2 feels is a hacky workaround for a development oversight. Microsoft really should have a proper option to choose whether to view pages side by side. It’s never been convenient for my workflow to have them side by side, and it messes with selecting data that crosses a page break.
Chris Malter says
This doesn’t work with Word files that I download from the internet. It doesn’t not keep my saved setting and always opens it with side by side.
Carla DuPont says
Perfect! Finally a tutorial that worked! Bless you!
W says
This doesn’t work unfortunately. My Page Movement is set to Vertical, and there’s still 3 pages across my screen.
If I click off to Web layout and then back to Print, it resets to single page view. Thanks for trying, even so. Bloody Microsoft.
Joe Blow says
Might be of use if Reference / Vertical actually worked
Megan says
This is great, but how do you make it a default so these settings don’t have to be changed every time Word is used?
Cynthia Cloutier says
Can you download the windows 7 games onto a flash drive and access from there on a laptop running windows 10?