Keeping Paragraphs on the Same Page

For some types of documents you may not want your paragraphs to smoothly flow from one page to the next. Instead, you may want to make sure that any given paragraph appears all on one page or another. I require this type of formatting quite often in letters, legal documents, and proposals.

Word includes a formatting feature that allows you to ensure that paragraphs stay together without a page break in the middle of them. You apply this format characteristic by following these steps if you are using Word 2007:

1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want affected by the formatting change. (If you want the change to a single paragraph only, you can simply make sure the insertion point is within that paragraph.)
2. Make sure the Home of the ribbon is displayed.
3. Click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Paragraph group. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
4. Display the Line and Page Breaks tab. (Click here to see a related figure.)
5. Make sure the Keep Lines Together check box is selected.
6. Click on OK.

If you are using an older version of Word, follow these steps instead:

1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want affected by the formatting change. (If you want the change to a single paragraph only, you can simply make sure the insertion point is within that paragraph.)
2. Choose Paragraph from the Format menu. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
3. Make sure the Line and Page Breaks tab is selected.
4. Make sure the Keep Lines Together check box is selected.
5. Click on OK.