Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Quickly Changing Columns.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 23, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Word provides a tool on the toolbar you can use to modify the number of columns in your document or in a text selection. If you click on the Columns tool (which is, by default, just to the left of the Drawing tool), Word shows a small dialog box containing four columns. To use this tool, you select the number of columns you want in your document or text selection. For instance, if you want three-column text, you would click on third column out of the four. If you click on a column and hold down the mouse button, you can drag the mouse to choose up to five columns. As you drag the mouse, the Cancel label (below the column layout) changes to indicate the number of columns that Word will create. When you release the mouse button, Word applies the selected column formatting to the current section of your document.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (162) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Quickly Changing Columns.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!
Need to jump from one column to another on a page? You can use the handy shortcut keys described in this tip.
Discover MoreWant different numbers of columns all on the same page? Word makes it easy to use, for instance, a heading that uses a ...
Discover MoreIt's easy to adjust the width of table columns using the mouse, but what if you don't want to use the mouse? Adjusting ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
Comments