Margins, orientation, headers and numbering are all properties of the section, not of the document. So if you want one part to differ from another, what you need is a new section — not a new document.
1 The section break at work
“Link to Previous” is the button that defeats most attempts: unless you turn it off in the new section, every change you make there carries back to what came before.
2 Page break or section break?
| Type | What it does | When |
|---|---|---|
| Page break | Moves you to a new page with the same settings | The start of a new chapter |
| Section break — next page | A new section with independent settings | Changing numbering or the header |
| Section break — continuous | A new section on the same page | A two-column passage within a page |
| Column break | Moves the text to the next column | In a column layout |
3 Professional page settings
- Margins: keep them consistent across the document, and increase the inside margin if it will be bound.
- Orientation: a page holding a wide table can be made landscape on its own via a separate section.
- The header: the organisation’s logo and the report title — do not put anything that changes often in it.
- The footer: the page number, “page X of Y”, and the issue date.
- Different first page: a ready-made option that sometimes saves you a whole section.
“Page X of Y” without counting by hand
In the footer: insert the page number, then from Insert → Quick Parts → Field insert NumPages. The total will update itself whenever the document grows or shrinks.
Deleting a section break passes its settings on
When you delete a section break, the text before it inherits the settings of the section that followed — so margins and numbering flip without warning. Switch on the ¶ formatting marks to see the breaks before you delete anything.
Lesson summary
- Margins, headers and numbering are properties of the section, not the document.
- A section break opens independent settings; a page break does not.
- Turn off “Link to Previous” or nothing will change.
- The NumPages field gives you “X of Y” automatically.
- Never delete a section break before you can see it with the formatting marks.
4 Test your understanding
Three quick questions
Pick the answer you believe is correct and you will see the result immediately.
1. You changed the body’s header and the contents page header changed with it. The cause:
A section break alone is not enough — you must turn off Link to Previous in both the header and the footer.
2. You want a single landscape page for a wide table inside a portrait report:
Two breaks isolate the page in its own section, which can take its own orientation and margins.
3. Which field gives the total number of pages?
Page gives the current page number; NumPages gives the total page count.