How to Change Margins in Word
Change page margins in Word with the Layout tab presets or exact custom values, apply them to one section or the whole document, and save a new default.
Applies to: Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac differences noted. Last checked September 11, 2026. Suggest an edit
The document needs different margins, whether that is one inch on all sides for a paper or narrow margins to fit more on a page. Margins live on the Layout tab.
Open the Margins menu
Click Layout, Margins. A list of presets appears with the values for each one.
Pick a preset
Click Normal for 1" on every side, Narrow for 0.5", Moderate for 1" top and bottom with 0.75" sides, or Wide for 1" top and bottom with 2" sides. The last custom setting you used appears at the top of the list. The change applies to the whole document unless it contains section breaks, in which case it applies to the current section.
Set exact values
Click Layout, Margins, Custom Margins to open the Page Setup dialog. Type values in Top, Bottom, Left, and Right. In the Apply to box at the bottom, choose Whole document, This section, or This point forward to start the new margins at the cursor. Click OK.
Save the margins as the default
In the same Page Setup dialog, click Set As Default, then Yes. Every new document based on the Normal template will open with these margins. Existing documents are not changed.
Drag the ruler instead
Click View and tick Ruler if it is hidden. The margin boundary is where the ruler changes from gray to white. Hover over that boundary until the pointer becomes a double arrow, then drag. The vertical ruler on the left adjusts the top and bottom margins the same way. Hold Alt while dragging to see the exact measurement.
Double-sided printing. In the Page Setup dialog, set Multiple pages to Mirror margins. The Left and Right boxes become Inside and Outside, so the wider margin always falls on the bound edge. The Gutter box adds extra space on the binding side without changing the other margins; leave it at 0 for documents that will not be bound.
On Mac. The same presets are under Layout, Margins, and Custom Margins opens a Document dialog with the same fields, where the Default button saves the values for new documents.