Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Turning Off Background Repagination.
By default, Word automatically repaginates your document as you work. At times, this may slow down the program to the point where you consider it unacceptable. The solution is to turn off the background repagination. Word will then only paginate the document when you print or perform some other action that requires pagination (such as using Print Preview). To turn off background repagination, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.
You should note that the background repagination option is not applicable in Print Layout view. This is because Word must automatically repaginate in that view to enable the proper display of information on the screen.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5975) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Turning Off Background Repagination.
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2021-03-01 10:26:13
Ilex
Hi. I'm having a slightly different pagination problem. My company changed to Microsoft Office 2019 this fall. Ever since then, I've had the problem that after I close a document and return to it, Word will have changed the pagination so that what was the bottom quarter-inch or so of a page (generally 2 lines) will now be the top quarter inch of the next page. This happens in documents that I've previously printed as well as documents that have never been printed.
This is very aggravating. Now, if I need to reprint a document for a client, I also have to go through it in Print View to make sure it's retaining the formatting it was saved with, and then tweak it if it's decided to repaginate itself differently than how I left it. I don't understand why Word does not leave the saved formatting/pagination alone.
This is definitely a bug, not a feature!
Would switching to using Draft View and turning off Background Pagination also fix this problem, or not? I always view my work in Print Layout, but it's getting messed up when I need it to print.
Thank you for any advice you may have!
2019-04-09 13:28:49
Billy Zimmerman
Did anyone even notice it's grayed out?
(As with the graphic above, it's grayed out in the O365 Version of Word)
This poses a problem.
What is the solution?
2018-07-23 08:16:37
Hugo Oran
If the document contains textboxes, tables and pictures, Draft mode can show nothing or nonsenses.
Alternative compromise/possibility is save the document as older Word version (.doc instead .docx).
Remember, also there are anomalies:
- Select Objects tool is working
- Selection Pane is unavailable
- some formatting can be altered or missing
- etc:)
2018-02-01 10:26:05
Amy Sealts
What if I did this and it didn't work? Other ideas?
2018-01-30 05:10:35
Claudia Thompson
I am using Word 2002
Basically it is driving me nuts the way it keeps saving etra copies on my Desktop.
I looked at the Tools and Options, and on the General tab I finally noticed that on General Options it has "Background repagination checked but it is greyed out so that you cannot change it.
2017-04-24 00:37:45
Thomas French
The draft view totals utterly messes up the format. The first step suggested defeats the suggested path.
2016-12-06 08:02:58
kundu
I have used grammerly as add-on.
when I enable grammerly ms word 2007 start repaginating. I have tried your solution of turning off repagination in draft mode during grammerly (enable as well as disable) but it has no effect same repaginating ...
please help. because during repaginating typing mistakes happen through the keyboard.
2016-05-13 09:46:00
Mort Wakeland
I have gone into View Draft and turned off background repagination. However in my text as soon as I go through the process of starting mail merge, when I get to sending the email, the document paginates through each set of information. Something is not working. Oh, using Word 2013, Excel 2013 and Outlook 2013. In the prior version of Word, I simply saw a circle going around, and whammo, it as done, now it takes forever. What am I doing wrong?
thanks, Mort
2016-03-30 22:35:26
The box for 'enable background repagination' cannot be un-ticked. It appears grey-ed on my screen, as it does on this webpage.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: 
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