Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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: Changing Measurement Units.

Changing Measurement Units

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated July 3, 2018)

23

Word allows you to modify your work environment extensively. One of the changes you can make involves the default units of measurement used in dialog boxes and on the ruler. By default, Word uses inches, but you can customize the program so it will use centimeters, picas, points, or millimeters.

To change the default measurement units, follow these steps:

  1. Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 or a later version display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. Click Advanced at the left side of the dialog box.
  3. Scroll through the available options until you see the Display section. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Advanced options in the Word Options dialog box.

  4. Using the Show Measurements in Units Of drop-down list, select the units of measurement you want used by default.
  5. Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6698) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing Measurement Units.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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Comments

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What is four more than 2?

2018-08-09 04:43:39

Dolly Mohan Kotwani

Great Help Thank you

2017-12-19 04:50:12

Moulana

Thank you

2017-11-13 10:14:14

ray allen

Being able to use metric units of measure to specify paper sizes is only half the solution.

I also want to specify type sizes in millimeters, but have been unable to find a way to do that in MS Office.

There is a Germain digital typesetting standard (DIN 16507-2), but most programmers seem to ignore either this standard or the English Metric Unit (https://startbigthinksmall.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/points-inches-and-emus-measuring-units-in-office-open-xml/) and assume that the entire the world uses Imperial units of measure.

Any suggestions?

2017-11-09 00:29:58

Arjay Talosig

thank you!

2017-10-27 03:34:01

clara

Thank you. It was most helpful.

2017-10-22 04:29:15

Minni

Thank you for useful info

2017-10-04 10:03:09

Kenneth

This was helpful. Thanks Allen

2017-08-22 00:17:26

Itzshari

Thank you soo much

2017-08-05 11:06:19

Salman

Thank u very much

2017-04-12 07:34:18

Binura

Great help

2017-02-09 04:31:58

from mongolia

Thank you

2017-01-26 07:46:34

Hams

Tips was to the point and thus very helpful. Thank you

2017-01-03 13:34:43

barakat nasher

great thanks. this was helpful.

2016-12-13 10:04:19

bob

it was confusing to use!!!!!

2016-12-06 04:59:08

Jean

Tips was to the point and thus very helpful Grazzi.

2016-08-25 15:08:19

Elena

Much appreciated

2016-08-09 13:16:52

Frank

Thanks you

2016-07-27 10:13:01

Lori Collins

I cannot get to a "Word Options" screen. Options does not come up on my File drop down. Please advise!

2016-07-21 10:40:53

Christian

THANK YOU SO MUCH ! :D

2016-06-23 05:05:52

Hilario Diaz

thanks

2016-06-02 02:05:09

Ed Babington

I have changed the default measurement setting to centimetres and use centimetres throughout all documents. Why then do the default normal, narrow, wide etc margin measurements still appear in imperial measures? How can they be removed?

2016-03-17 13:15:39

Thalia

Hi. My MS Word on my Mac is always in the unit of centimeters. I keep changing it to inches but when I close the Word and open again, it's back to centimeters. What do I do???

2015-02-22 20:17:17

Floyd

Thankyou so much!

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