Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Arranging Document Windows.

Arranging Document Windows

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 5, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

If you have more than one document open at a time, Word allows you to view all the documents at the same time and to arrange each document window as you desire. The easiest method of arranging document windows is as follows:

Display the View tab of the ribbon.
Click the Arrange All tool, in the Window group. This divides the screen space evenly between all your windows. The main benefit is that all your document windows get at least a piece of the screen.
Click on the window whose size you wish to adjust. It becomes active.
Move the mouse cursor near the border of the active window. When the cursor turns into a set of arrows, press the mouse button and drag the window edge to the desired size. Release the mouse button.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each window you want to adjust.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9505) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Arranging Document Windows.

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. Learn more about Allen...

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What is eight minus 5?

2021-08-07 14:27:44

David Cohen

re "Arranging Document Windows": a very useful tip!. I didn't know about this. In the Macintosh version of Word, from the Home Tab, you can go directly to "Window". i.e., you don't need to start from the "View" tab.

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