Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, 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: Page Layout Zoom Settings.

Print Layout Zoom Settings

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 20, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021

You may have noticed that when you are using Print Layout view, Word can change magnification levels (the zoom setting) automatically. There are a couple of rules of thumb to remember in regards to the zoom settings:

If you are opening an existing document that you previously viewed in Print Layout view, Word uses the zoom setting you were using when last viewing the document. This is because zoom settings are saved with the document.
If you are opening an existing document that you have never viewed in Print Layout view before, Word uses the zoom setting you were last using—period. This is because there was no last zoom setting for the document, so the last system setting was used.
If you are opening a new document, then Word uses the zoom setting last used for whatever document you were using.

You should note, as well, that you should check the zoom setting in your Normal template file. This can also have an effect on newly created files. Open the Normal template, set the zoom setting for Print Layout view, and then save the file again.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10363) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Page Layout Zoom Settings.

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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