Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Adjusting Bottoms of Pages.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 8, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365
When presenting some types of writing, it is very helpful that the last line of each page end at the same vertical position as the other ending lines on other pages. For instance, when working with poetry it is common for the last lines of each page to line up vertically.
If you want to align information vertically in this manner, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Layout tab of the Page Setup dialog box.
Now the paragraphs on a page are adjusted vertically so they are evenly spaced between the top and bottom margin. This is helpful for poetry, where most paragraphs consist of a single line. It is a bit less helpful for other types of writing, since the Vertical Alignment specification doesn't affect spacing inside a paragraph (between lines), only the spacing between paragraphs.
If your writing requires different length paragraphs and you want increased spacing between actual lines, you will need to experiment with line spacing to get a "look" that matches your needs. Once you settle on the appropriate line spacing, you can define a style that can then be applied to all your paragraphs. When combined with the Vertical Alignment setting already discussed, you may achieve the desired appearance.
Also, you may not like the appearance of your writing when you are using a large page size and your text consists of only a few lines. With justified vertical alignment set, this results in huge white areas between paragraphs. There are only two ways around this: You must either increase the amount of text on the page or decrease the page length.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13172) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Adjusting Bottoms of Pages.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
Points are the common unit of measure for typefaces in the printing industry. They are also used quite often in Word. ...
Discover MoreWord allows you to define a custom color when you are working with text or with other elements in your documents. The ...
Discover MoreRather than have the margins of your documents always be the same, you can use what Word calls "mirror margins." Here's ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments