Moving an Entire Page

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 18, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


3

Peter wonders if there is a way to move a whole page from one place in a document to another.

The short answer is no, Word has no built in way to move pages. The reason is because Word doesn't work with the concept of "pages" as we often think of them. You can see this if you open the same document on different computers. If the document contains straight text (no images or other objects), then it is very likely that the pages on one computer will be different than they are on another.

The reason for this is simple—Word defines the pages in the document on the fly, based on many different elements. The two primary elements that affect the "two different computers" scenario are fonts and printer drivers. If the two computers have different fonts available and they use different printer drivers, then the pages will flow differently on each of them.

Thus, in a Word document there is no real "page" to be able to move. Instead, the program allows you to select text, copy or cut it to the Clipboard, and then paste that text somewhere else. (You can, of course, copy, cut, and paste more than just text.) So, to move the contents of whatever you consider to be a page, all you need to do is to move the insertion point to the start of the text and then select everything to the end of the text. There are multiple ways to select that text once you move the insertion point to the beginning. Here are the three most common methods:

  • Hold down the left mouse button as you drag the mouse to the ending point. When you release the mouse button, the text is selected.
  • Hold down the Shift key as you click the left mouse button at the ending point.
  • Hold down the Shift key as you use the arrow keys to expand or contact the selected text, as desired.

With the "page" selected, you can copy (Ctrl+C) or cut (Ctrl+X) the selection. Either way, the selection is stored in the Clipboard. You can then position the insertion point where you want the page moved and press Ctrl+V. The contents of the Clipboard are then inserted in the document wherever the insertion point was located.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13726) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Saving Everything

Need to force users to save their work? It may be as simple as implementing a couple of macros that get a bit more ...

Discover More

Using Named Formulas Across Workbooks

You can use the naming capabilities of Excel to name both ranges and formulas. Accessing that named information in a ...

Discover More

Word Count in Multiple Selections

Getting a word count for an entire document is easy. What you may not know is that some versions of Word can also provide ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Using Go To with a Percentage

Need to jump a certain percentage of the way through a document? You can do it using the familiar Go To tab of the Find ...

Discover More

Using Overtype Mode

When you type information into a document, what you type normally is inserted just the left of the insertion point. Word ...

Discover More

Extra Space after Quotation Mark when Pasting

Have you ever noticed how Word can decide to add extra spaces when you paste information into your document? This is part ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 3?

2020-01-22 15:56:14

Tony

Ctl+ A will work for a one page document but it will select all of the pages in a multipage document.


2020-01-19 19:25:58

rob

Also remembering that you can insert manual page breaks to take control over how Word breaks the text into pages.
The only thing to be careful of is that if the page layout changes (eg. margins) or print driver changes you may find that the previously-defined single page can spill over to the next page.


2020-01-18 13:11:22

Allan

Since your heading states, "Moving an Entire Page" you can do it by simply doing Ctl+ A.


This Site

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.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.