How you adjust column width in Word depends on which columns you mean. For a table, drag the border between two columns, or click in a column and type a size in the Width box on the table’s Layout tab. For newspaper-style text columns, go to Layout > Columns > More Columns, clear Equal column width, and set each column’s width. Both methods work in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows and Mac.
Change the width of a table column
Drag the column border
- Point at the vertical border to the right of the column you want to change. The pointer turns into a double line with arrows.
- Drag left to make the column narrower or right to make it wider.
- Release the mouse button.
Hold Alt while you drag (Windows) to see exact measurements on the ruler. Dragging a border usually takes the space from the neighboring column, so the table’s overall width stays the same.
To fit one column to its contents, double-click its right border. Word shrinks or widens it to match the longest entry.
Type an exact width
- Click in any cell of the column. To set several columns at once, select them.
- Go to the Layout tab that appears next to Table Design (on a Mac, Table Layout).
- In the Cell Size group, enter a measurement in the Width box, such as 1.5″, and press Enter.
For more options, select Properties on the same tab, open the Column tab, check Preferred width, and choose inches or a percentage of the table. Use Previous Column and Next Column to set each one without closing the dialog.
Let Word size the columns
Select the table, then on the table’s Layout tab select AutoFit and choose:
- AutoFit Contents to size each column to its text.
- AutoFit Window to stretch the table across the page between the margins.
- Fixed Column Width to lock the current widths so typing doesn’t resize them.
To make several columns the same width, select them and choose Distribute Columns in the Cell Size group. See how to distribute columns evenly in Word for details. Row sizing works in a similar way; see how to change row height in a Word table.
Change the width of text columns on a page
These are the columns you add with Layout > Columns for newsletters, brochures, and lists.
- Click inside the columned text.
- Go to the Layout tab and select Columns.
- Choose More Columns at the bottom of the list. The Columns dialog opens.
- Clear Equal column width if you want columns of different sizes. Leave it checked to keep them equal.
- Under Width and spacing, enter a Width for each column and the Spacing (gap) after it. Word recalculates the others so everything fits between the margins.
- Check the Preview, and use Apply to to choose Whole document or This section.
- Select OK.
Check Line between in the same dialog to draw a vertical rule between columns. If you just want a quick two-column layout, the presets Left and Right in the Columns menu already use one narrow and one wide column.
Drag text columns on the ruler
For a visual adjustment, turn on the ruler with View > Ruler. Each gap between text columns appears as a gray block on the horizontal ruler. Drag its edges to change the column widths and the space between them. If Equal column width is on, all columns change together. More on the ruler is in how to use the ruler in Word.
To set up a two-column page in the first place, follow our guide on splitting a Word document in half.
To control where text moves to the next column instead of adjusting the widths, learn how to insert a column break in Word.
Which kind of column do you have?
| You see | It’s a | Change width with |
|---|---|---|
| Cells with borders or gridlines, and a Table Design tab when you click inside | Table column | Border drag, Width box, AutoFit |
| Text that flows from the bottom of one column to the top of the next | Text column | Columns dialog or ruler |
If you would rather combine two columns into one instead of resizing them, see how to merge two columns in Word.
If the column width won’t change
- A table column snaps back or grows as you type: AutoFit is resizing it. Choose AutoFit > Fixed Column Width.
- The table runs off the page: the total of the column widths is wider than the space between margins. Use AutoFit Window or see how to fit a table to the page in Word.
- Only one cell changed width: you selected a single cell before dragging. Click once without selecting, or select the whole column first.
- Text column widths are grayed out: Equal column width is checked, so only the first column can be edited. Clear it.
- More Columns is missing in Word for the web: the web app offers the basic column presets. Open the file in the desktop app for custom widths.
Microsoft covers both cases in Resize a table, column, or row and Adjust column widths on a page.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com