How to Move, Reorder, and Rearrange Pages in Microsoft Word

Can you move pages in Word? Depending on the type of document you're creating in Microsoft Word, you may find yourself in this situation. It is especially likely for lengthy documents; moving a page on Word can make or break the document in the right circumstances.

Unlike PowerPoint, you cannot rearrange the slides in Word. That's because Word is a word processor, so it's one long scrolling document. As opposed to PowerPoint, which is an application that has slides as its own elements.

But there are ways to rearrange and move Microsoft Word pages. You can rearrange word pages online or offline using three easy methods.

The Navigation Pane in Word is a handy tool for jumping to certain spots in your document without having to scroll or search.

For this reason, the Navigation Pane method is the way to go if you use headings in your document. And it's most helpful if you have a heading at the top of each page.

Click the View tab and check the box for Navigation Pane.
When the tool opens on the left side of your document, click Headings in the pane.
Select the heading for the page you want to move and drag it to its new location in the Headings list.

As you drag the heading, you'll see a dark line appear. When the line is in the spot where you want to move the heading (page), release.

You'll then see the heading and its contents in the new position; your document will reflect this change as well.

Here are a couple of tips to help you reorder pages. Word offers more than a few formatting options.

Formatting Text With Headings

If you want to use this method to rearrange Word pages but don't currently have your text formatted with headings:

Click the Home tab.
Select your text, and choose a heading in the Styles section of the ribbon in Microsoft Word.
Reorder pages, removing the headings if you like.

Order of Headings in the Pane

Remember that all headings in the Navigation Pane are listed in descending order. So the order will be Heading 1 at the top, then Heading 2, Heading 3, and so on. To move an entire page, or section, use the highest-level heading for that section.

How to Move Pages in a Word Document With Keyboard Cut and Paste

Using the Navigation Pane isn't practical for your type of document? You may be wondering: how do I rearrange pages in Word without it?

There are many options in Word. Rearrange pages by cutting and pasting, if you have to. If you prefer to maneuver this way with your keyboard, here's how to arrange pages in Microsoft Word in that style.

Place your cursor at the very beginning of the text on the page you want to move.
Hold your Shift key and press the Page Down (Pg Dn) key. This will grab a screen's worth of text.
If you need to select more, continue holding Shift and press Page Down again. You can do this until you have it all.
Press Control (Ctrl) + X to cut the text you selected.
Move your cursor to the spot where you want the page moved to and press Control (Ctrl) + V to move the page. Word does all the rest.

How to Change Order of Pages in Word With Mouse Cut and Paste

Maybe you're a pro with your mouse and would rather use it than the keyboard while moving pages in Word. You'll do the same thing to cut and paste the text, but a little differently.

How to Switch Page Order in Word With Your Mouse:

Place your cursor at the beginning of the text on the page you want to move.
Hold the left mouse button while you drag through all of the text on the page, then release.
Right-click and choose Cut or click Cut on the Home tab under Clipboard.
Move your cursor to the spot where you want the page moved to, right-click, and pick Paste from the shortcut menu or click Paste on the Home tab under Clipboard.

How to Move Pages Around in Word With the Cut and Paste Methods

You may be wondering how to shift pages in Word most effectively via these means. Regardless if you use your keyboard or mouse, here are a few tips to help you move a page in Word using this method.

Remember Undo Move

If you make a mistake during the cut and paste process, remember that you can undo what you just did. Click the Undo Move button in your Quick Access Toolbar. This will undo your last change, but you can click the arrow next to the button to go back through your history changes.

If you would like to swap pages in Word with custom settings like the Quick Access Toolbar, here are some tips to check out.

Copy Instead of Cut

If cutting text from your document makes you nervous, you can use a copy, paste, delete method instead of reorganizing pages in Word. Follow the same steps for using your keyboard or mouse to select the text, but, rather than choosing Cut, choose Copy.

Then, once you paste that selected text into the spot where you want it, you can go back and delete it where you copied it from originally. This will take longer than a simple cut and paste. However, this method of how to change pages in Word might feel safer for you.

How to Swap Pages in Word Using Your Clipboard History

Another cool way how to arrange pages in Word is via the Clipboard History tool on Windows.

Move your cursor to the spot in your Word document where you want the page you just cut (or copied) in Word.
Move pages using the keyboard shortcut Windows key + V to open your clipboard history.
Then, click an item in the history window to paste it and move pages around in Word.

Carefully Handle Your Word Pages

You should be able to arrange Word pages using one of these three methods. Every user of Microsoft Word will be able to move a page differently.

These tips can help you reorganize the pages of your brochure, your manuscript, or even just your homework. We've only discussed a few approaches to rearrange Word pages; each one has its advantages.

Thankfully, there's a way to change the page order in Word no matter what type of project you're working on.

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