How to Switch a Document to Landscape Orientation (6 Steps)

By C. Taylor

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Most document applications, such as Word 2013, WordPad or Notepad, use portrait orientation by default because it's well suited for letters, reports or notes. However, not all documents are best served with this vertical orientation; the horizontal landscape orientation works better for some flyers, charts and tables. If you're creating such a document, consider changing the paper orientation so you maximize the width of the printed page.

Word 2013 and Excel 2013

Step 1

Open your document in Word 2013. This procedure also works for spreadsheets in Excel 2013.

Step 2

Click the "Page Layout" tab.

Step 3

Click "Orientation" from the Page Setup group and select "Landscape."

WordPad and Notepad

Step 1

Open your document in WordPad or Notepad.

Step 2

Click the "File" tab and select "Page Setup."

Step 3

Select "Landscape" in the Orientation section and click "OK."

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