This article explains how to convert Google Docs documents to landscape format and how to make landscape the default format. There’s also a workaround if you need portrait and landscape images in one document.

What to Know

  • To convert a document to landscape: Select File > Page setup > choose Landscape > OK.To set landscape as the default format: File > Page setup > Landscape > Set as default.

Make Google Docs Landscape Format

Many people think Google Docs is limited when it comes to style and format, but it’s easy to switch Google Docs to landscape format. You just need to know which menu options change the document format to landscape. It’s also possible to make landscape formatting the default format for your Google Docs documents.

If you have an existing document saved in Google Docs and want to reformat it into landscape, the following steps do that.

  • With the document open in Google Docs, go to File and select Page setup.
  • In the Page setup dialog box, enable Landscape. This automatically deselects Portrait mode. Here, you can also adjust the margins.
  • Select OK to close the Page setup dialog box and return to the document displayed in Landscape mode.
  • Select and drag the boxes at the corner or side of any photos in the document that you want to stretch across the entire page.
  • When you’re finished reformatting the document, Google Docs automatically saves all changes to the document.

Set Landscape Format as the Google Docs Default

If you want documents in Google Docs to open in Landscape mode automatically, set Landscape as the default format.

With the document open in Google Docs, go to File and select Page setup.

In the Page setup dialog box, enable Landscape. This automatically deselects Portrait mode. Here, you can also adjust the margins.

Select OK to close the Page setup dialog box and return to the document displayed in Landscape mode.

Select and drag the boxes at the corner or side of any photos in the document that you want to stretch across the entire page.

When you’re finished reformatting the document, Google Docs automatically saves all changes to the document.

You can’t have portrait and landscape pages in a single Google document.

You can do this in the step above where you’re enabling Landscape mode by selecting Set as default before clicking OK to save.

Now, any time you open a new document in Google Docs, it starts out in Landscape mode.

If you want to switch it back to Portrait mode, you’ll need to follow the same steps as above, but enable Portrait instead of Landscape.

Workaround to Print Landscape and Portrait in Google Docs

There’s no way to alternate page formats in Google Docs. However, there is a workaround so that if you plan to print or convert the document to PDF, you can print pages in alternating formats.

  • With the document open in Google Docs, go to File and select Print.
  • In the Print window, select Change under Destination. Select Save as PDF to change the destination to a PDF document.
  • If you prefer to print to a paper document instead of to a PDF file, change the destination to your printer.
  • Change the Pages selection from All to the custom pages selection below it, which allows you to enter a custom page range. Type the range of pages you want to print in the current format.
  • Select Save, then save the file to a location on your computer.
  • Include the page numbers in the file title. Later, while merging the documents, you’ll know which pages are in each saved file.
  • Go through the steps in the first part of this guide to change the document format from Landscape mode to Portrait Mode.
  • Repeat steps 1 through 4 above to print the next few pages of your document in Portrait mode.
  • Continue changing the format of your document and printing sections of the document. When you’re done, you’ll have multiple PDF documents saved for all of the pages in the original document.
  • You may need to insert section breaks between pages to keep the document text organized on the correct pages as you change document formatting back and forth.
  • Use any desktop or online PDF editors to merge the individual PDF files into one document. Once you’re done, the document has individual pages or sections in different formats.
  • If you opted to print the pages to your printer, assemble the pages back together into a single document.

With the document open in Google Docs, go to File and select Print.

In the Print window, select Change under Destination. Select Save as PDF to change the destination to a PDF document.

If you prefer to print to a paper document instead of to a PDF file, change the destination to your printer.

Change the Pages selection from All to the custom pages selection below it, which allows you to enter a custom page range. Type the range of pages you want to print in the current format.

Select Save, then save the file to a location on your computer.

Include the page numbers in the file title. Later, while merging the documents, you’ll know which pages are in each saved file.

Go through the steps in the first part of this guide to change the document format from Landscape mode to Portrait Mode.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 above to print the next few pages of your document in Portrait mode.

Continue changing the format of your document and printing sections of the document. When you’re done, you’ll have multiple PDF documents saved for all of the pages in the original document.

You may need to insert section breaks between pages to keep the document text organized on the correct pages as you change document formatting back and forth.

Use any desktop or online PDF editors to merge the individual PDF files into one document. Once you’re done, the document has individual pages or sections in different formats.

If you opted to print the pages to your printer, assemble the pages back together into a single document.

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