How to Put Text in the Middle of a Page in Word

To put text in the exact middle of a page in Word, center it both across and down the page. Select the text and press Ctrl + E (or Home > Center) to center it horizontally. Then select Layout, open the Page Setup dialog with the small arrow in the corner of the Page Setup group, select the Layout tab, set Vertical alignment to Center, and select OK. To do this on one page only, such as a title page, put that page in its own section first.

Applies to: Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021 and 2019 on Windows and Mac. Last reviewed October 7, 2026.

Step 1: Center the text horizontally

1. Select the text, or click in the paragraph.
2. Press Ctrl + E (Command + E on a Mac), or select Home > Center in the Paragraph group.

The text is now centered between the left and right margins. Microsoft’s guide to aligning and centering text covers the other alignment options.

Step 2: Center the text vertically

Windows

1. Select the Layout tab.
2. Select the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Page Setup group to open the Page Setup dialog.
3. Select the Layout tab in the dialog.
4. Under Page, set Vertical alignment to Center.
5. In Apply to, choose Whole document, This section or This point forward.
6. Select OK.

Mac

1. Select Format > Document in the menu bar.
2. Select the Layout tab.
3. Set Vertical alignment to Center, choose what to apply it to, and select OK.

Word now places the text halfway between the top and bottom margins. This works best on pages with only a few lines, such as a title, a dedication or a sign.

Center text on just one page

If you apply vertical centering to the whole document, every page’s text floats to the middle. To center only a title page:

1. Click at the end of the title page’s text.
2. Select Layout > Breaks > Next Page. The rest of the document now starts on a new page in a new section.
3. Click anywhere on the title page.
4. Open the Page Setup dialog, set Vertical alignment to Center, and set Apply to to This section.
5. Select OK.

For a page in the middle of the document, add a Next Page section break both before and after it. See how to insert a page break in Word for the difference between page and section breaks.

Other ways to place text in the middle

Use a cover page

Select Insert > Cover Page and pick a design. Word inserts a ready-made first page with centered title and subtitle placeholders.

Center text in a table cell

Click in the cell, select the Table Layout (or Layout) tab, and select Align Center in the Alignment group. This centers the text both ways inside the cell.

Center text in a text box or shape

Select the text box, choose Shape Format > Align Text > Middle, and press Ctrl + E. Then use Shape Format > Align > Align Center and Align Middle (relative to the page) to put the box itself in the middle of the page.

Center a table or picture on the page

• Table: click in the table, select the Table Layout tab, then Properties. On the Table tab, set Alignment to Center and select OK. To center it vertically too, use the Page Setup vertical alignment steps above; a table counts as content like text.
• Picture: for a picture that’s in line with text, select it and press Ctrl + E. For a picture with text wrapping, select Picture Format > Align, make sure Align to Page is ticked, then select Align Center and Align Middle.

Examples

A report title page

1. Type the title, a blank line, the subtitle, and then your name and date on separate lines.
2. Select all of it, press Ctrl + E, and make the title larger with the Title style.
3. Add a Next Page section break after the date.
4. Click on the title page and set Vertical alignment to Center for This section.

A sign or notice

1. Type the message, such as Meeting in Room 4.
2. Select it, increase the font size to 72 points or more, and press Ctrl + E.
3. Set Vertical alignment to Center for the whole document.
4. For a wide sign, change the page to Layout > Orientation > Landscape.

A certificate

Use Landscape orientation, add a page border from Design > Page Borders, then center the text both ways. For a ready-made design, search for “certificate” in File > New.

Troubleshooting

The text isn’t exactly in the middle

Empty paragraphs above or below the text count as content. Select Home > Show/Hide ¶ and delete extra paragraph marks. Also check that Spacing Before and After are 0 in Layout > Spacing.

Text is centered horizontally but a little to one side

The paragraph has an indent, or the left and right margins are different. Check Layout > Indent and Layout > Margins. See how to show margins in Word to see them.

Every page is now centered vertically

The setting was applied to the whole document. Add section breaks as described above and set the other sections’ Vertical alignment back to Top.

Vertical alignment isn’t available in Word for the web

Word for the web doesn’t have this setting. Open the document in the desktop app, or add blank lines above the text as a workaround.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the shortcut to center text in Word?

Ctrl + E on Windows or Command + E on a Mac centers text horizontally. There’s no shortcut for vertical centering.

Does vertical centering affect printing?

Yes. The page prints exactly as it looks in Print Layout view.

How do I center text vertically in a header?

Headers don’t support vertical alignment. Adjust the header’s distance from the top in Header & Footer > Header from Top.

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