OmniDocHow to set vertical text in Word, how to change vertical text to horizontal text
It explains how to set a paragraph of text to vertical alignment in Word, set vertical alignment in a text box or table cell alone, and change the vertical alignment back to horizontal alignment, and gives the check points after completion.
Key points of this article
- Vertical text is a "text direction" setting, which is not the same as the vertical or horizontal orientation of the page. Changing the page orientation will not make the text vertical.
- If you only want a small section of text to be arranged vertically, select this section of text first and then set it to avoid changing the entire page or article.
- The text direction of text boxes and table cells can be set independently, which is suitable for labels, side columns and table headers.
- When changing back to horizontal layout, select the "horizontal" option. Do not just delete the text or re-enter it, otherwise the paragraph format may remain.
When many people create cover titles, ancient book-style layouts, side labels, or Chinese-style letters in Word, they need the text to be arranged vertically from top to bottom. However, the tutorials I found either only talked about the page orientation, or they talked about changing the entire page to landscape orientation, which did not match the effect I wanted. This article only talks about the direction of the text itself: how to set a paragraph of text to be vertical, how to arrange it vertically in a text box or table, and how to change the vertical arrangement back to horizontal.
After reading, you will be able to judge which vertical arrangement your text should use, follow the steps to create the effect, and know where to check after finishing. The operations in this article are mainly based on the common desktop version of Word. The button positions of different versions will be slightly different. If you cannot find it, you can follow the ideas in the article to find the command with the same name.
How to set vertical text in Word? One sentence conclusion
To set vertical alignment in Word, you only need to select the text you want to align vertically, and then select the vertical alignment option in the "Text Direction" command; to change it back, reselect and select horizontal alignment. If the content in a text box or table is arranged vertically, it should be set in the corresponding object respectively instead of changing the entire page.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| One paragraph or several lines of text in the text should be arranged vertically | Select this text and set the text direction | Only the selected content is affected, and the preceding and following paragraphs remain horizontal. |
| Want to make side labels, subtitles or vertical text on the cover? | Insert a text box and set the text direction in the text box | Text boxes can be moved independently without disturbing the text |
| Some cells in the table require vertical headers | Select a cell and set the text direction of the cell | Only the specified grid in the table is changed, and the table lines remain unchanged. |
| I want the entire page to be arranged vertically | Also consider settings such as page vertical and horizontal orientation and column divisions. | Page direction and text direction are two different things, which need to be dealt with comprehensively according to the layout. |
| After vertical arrangement, change it back to normal text | Select the original content and select the horizontal option | Directly select horizontal layout, which is less likely to leave formatting problems than manual deletion and retyping. |
Before you start: Confirm these points first
First distinguish whether you want "text direction" or "page direction". The text direction determines whether each line of text is arranged horizontally or vertically; the page direction determines whether the entire paper is vertical or horizontal. If you want the text to be vertical, you usually don't need to change the entire page to horizontal. If your goal is full-page layout changes, page setup should be handled separately.
Confirm the vertical range. Is it a paragraph of text, a title, a text box, or a table cell? The scope is different, and the entrance settings are also different. If you choose the wrong scope, the common result is that the entire document changes and needs to be withdrawn one by one.
Confirm whether there is any layout that needs to be retained in the document. If the document has been set up with columns, headers and footers, or complex paragraph indents, these places may need to be readjusted after vertical layout. Before you start, save a copy so you can compare and restore if something goes wrong.
Consider the display of punctuation and numbers. After vertical arrangement, the position of Chinese punctuation and the arrangement of English words and numbers will change. If there are English abbreviations, dates or numbers in the text, try to read it paragraph by paragraph after setting it up, rather than just looking at the first line.
If you want to translate a vertically oriented document, first determine the end use. Vertical layout may need to be checked again after translation. OmniDoc supports the translation of Word .docx files, and you can choose bilingual comparison or only output the translation. The layout and tables will be retained as much as possible, but important content should still be checked manually.
Steps to set a vertical text in Word
- Select the text to be arranged vertically. Use the mouse to drag or hold down the Shift key and the arrow keys to select. The more precise the selection, the more controllable the vertical range.
- Find the "Text Direction" command. Look for the "Text Direction" related button in the Word ribbon. It is usually placed together with the page setup, text box or table tools. The specific location varies with the version.
- Open the drop-down option of text direction. Common options include horizontal layout, all text rotated 90 degrees, all text rotated 270 degrees, and vertical layout. Different options are arranged in different directions. It is recommended to try them one by one before deciding.
- Select the vertical option and observe the effect. After selecting, check whether the text in the selection is arranged from top to bottom or right to left as expected. If the effect is not right, go back to the drop-down option and try again.
- If you need a separate vertical box, use a text box instead. Add a text box in "Insert". After entering text, find the text direction in the settings of the text box and select vertical. In this way, the vertical content can be moved independently without affecting the main text paragraphs.
- Adjust the position and size of the text box or paragraph. After vertical arrangement, the row height and column width of the text will change, and the frame may need to be widened or raised to prevent the text from being cut off.
- When the table is arranged vertically, only the target cell is selected. Select the cells that need to be arranged vertically and then set the text direction. The borders of the table and other cells will remain intact.
- Read through the finished product. Check whether the punctuation, numbers and English in the vertical part are displayed normally, and confirm that they do not affect the paging and line spacing of the preceding and following paragraphs.
How to change vertical layout back to horizontal layout
To change the vertical text back to horizontal, the safe way is to re-select the same paragraph of content and select horizontal in the text direction drop-down option. This step will restore the text direction to its default value.
If the vertical arrangement is achieved through a text box, you can directly select the text box, and then enter its text direction setting to change it to horizontal arrangement; if you no longer need the text box, you can also delete the text box, copy the text inside to the main text, and then set the paragraph format uniformly.
It should be noted that some people will select the vertical text and then directly delete it and retype it. Although it looks clean, the original font, indentation, and distance before and after paragraphs may not be taken away, and the result will need to be readjusted. Prioritize the horizontal layout option, which is cheaper.
If the entire table or section of the document is arranged vertically, when changing back to horizontal arrangement, check each section and cell separately to make sure there are no missing vertical parts.
Check each item after completion
| Check items | How to see | What to do if there is a problem |
|---|---|---|
| Is the vertical range correct? | See if there are changes outside the selected paragraph, text box or cell | After undoing, reselect the exact range and set again. |
| Is the punctuation position normal? | Check paragraph by paragraph to see if periods, commas, quotation marks and book title marks are in the right places | Adjust the paragraph where the punctuation is located or replace it with punctuation suitable for vertical arrangement |
| Are the English and numbers clear? | Check whether dates, numbers, and abbreviations are broken or skewed | Put English and numbers into horizontal text boxes separately, or use appropriate character formats |
| Are pagination and page numbers affected? | Turn to each page and check whether the page numbers, headers and footers are misaligned. | Adjust paragraph spacing, or check section break settings |
| Whether the text box blocks the text | Observe whether there is overlap between the edge of the text box and the main text | Move the text box position, or set the text wrapping method |
| Will the format remain after changing back to horizontal format? | Check whether the font, indentation and line spacing are consistent with the surrounding paragraphs | Use the Format Painter to align the formatting of surrounding paragraphs |
If it is a formal document to be delivered to others, it is recommended to open it on another computer or another version of Word to confirm that the vertical layout effect has not changed due to missing fonts or version differences.
🎯 Which method is suitable for you?
- Just want to make one or two words or a title vertical: directly select the text to set the text direction, which requires less operations and is easy to change back.
- Need to make side labels, comment boxes or cover decorations: It is more appropriate to use text boxes, and the position can be adjusted freely without affecting the layout of the text.
- Making table-type materials, such as vertical table headers: Only set the cells that need to be arranged vertically, and the table structure remains unchanged, making it clearer to read.
- There is a lot of vertical content in the document, and it needs to be modified multiple times: It is recommended to test the effect on the copy first, and then apply it to the official document after confirming the plan to reduce rework.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Why does the vertical text only change the page orientation, but the text is still horizontal?
The page orientation only determines whether the paper is portrait or landscape, and does not change the arrangement direction of the text. If you want the text to be arranged vertically, you need to select the text and set it in the commands related to the text direction.
2. Why do English words appear letter by letter after being arranged vertically?
The rules for displaying English and numbers in vertical format are different from those in Chinese. Long words are sometimes split into different columns. If it affects reading, you can put the English or numbers alone in a horizontal text box, or rewrite them into Chinese expressions.
3. Can only one paragraph of vertical text be enabled, while other paragraphs remain horizontal?
Can. You only need to select that paragraph of text and then set the text direction. Paragraphs outside the selection will not be affected. If you find that other paragraphs have changed, it means that the selection has been expanded. You can reselect accurately after undoing it.
4. The page number moves to another position after vertical layout. How to deal with it?
The position of the page number is usually determined by the header, footer and section settings. Vertical arrangement itself generally does not directly change the page number. First check whether the vertical content causes pagination changes, then check whether the headers and footers have been rearranged on the new page, and adjust paragraph spacing or sectioning if necessary.
📝 Summary
When setting vertical text in Word, the key is to distinguish the text direction and page direction, and first determine whether the vertical range is a paragraph of text, a text box, or a table cell. Selecting the horizontal option when changing back to horizontal is more secure than retyping. After finishing, check the punctuation, English numerals, pagination and page numbers one by one to make the vertical layout both beautiful and usable.
