How to change margins in Google Docs

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

There are all sorts of reasons to know how to change margins in Google Docs but it’s not immediately clear how to do it. Once you know how to change margins in Google Docs, however, you can cram information into fewer pages or space it out and make it look more professional, particularly useful for work and school.

Whether you’ve got a strict page limit, want all your notes on one page, or just need a bit of blank space on the screen to break things up we’ve got you covered both vertically and horizontally. And remember, if you prefer how things looked before, Ctrl+Z (or Cmd Z on Mac) is your friend — just undo your changes. Here’s how to change the margins in Google Docs.

How to change margins in Google Docs

Click View in the top toolbar
Click Show ruler
Drag the gray areas of the upper ruler (horiztonal margin)
Drag the gray areas of the left side ruler (vertical margins)

Read on to see detailed instructions for each step.

1. Click View and then click Show ruler (ensure it has a tick mark by it).

A screenshot showing the steps required to change margins on Google Docs — (Image credit: Future)

2. Locate the gray area of the upper ruler. Click and drag the gray area left or right to change the horiztonal margin. There are gray areas on each side of the ruler.

Note: The blue arrow and blue rectangle on the top margin change the paragraph indent and first line indent respectively. These do not alter margins, but instead only change where text begins. Ignore these when changing page margins.

3. Locate the gray area on the left side ruler. Click and drag the gray area left or right to change the vertical margin. There are gray areas at the top and bottom of the ruler.

4. To make precise adjustments, select File.

The first step to adjusting margins on Google Docs — (Image credit: Future)

5. Select Page setup.

The second step to changing the margins on Google Docs — (Image credit: Future)

6. This will open up the Page setup menu. Here you can orient the page and change the margins. Type in the values of the margins you wish to set.

The third step to changing margins on Google Docs — (Image credit: Future)

7. Select OK.

The fourth step to changing margins on Google Docs — (Image credit: Future)

Back on your document, the margins should now be adjusted.

The finished process of adjusting margins on Google Docs — (Image credit: Future)

There you go, all done. From the Page Setup menu, you can also change the page from portrait to landscape.

If you’d like to become a Google Drive expert (including Google Docs) why not check out 11 Google Drive tips to save you time, alternatively learn how to view word count in Google Docs or how to do a strikethrough in Google Docs.

Andy is Tom’s Guide’s Trainee Writer, which means that he currently writes about pretty much everything we cover. He has previously worked in copywriting and content writing both freelance and for a leading business magazine. His interests include gaming, music and sports- particularly Formula One, football and badminton. Andy’s degree is in Creative Writing and he enjoys writing his own screenplays and submitting them to competitions in an attempt to justify three years of studying.

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