Does this feature which exists for Word for Windows exist in Mac Word?

January 12, 2013 6:15 PM

If I'm using Word for Windows, I can double click at the bottom of a page to create one big page. But if I double click at the bottom of a document inside Word on MacOS it opens up the footer prompt. Does Word for Mac have a similar "join pages" feature?
posted by professor plum with a rope to computers & internet (12 answers total)

I use Word for Mac and I have no idea what you're describing, but whether that's my lack of understanding or that it's a feature that doesn't exist, I don't know. Can you describe what you want it to do a bit more clearly? What I'm understanding is that you'd want pages to join together and change the margins/page size, but that doesn't make sense.
posted by DoubleLune at 6:19 PM on January 12

What I *think* you mean is, it doesn't literally "create one big page," but it's a view setting that removes the grey gaps between the white "pages?" If so, it's probably under View, it might be "web" vs "print" or something I think?
posted by drjimmy11 at 6:27 PM on January 12

Yeah, I think you want to go to the view menu and select normal. Selecting from the view menu 'page layout' makes each page display on your monitor as a separate thing, viewing in 'normal' mode will do the opposite.
posted by ifandonlyif at 6:32 PM on January 12

drjimmy11: That's it exactly. It creates the appearance of one big page. Thanks.
posted by professor plum with a rope at 6:32 PM on January 12

What version of Word for Mac are you using? The way to do this on Word 2007 or 2010 for Windows in the menus (as opposed to by double clicking) is to click the big Office button in the top left, go to Word Options (at the bottom of the menu) --> Display --> uncheck "show white space in between pages in print layout view" -- can you do it that way on your Word for Mac?
posted by brainmouse at 6:33 PM on January 12

I believe you're talking about hiding the header and footer areas, so that the pages flow together with a black line between them (but still in the print view). If so, I don't think you can do this in the Mac version (or if you can, I've spent years being needlessly annoyed by this).

I use Word a lot for my job, and it's always obvious when those I'm corresponding with are using a Mac because the document invariably comes back zoomed in and with the header/footer areas visible (when I sent it out at 100% and with those areas hidden).

On preview: Ah, you weren't talking about print view. Alas!
posted by cellar door at 6:35 PM on January 12

brainmouse: I'm on Word 2011. There is no "Display" option ("Preference") in mine. There is a "View" Preference, but there's nothing there like the option you describe.

cellar door: I agree; it sounds like an obvious thing to have in all versions of Word.
posted by professor plum with a rope at 6:43 PM on January 12

IFF: I don't have a "Normal" in the View window on Word 2011.
posted by professor plum with a rope at 6:57 PM on January 12

Try View->Draft.

Seems to give a full-document view.
posted by pompomtom at 7:15 PM on January 12 [1 favorite]

I tried everything I could find in Print view, nothing seemed to do this (I have the same version). The only way seems to be switching to Draft view, which is much more annoying to me.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:19 PM on January 12

I absolutely know what you're talking about: draft mode isn't it. when I switched from a PC to a Mac a couple years ago, I searched extensively across the internets to find a way to enable it on Mac Word. unfortunately, it doesn't seem to exist. bummer, because I LOVED that feature. I write novels, & it was so much easier to edit when viewing the MS as continuous work. shrinking your headers & footers helps a little bit, but it's still not the same. sorry!
posted by changeling at 8:44 PM on January 12 [1 favorite]

You want draft view and it is on the lower left hand side where all the other views are located. If what you are looking for is a continuos document with only a light blue line to show page breaks.
posted by jadepearl at 12:40 PM on January 13