How to add column in Google docs (multiple columns)

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How to add column in Google docs (multiple columns)

Do you wish to offer your readers a place to rest their eyes? A Google Docs document laid out in columns can do it for you! Adding columns in Google Docs helps you to create a better-looking document when your document is text-heavy. Let us see how to add a column in Google Docs.

Google Docs Columns On Part Of Page helps improve your Google Docs’ readability, clarity, and conciseness. Let’s dive deep to learn how to add multiple columns to structure your Google Docs document easily.

How to add a column in Google Docs

Google Docs offers the ability to split your text into multiple columns. You can add up to three columns to your Google Docs. This feature will be useful for certain types of Google Docs documents like newsletters and brochures.

How to add two columns in Google Docs?

  • If you want to split your Google Docs document into two columns, you first need to highlight the text you want to split up into columns.
  • Go to the Google Docs menu bar and click Format.
  • In the Format menu, hover over Columns, then click the two-columns icon in the middle.
  • When you click on this “two columns” icon, your selected text will be split into two columns.
how to add column in google docs
  • The format of these columns will now be changed to the newspaper style. This fills the left-hand column with text, and only when you have reached the bottom of the page will the second column begin to fill.
Google Docs Columns On Part Of Page
  • The right-hand column will remain blank if you don’t have enough text to fill more than one column.

This is how we can add columns in Google Docs, especially two columns in Google Docs.

Restore multiple columns to a single column

If you have text in columns that you want to return to a single column, you can make it to a single column with ease of formatting.

To restore Google Docs text to a single column,

  • First, highlight the columns you want to return to a single column.
  • Now, head to the Format menu in the Google Docs menu bar.
  • Click on “Format” and hover over the Columns sub-menu.
  • Click on the single-column icon on the left.
  • As soon as you choose, your selected text will return to the single-column format that fills the whole page.

How to format columns in Google Docs?

Google Docs allows you to decide how your columns look. If you want to format your columns, you can do so with formatting options in “Column Options”.

To format your columns,

  • Highlight the text you wish to put into columns first, then click Format in the menu bar.
  • Hover over the Columns sub-menu, and click More options.
  • This will open up the “Column Options” dialog box. 
  • You can select the number of columns you need (a maximum of 3) in the “Number of Columns” option.
add column in google docs
format columns in Google Docs
  • You can also set the spacing between columns (shown in inches), and check the box to determine whether you want a line to appear between columns or not.
  • Once you set these options to your preference, click Apply to save changes.

Unfortunately, these column options are limited. If you want more control over the appearance of your columns in Google Docs documents, you can use a table to organize and manage your text.

How to add Multiple Columns in Google Docs?

Adding multiple columns to your documents in Google Docs using formatting options is limited to 3 columns. The default column formatting options have “Three columns” as the maximum number of columns which is excellent and enough for making newsletters, pamphlets, and brochures.

How do I make more than 3 columns in Google Docs

To Create three columns in Google Docs,

  • First, highlight the text that you want to split up into columns.
  • Go to the Google Docs menu bar and click Format.
  • In the Format menu, hover over Columns, then click the three columns icon on the right.
  • When you click on this “three columns” icon, the selected text will be split into three columns.

This is how we can add columns in Google Docs, especially multiple columns.

Add Multiple Columns In Google Docs using the table

Using a table to add multiple columns in Google Docs is the best workaround to create more columns in Google Docs.

When you create multiple columns using a table, all you have to do is type or paste the text, format it to eliminate the table border, and set where the text sits in the table.

To add multiple columns in Google Docs using a table,

  • Click Insert and hover over the table to choose the number of columns.
  • Once you choose the number of columns, click on it.
  • Type or paste the content.
  • To take out the table outline, right-click anywhere in the table, and select “Table properties”.
  • The “Table Properties” dialog box will open. 
  •  Click the 1 pt dropdown under the Table border and select 0 pt. 
add columns in google docs
  • Once done, click “OK”.
  • This will remove the border around the table, making it look like the Doc has multiple columns.
  • You can also remove the table border by changing the table color to “white’.
how to make columns in google docs
  • Your text won’t automatically move from one column to the next column. So, you must copy and paste your text to the next column. 

How do I type or move to other columns?

When you type in Google Docs Columns, the cursor moves to the next column only after finishing the first column. You can’t move over the second or third column until you finish the first column.

How to switch between columns in Google Docs 

  • To type in another column, you can insert a column break.
  • For inserting a column break, first locate where you wish to insert a column break and place your blinking cursor. 
  • This will become the endpoint of your current column, and any text after this point will move into the next column.
  • To add a column break, right-click on the position of your cursor, then click the “Column break” option from the menu that appears.
  • As soon as you click on “Column break”, a column break will be inserted, and all text after this inserted column break will move into the second or third column.

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An important point to note here is the behavior of the Google Docs column, i.e., how it works is the currently selected text continuously flows until the remaining page, and once finished, it moves to the second column.

To overcome this, if you want to use two separate columns, you should use a table for a better experience.

How to make columns in the Google Docs app

No direct features are available in Android or if you are using your iPhone or iPad. But as a workaround, you try out the below steps.

  • Open the docs app on your Android mobile.
  • Tap the + button from the bottom of your mobile screen –> Select New document to create a new Google Docs document.
  • Tap on the + or the insert button from the top.
How to make columns in google docs app
  • On the Insert window, tap on the table option and then mention the column as 2 and rows as 1. finally, click the Insert table button to insert the table.
How to create columns in google docs app
How to insert columns in google docs app
  • Now, paste the needed text in column 1 and the remaining text in column 2.

How to make two columns in Google Docs on iPad or iPhone

As I have mentioned, there is no direct way to make two columns in Google Docs on iPad or iPhone. But as a workaround, you can add a 1 X 2 table to achieve the same functionality.

  • Open the docs app on your iPhone or iPad.
  • Tap on the + button from the top right.
  • On the Insert window, tap on the table and then mention the column as two and rows as 1, and finally, click on the Insert table button.
  • Now, You can paste the needed text in column 1 and the remaining text in column 2.

How to add Line between Columns In Google Docs

Yet another feature that you can try out while creating the columns in your document. Well, the Column option allows you to add a vertical line between the columns to organize it in a much more presentable way. Such options are used especially if you create a brochure, magazine content, newspaper, etc.

  • Click on Format in the menu bar.
  • Tap on Columns and then select More Options.
How to add Line between Columns In Google Docs
  • Check the box beside “Line Between Columns”.
add Line between Columns In Google Docs
  • Click on Apply.
How to add Line between Columns Google Docs

As soon as you click apply, you can see the vertical lines between the columns. This helps to keep the document neat and presentable. Also, if you do not need those lines, you can go back and undo the settings and apply them to remove the lines.

How to change the Spacing between Columns In Google Docs

You can also increase or decrease the space between two or three columns to make it look more tidy. This helps to fit more words into a specific column. Also, you can create a column for only specific texts in the document. You can learn it all from the information below as you read through and follow the steps.

  • Tap on Format and open Columns.
  • Select More Options.
  • You can now set the number of columns you wish and a size for spacing between the columns.
  • Click on Apply.
How to change the Spacing between Columns In Google Docs

You can repeat the method unless you get the right number for the spacing that looks visually appealing to you or at least presentable. Also, you can always go back to the default size set from before to undo the changes made eventually.

You may like the following Google Docs tutorials:

And voila! You can now add multiple columns and format them with ease! Follow the above steps for the Google Docs add column! I hope you learn how to easily add columns in Google Docs and multiple columns in Google Docs.