Formatting Issues

Fix Word Apply to Whole Document Changing Back to This Section

Natalie Taylor Oct 7, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to know why the Page Setup dialog reverts the 'Apply to' dropdown from 'Whole document' to 'This section' after saving, which makes it seem like custom margins failed to apply.

Why Word Changes Apply to Whole Document Back to This Section

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Applying custom or mirror margins to an entire document that contains multiple sections.
Observed behavior: When reopening the Custom Margins dialog, the 'Apply to' selection resets to 'This section', causing concern that the formatting was not correctly applied globally.

Before you start

Before troubleshooting, toggle the 'Show/Hide ¶' button on the Home tab to make section breaks visible, as this behavior only occurs in multi-section documents.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify Your Margins Across the Document Visually

Since Word does not remember the 'Apply to' selection in the dialog, you should manually verify that your margins were applied correctly rather than relying on the dialog's dropdown state.

When working with multi-section documents, Microsoft Word's Page Setup dialog dynamically defaults to 'This section' based on your current cursor position. This is a known interface behavior, not a failure to apply your previous 'Whole document' settings. Your mirror margins or custom margins are likely already active.

Check Print Preview

Press 'Ctrl + P' to open the Print Preview screen. Scroll through your document pages to visually confirm that the margins are applied across all pages.

Test a Different Section

Return to your document and place your cursor in a completely different section of the text.

Reopen Page Setup

Navigate to the 'Layout' tab and click the small Page Setup dialog launcher arrow in the bottom right corner of the Page Setup group.

Verify Margin Values

Check if your specific margin settings (such as Mirror margins) are still listed as enabled. Ignore the 'Apply to' dropdown, as it will naturally reset to 'This section'.

Verify Your Margins Across the Document Visually

Word UI Behavior: The 'Apply to' dropdown does not indicate the current scope of your setting; it only dictates the scope of the next change you plan to make in that dialog.

Solution 2

Force Margin Consistency Across All Sections

If your margins genuinely did not apply to all sections, you can override the section breaks by selecting the entire document text before accessing Page Setup.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word keep changing my custom margins to 'This section'?

Word does not actually change your applied margins. The Page Setup dialog simply defaults the 'Apply to' dropdown to 'This section' based on your cursor's current location in a multi-section document. It acts as a tool for your next action, not a status indicator of your previous action.

Do mirror margins automatically apply to the entire document?

Yes, if you selected 'Whole document' when initially configuring the mirror margins, they will apply to all pages. Even if the dialog displays 'This section' upon reopening, your global settings remain intact.

How can I tell if my document has multiple sections?

Navigate to the Home tab and click the paragraph symbol (¶), or press Ctrl+Shift+8, to show hidden formatting marks. This will reveal any 'Section Break' markers embedded between your paragraphs.

Can I apply different margins to different sections in Word?

Absolutely. By placing your cursor inside a specific section and opening the Page Setup dialog, you can adjust the margin values and leave the 'Apply to' dropdown set to 'This section'. This will change the layout for that specific area without altering the rest of the document.

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