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How to Change Margins in Google Docs: Ultimate Guide

Pooja Verma

Margins are the blank and unused spaces between the document’s content and edges. Margins don’t contain any text or image, and their prime purpose is to prevent text from colliding with document boundaries. The default margin is one inch on each side of the page, but you can customize it to modify your document’s appearance. If you’re wondering how to change margins in Google Docs, you’ve come to the right place!

This article discusses how to change margins in Google Docs…:

However, don’t confuse margins with indents.

Indents are blank spaces between the margin and the first line in a paragraph. You can have different indents in the same document, but there can only be one margin.

There are two methods to edit or change margins in Google Docs. You can set the margins by dragging the ruler with a mouse or preset them by typing precise margin measurements in the page setup dialog box.

Using the Ruler

  1. Open a new or existing Google Doc. Go to the ruler at the top of the document. If you can not see the ruler, turn it on by clicking View and then Show Ruler.
    View and Show Ruler
  2. To change the left margin, position your mouse pointer over the grey zone and go to the rectangular bar with a down-facing triangle under it. You will notice the pointer change into a two-direction arrow.
  3. Click and drag the grey zone to the right or left to adjust the left margin size.
  4. Similarly, adjust the right, top and bottom margin by dragging the ruler’s grey area according to your requirements. Set the top and bottom margins with the vertical ruler located on the left side of your screen.

Note: You will also adjust the first-line indent when you select and drag the blue rectangle icon present above the down-facing triangle. Your document will have no indent by default. You can adjust the indent by just selecting and dragging the down-facing triangle.

Using the Page Setup Option

  1. Select File > Page Setup
  2. You can enter the exact top, bottom, left and right margin measurements (in inches) in the page setup dialog box.
  3. Click Ok.
  4. The default margins are adjusted to one inch on each side of every new document that you create. However, you can alter your existing document’s default margin by clicking Set as Default after changing the margins.

On iPhone

You can follow the steps mentioned below to change margins on iPhone:

  1. Open your document. Navigate to the screen’s upper right corner and click on Menu, indicated by the three dots.
  2. Select Page Setup > Margins
  3. Choose from default, custom, wide or narrow margin setup options.

The custom margin helps you enter specific measurements for your documents. Wide margins apply two-inch right and left and one-inch top and bottom margins. You can set all your margins to one inch using default margins. Use narrow margins to set half-inch margins for all four sides.

On iPad

Change margins on iPad by locating the Menu and Page Setup option from the drop-down list. Other steps of adjusting margins on your iPad are similar to that of an iPhone.

On Android

Android device users cannot change margins in Google Docs. However, you can make other changes like modifying the page size, color or orientation to adjust the look of your documents.

Change Page Orientation

You can choose two different page orientations for your documents: Portrait or Landscape.

  1. Open a Google Docs file and click the edit button, symbolized by a pen icon at the bottom right corner of your screen.
  2. Click on Page Setup.
  3. Choose the Orientation option and set an orientation type.
    Portrait: This is the default orientation setting where the document is taller than wide or has a vertical layout.
    Landscape: Landscape orientation refers to a document that is wider than tall or has a horizontal layout.
  4. Press OK.

Adjust Page Size

  1. Edit button > Page Setup
  2. Click on Paper Size.
  3. Select a paper size from a list of common page sizes.
  4. Click OK.

Change Page Color

  1. Edit button > Page Setup
  2. Click the Page Color option.
  3. Choose a page color.

  4. Press OK.

How to Set One Inch Margins in Google Docs

One-inch margins in Google Docs are a common requirement for institutional writings. You can set your margins to one inch using the Page Setup option by following the steps mentioned below:

  1. Go to the File menu of your document.
  2. Click on Page Setup.
  3. A new window will open. Enter all four margin values as one.
  4. Press OK to apply and save changes.

Using the Ruler

  1. Go to the ruler on your screen.
  2. If you can’t see the ruler, click the View tab and choose the Show Ruler option.
  3. Click and drag the ruler to adjust the margin size to one inch.

Hopefully, now you have all the necessary skills to properly maintain your margins. Did we miss any tips or tricks? Let us know in the comments!

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