How To Change Default Print Settings In Microsoft Word

To change default print settings in Microsoft Word, save page layout choices through Page Setup and change printer defaults through Windows Printing preferences. Use File > Print for adjustments to the current print job. These settings have different scopes: changing a print job does not.

Choose where to save your print settings

The steps below cover the Word desktop app on Windows. Before making changes, decide what you want Word to remember:

• For paper size, orientation and margins in future documents, change Word's page setup defaults.
• For printer options such as colour, quality and double-sided printing, change the selected printer's preferences in Windows.
• For copies, page ranges or a temporary exception, use Word's Print screen.

Existing documents retain their own page layouts. A new default will not automatically convert an old report from Letter to A4 or change its margins.

Set default paper size, orientation and margins in Word

Start with a blank document so that an unusual layout in an existing file does not become your starting point.

1. Open Word and create a blank document.
2. Select Layout, then click the small dialog box launcher in the Page Setup group.
3. On the Margins tab, enter the top, bottom, left and right margins you need. Choose Portrait or Landscape under Orientation.
4. Open the Paper tab and select the required paper size, such as A4 or Letter.
5. Review the settings across the dialog before selecting Set As Default.
6. Confirm the prompt to save the changes to the Normal template.
7. Create another blank document and check that the intended layout appears.

Microsoft's guidance on changing margins explains the layout controls, while its support answer on default paper size describes saving the paper choice to the Normal template.

These defaults apply to new documents based on that template. A document created from a separate business, letterhead or report template can use different settings.

Change the layout of an existing document

For a file you already have, use Layout > Size, Layout > Orientation or Layout > Margins. Open Page Setup for more control and check the Apply to selection before confirming. Section breaks can allow different parts of a document to have different layouts.

Save the document to preserve its layout. You do not need to select Set As Default unless you also want to change the starting layout for future documents.

Save printer defaults in Windows

Print quality, colour mode, paper trays and automatic double-sided printing depend on the printer and its driver. To establish preferences beyond the current Word session, open the printer's settings in Windows.

1. In Windows 11, open Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
2. Select the printer you normally use.
3. Open Printing preferences.
4. Choose the available defaults you need, such as greyscale, draft quality, paper size or double-sided printing.
5. Select Apply if shown, then OK to save.
6. Return to Word, select that printer and check its settings before printing.

Button names and available options vary by driver. Brother's instructions for changing printer driver settings illustrate the difference between application settings and Windows defaults.

Set preferences separately for each printer you use. A monochrome printer cannot offer colour output, and automatic double-sided printing requires compatible hardware. A document or an individual print job may override a saved preference.

Keep your preferred printer selected

The default printer determines the device Windows selects; it is a separate choice from paper size or print quality. If Windows keeps choosing another device, open Printers & scanners and turn off Let Windows manage my default printer. Select your preferred device and choose Set as default, following Microsoft's default printer instructions.

Adjust a single print job in Word

1. Open the document and select File > Print.
2. Choose the intended printer before adjusting other options.
3. Set the number of copies and choose all pages, the current page or a custom page range.
4. Check the available settings for single-sided or double-sided printing, collation and pages per sheet.
5. Open Printer Properties if you need driver options such as quality or paper type, then select OK.
6. Inspect the preview before selecting Print.

These are job-level adjustments; do not assume that selecting OK in Printer Properties makes them permanent. Microsoft's guide to printing a Word document covers previewing pages and choosing what to print.

Control backgrounds and extra printed content

For Word-specific printing behaviour, open File > Options > Display and find Printing options. You can choose whether to print background colours and images, hidden text or document properties. Printing document properties adds a separate information page.

These controls are described in Microsoft's Display options reference. They are separate from the printer's quality settings and the document's page layout.

For review copies, also check Print Markup in the Print screen. Confirm whether comments and tracked changes should appear before sending the document to the printer.

Check settings that revert or produce unexpected results

• If a new layout default appears ineffective, test a new blank document rather than an existing file or a document based on another template.
• If content is cropped or unexpectedly reduced, check that Word's paper size, the printer's paper setting and the paper loaded in the tray agree. Review scaling options too.
• If only part of the document changes orientation or margins, inspect its sections and the Apply to setting in Page Setup.
• If printer preferences are unavailable or repeatedly reset on a managed workplace printer, ask your administrator which settings you can change.

For other Word tasks, browse the Microsoft Office guides. If troubleshooting also reveals an Office activation issue, the articles on Office activation using Command Prompt and finding an Office product key using Command Prompt cover those separate setup topics.

Create a blank document, check its paper size and margins, then print one test page with your preferred printer before sending the full document.