To create and format columns in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:
Open Microsoft Word and open the document you want to work with.
Select the text or portion of the document you want to place in columns. If you want to apply columns to the entire document, press "Ctrl + A" to select all the text.
Go to the "Page Layout" tab in the Ribbon at the top of the screen.
In the "Page Layout" tab, locate the "Page Setup" group and click on the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the group. This will open the "Page Setup" dialog box.
In the "Page Setup" dialog box, select the "Columns" tab.
Here you can choose the number of columns you want. You can opt for predefined options like 1, 2, 3, or click on "More Columns" to customize the settings.
If you choose "More Columns," the "Columns" dialog box will appear. In this dialog box, you can specify the number of columns, the width and spacing between columns, and apply line between columns if desired.
After selecting the desired column options, click "OK" to apply the changes.
The selected text or entire document will now be divided into columns.
To format columns further, you can adjust the width of each column by placing the cursor at the vertical line between the columns until it turns into a double-headed arrow. Click and drag the arrow to adjust the width.
You can also apply different formatting options, such as font size, alignment, indentation, etc., to each column individually.
To undo columns and revert back to a single column layout, repeat the steps and select "One" column in the "Columns" dialog box.
Remember to save your document regularly to preserve your changes.