ID: Q99740
The information in this article applies to:
When you copy a selection that contains a section break and paste it in a Word document, the text above the section break assumes the section-level formatting of the pasted section break. (Section-level formatting includes headers/footers, columns, section start setting, line numbers, margins, paper size, paper source and orientation, and vertical alignment.)
This is also true if you copy the last paragraph mark and paste it in a document because the last paragraph mark is an implied section break.
For example, if you insert a continuous section break in a document, section 2 is a continuous section. If you then paste a selection that contains a next page section break in section 2, section 2 becomes a next page section. Section 3 becomes a continuous section.
IMPORTANT: When you select text to copy and paste, remember that you
are copying section-level formatting when you include a section
break or the last paragraph mark in your selection. If you copy a
selection that does not contain a section break or the last
paragraph mark, section layout formatting is not affected when you
paste the selection.
Similarly, when you delete a section break, the text that preceded the section break becomes part of the section that follows, and it assumes the formatting of that section. The following example, using a two- section document, illustrates this concept:
Section 1 is formatted for three columns and contains no headers or
footers. Section 2 is formatted for two columns and contains a
footer. If you delete the section break between the two sections,
Word formats the entire document for two columns and places a
footer on each page.
ARTICLE-ID: Q180258
TITLE : WD: What Happens When You Delete a Section Break
Additional query words: troubleshooting
Keywords : kbformat
Version : WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,1.1a,2.0,2.0a,2.0a- CD,2.0b,2.0c,6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a;MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWSLast Reviewed: February 12, 1998