Margins in Pages are the blank space around your text — top, bottom, left, and right

When you open a new document in Pages, the app sets default margins for you. On Mac, these are usually one inch on all sides. On iPad, they vary slightly depending on your template. You can change these margins at any time, and the change applies to the whole document or to specific sections, depending on how you set it up.

The fastest way is through the Document tab in the format panel. On Mac, that's the rightmost tab in the toolbar at the top of your document. On iPad, tap the paintbrush icon in the toolbar, then tap Document. From there, you can adjust each margin individually — top, bottom, left, right — by typing a new measurement in inches or centimeters.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Document tab in the format panel (Mac: top toolbar; iPad: paintbrush icon) to find margin controls.
  • You can set different margins for different sections of your document by creating section breaks and adjusting each one separately.
  • Margins are measured from the edge of the page to where your text begins, and you can use inches, centimeters, or points as your unit.
  • If you want the same margins in every document you create, save your current document as a template and use it as your starting point.

Adjusting margins on Mac

On Mac, click the Document tab in the toolbar at the top right of your Pages window. It's the rightmost icon in the format panel — it looks like a small page with lines. A sidebar will open on the right side of your screen.

In that sidebar, scroll down until you see the Margins section. You'll see four fields: Top, Bottom, Left, and Right. Click into any field and type a new number. Pages assumes inches by default, but you can type "cm" after the number to use centimeters instead — for example, "2.5cm". Press Enter or Tab to apply the change, and your text will shift immediately.

If you want to change margins for only part of your document, place your cursor where you want the new margins to start. Then go to Insert > Section Break. Pages will create a new section, and you can adjust margins for that section alone without affecting the rest of the document.

Adjusting margins on iPad

On iPad, tap the paintbrush icon in the toolbar at the top of your document. A format menu will appear at the bottom of the screen. Tap the Document tab — it's usually the rightmost option in that menu.

Scroll down in the Document panel until you see Margins. Tap each field (Top, Bottom, Left, Right) and type your new measurement. You can use inches or centimeters. After you enter a number, tap elsewhere to apply it, and your document will reflow with the new margins.

To create section breaks on iPad, place your cursor where you want the break, then tap Insert (the plus icon in the toolbar) and choose Section Break. You can then adjust margins for that section independently.

Using different margins for different pages

Sometimes you need different margins on different pages — for example, a title page with wider margins and body pages with narrower ones. The way to do this in Pages is with section breaks, not page breaks.

Place your cursor at the beginning of the section where you want margins to change. Insert a section break (Mac: Insert menu > Section Break; iPad: Insert icon > Section Break). Then adjust the margins for that section only. The previous section keeps its original margins, and any sections after this one will use the new margins unless you create another break.

This works because section breaks let you control formatting independently for each section. A regular page break does not — it just moves text to a new page but keeps the same margins throughout.

Saving custom margins as a template

If you always use the same margins for your documents, you can save time by creating a template. Set up your document with the margins you want, then go to File > Save as Template (Mac) or File > Save as Template (iPad). Give it a name like "Standard Letter" or "Narrow Margins Report".

The next time you create a new document, Pages will show your custom template in the template gallery. Click or tap it, and your new document will open with those margins already set. This is much faster than adjusting margins in every new document you start.

Margin units and what they mean

Pages measures margins from the edge of the paper to where your text begins. By default, it uses inches in the United States and centimeters in most other countries. You can type any of these units directly into a margin field: "in" for inches, "cm" for centimeters, "pt" for points (72 points equals one inch), or "mm" for millimeters.

The most common margins are one inch on all sides for standard letters and essays, and 0.75 inches for documents that need to fit more text on a page. Some academic styles like MLA require one-inch margins all around. Check your assignment or style guide if you're unsure what to use.

Troubleshooting margin problems

If your margins look wrong after you change them, make sure you're editing the right section. If your document has multiple sections, changing the margin in one section will not affect the others. Check that your cursor is in the section you want to modify before you adjust the margins.

If text is still running off the edge of the page after you set margins, your text box or table might be wider than the available space. Click on the text box or table and check its width in the Arrange tab of the format panel. You may need to make it narrower to fit within your margins.

If you want to reset margins to Pages' default (usually one inch), go back to the Document tab and type "1in" in each margin field, or simply delete the current number and Pages will restore the default.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set different margins for left and right pages?

Pages does not have a built-in "mirror margins" feature for facing pages. If you need different left and right margins for a two-sided document, you'll need to create separate sections for left and right pages and adjust each one manually. This is more work than some other word processors offer.

What happens to margins when I change the page size?

Margins stay the same measurement when you change page size. If you switch from letter (8.5 × 11 inches) to A4 (8.27 × 11.7 inches), your one-inch margins remain one inch, but they take up a slightly different proportion of the smaller page.

Do margins affect where headers and footers appear?

Headers and footers sit outside your margins — they appear in the space between the margin and the edge of the page. If you want a header or footer to move closer to or farther from your text, you adjust the header or footer distance, not the margins themselves.

Can I see my margins while I'm typing?

Yes. On Mac, go to View > Show Layout to see the page boundaries and margins as a light gray area around your text. On iPad, the margins are usually visible by default, but if you're in a zoomed-in view, you may not see them until you zoom out.

What if my printer won't print near the edges even though my margins are small?

Most printers have a minimum unprintable margin around the edge of the paper — usually about 0.25 inches — that you cannot override. If you set margins smaller than your printer allows, the printer will ignore your margin settings and use its own. Check your printer's manual or settings to see what minimum margin it requires.