Rearranging the order of pages in Word 2010

Anonymous
2012-03-15T13:24:51+00:00

In Word 2010  can you sort pages like you can sort pages in Powerpoint by simply dragging and dropping ?  If not by dragging and dropping, how?

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Charles Kenyon 170.9K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2012-03-15T13:41:49+00:00

In Word 2010  can you sort pages like you can sort pages in Powerpoint by simply dragging and dropping ?  If not by dragging and dropping, how?

Nope.

Word is a text flow program. It prints text on pages but doesn't really organize by page. Powerpoint is a slide show program. It does organize by slides.

You can cut and paste text.

If you have used heading styles to organize your document, you can use the navigation pane to move logical sections around.

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Anonymous
2012-03-15T15:20:45+00:00

If each page begins with a heading  formatted with a page break before (instead of a manual page break between pages), you can switch to outline view, collapse the view to the heading level used at the tops of pages (say, heading 1), and move (by dragging or by cutting and pasting) the headings.  The content under the heading will move with them.  Also in outline view, you can sort the headings.   When cutting in outline view, you must include the heading's paragraph mark so that subheads and text will be included in the cut.  

The navigation pane also allows you to collapse or expand the heading levels shown and to drag headings to rearrange, but as far as I know, you cannot cut and paste to move headings and you cannot sort them.

HTH,

Pam

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  1. John Korchok 236K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-12-09T22:03:56+00:00

    As long as you insert a section break on each page, yes, you can drag and drop pages in the Pages Thumbnail view. If the document is one long text with no section breaks, it doesn't work.

    I'm not defending Word, I'm comparing the programs and demonstrating an inherent shortcoming in word processors when it comes to moving pages. With every such program I've ever used, if you insert a section break on every page, it does make it easier to move pages around.

    I admire that Pages can convert to Page Layout mode, but the compromises are evident. If you move pages in Page Layout, then switch back to Word Processing mode, you'll find there are section breaks inserted on each page. The round trip gives you a very different document.

    I also pointed out that Word's navigation panel allows you to rearrange content (not pages) using drag and drop already, even without inserting section breaks.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-12-09T20:56:13+00:00

    You are correct. I meant a "navigation-like" pane, OK "thumbnails". My apologies for focusing on the solution instead of the verbiage . But Pages did come free with iPad as well as with my Mac. But you are absolutely wrong, you can drag and drop and rearrange pages before converting it to a doc format that Word will recognize. In fact, I do it all the time and just did it. However, once you save it as a doc, it behaves like Word.

    Defend Word all you want, but this simple task should be available. And putting the user at fault instead of focusing on a solution is a typical Microsoft practice. Perhaps that's why after all this time it still can't be done. Perhaps we need add another "ribbon" to make it happen.

    As usual, I spent more time looking for a solution, than getting it done. Which is exactly why I prefer a Mac.

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  3. John Korchok 236K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-12-09T19:11:04+00:00

    I create Pages templates for companies. While there are free versions of Pages on iCloud and iOS devices, Pages for Macis $19.99 at the App Store.

    Pages does not have a Navigation Pane, that is a Word feature. In Word's Navigation Pane, you can rearrange content by dragging and dropping headings, though you can't drag and drop pages. This works for a straight text document without breaks.

    Pages does have a Pages thumbnail view. However, if you create a straight text document, you cannot move the pages in the thumbnail view. Why? Because Pages is a word processor and operates like every other word processor. It's not a page layout program. To change the page order, you must insert a section break at the end of each page to be moved. Then you can drag and drop the pages.

    This section (or page) break technique also works in Word (and every other word processor) to make it easier to move pages by copy and paste. In fact it's roughly what is suggested in the first answer to this 3-year-old thread. Unfortunately, in Pages, you can't drag and drop content by headings like you can in Word.

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