By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Apply heading and body styles instead of formatting each line by hand.
- Change page margins and line spacing and explain what each is for.
- Create bulleted and numbered lists.
- Add a header, a footer and page numbers to a document.
A page that looks tidy is easier to read, easier to trust and easier to change later. The secret is not clever decoration but structure: telling the program which line is a heading, which is ordinary text and which is a list item, and letting it handle the look. This lesson shows how to do that with styles, and how to set up the page itself so that your documents look professional with very little effort.
Styles: say what a line is, not how it looks
Imagine writing a report and making every heading by hand: select the line, make it bold, make it bigger, change the colour. Twenty headings later, you decide the colour is wrong, and you must redo all twenty. A paragraph style solves this. A style is a saved set of formatting with a name, such as Heading 1 or Body Text. You apply the style to a paragraph, and the program applies every setting in it. Change the style once, and every paragraph that uses it changes.
- Bold, bigger and coloured one line at a time
- To change the look, edit every heading
- Headings slowly drift apart
- The program cannot tell they are headings
Slow and inconsistent
- Apply Heading 1 to each heading
- To change the look, edit the style once
- Every heading matches
- Enables contents lists and screen readers
Quick, consistent, accessible
Read this figure as text
A comparison of formatting headings by hand against using heading styles.
Two columns. Column one, Hand formatting: each heading is made bold, larger and coloured separately; changing the look means editing every heading; headings can end up slightly different from each other; the program cannot tell that they are headings. Verdict: slow and inconsistent. Column two, Styles: you apply Heading 1 to each heading; changing the look means editing the style once; every heading matches; the program knows the structure and can build a contents list and help screen readers. Verdict: quick, consistent and accessible.
The styles that matter most are Heading 1 (main sections), Heading 2 (subsections), Heading 3, Title and Body Text (ordinary paragraphs; older Writer releases call it Text Body). Headings make a hidden outline of your document. This is why a screen reader can jump from heading to heading, and why the program can create a table of contents automatically.
Apply a heading style
In LibreOffice Writer
Step 1: Click in the line
Click anywhere in the line that should be a main heading. You do not need to select it.
You should see: The cursor sits in that paragraph.
Step 2: Choose the style
Use the Set Paragraph Style box at the left of the Formatting toolbar and choose Heading 1. You can also press Ctrl+1. For a subheading press Ctrl+2. For ordinary text press Ctrl+0.
You should see: The line becomes larger and bold, and the box shows Heading 1.
Step 3: See the whole list of styles
Press F11 to open the Styles panel on the right, or open the Styles menu.
You should see: A list of paragraph styles appears. Double-clicking one applies it to the current paragraph.
Step 4: Change a style
In the Styles panel, right-click Heading 1 and choose Modify. On the Font tab, choose a new size or colour, then click OK.
You should see: Every Heading 1 in the document changes at once.
In Microsoft Word
Step 1: Click in the line
Click anywhere in the line that should be a main heading.
You should see: The cursor sits in that paragraph.
Step 2: Choose the style
On the Home tab, find the Styles gallery and click Heading 1. The shortcut is Ctrl+Alt+1; for Heading 2 it is Ctrl+Alt+2.
You should see: The line changes to the heading look and the style is highlighted in the gallery.
Step 3: Change a style
Right-click Heading 1 in the gallery and choose Modify, then change the font or size and click OK.
You should see: Every Heading 1 in the document changes at once.
Format a simulated document with headings, bold text, bullets and alignment, and watch the page update. This is a simulation; nothing on your own computer is changed.
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The page itself: margins and line spacing
A margin is the blank border between the text and the edge of the paper. Margins give the eye a rest and leave room for binding or printing. A common choice for letters and reports is about 2 to 2.5 cm all round. Very narrow margins make text cramped, and very wide ones waste paper. Line spacing is the vertical space between lines. Single spacing is tight; 1.15 or 1.5 is easier to read and leaves room for a marker to write; double spacing is often required for school drafts.
Format: A4 (21.0 cm x 29.7 cm), Portrait
Left margin: 2.00 cm
Right margin: 2.00 cm
Top margin: 2.00 cm
Bottom margin: 2.00 cm
- Marker 1: Paper size and direction
- Marker 2: Margin boxes
- Marker 3: Apply the changes
Read this figure as text
A simulated dialog window with page size and four margin boxes.
A simulated dialog window titled Page Style: Default Page Style. The Page tab shows the paper format A4, 21 by 29.7 centimetres, portrait orientation, and margin boxes: Left 2.00 cm, Right 2.00 cm, Top 2.00 cm, Bottom 2.00 cm. Buttons at the bottom read Cancel and OK. Marker 1 points to the paper format line. Marker 2 points to the margin boxes. Marker 3 points to the OK button.
Set margins and line spacing
In LibreOffice Writer
Step 1: Open Page Style
Choose Format, then Page Style.
You should see: A window opens with tabs such as Page, Area, Header and Footer.
Step 2: Set the margins
On the Page tab, check that the format is A4, then type the Left, Right, Top and Bottom margins, for example 2.5 cm each. Click OK.
You should see: The white text area of the page becomes narrower or wider.
Step 3: Set line spacing
Click in a paragraph (or select several), choose Format, then Paragraph, and on the Indents & Spacing tab set Line Spacing to 1.15 lines or 1.5 lines. Click OK.
You should see: The lines of the paragraph move apart.
In Microsoft Word
Step 1: Set the margins
Open the Layout tab, click Margins and pick a preset, or choose Custom Margins and type your own.
You should see: The text area changes width.
Step 2: Check the paper size
On the same tab, click Size and make sure that A4 is ticked.
You should see: The page keeps the shape of ordinary paper in the UK and Kenya.
Step 3: Set line spacing
Select your text, then on the Home tab click Line and Paragraph Spacing and choose 1.15 or 1.5.
You should see: The lines move apart.
Lists: bullets and numbers
Use a bulleted list when the items have no order, such as things to pack. Use a numbered list when the order matters, such as steps in a method. Do not type the bullet or number yourself, because the program does it better and keeps the numbers right when you add an item.
- Writer: type your items one per line, select them and click the bulleted or numbered list button on the Formatting toolbar. The keys are Shift+F12 for bullets and F12 for numbers. Press Enter twice at the end to leave the list.
- Word: select the lines and click the bullets or numbering button in the Paragraph group on the Home tab.
- Press Tab at the start of an item to make a sub-item, and Shift+Tab to move it back out.
Headers, footers and page numbers
A header is a strip of text at the top of every page and a footer is one at the bottom. Typical contents are your name, the title of the document and the page number. Because they repeat automatically, you type them once. A page number is a field: a code that the program replaces with the right number on each page.
- Marker 1: Header: repeats on every page
- Marker 2: Heading 1 style
- Marker 3: Bulleted list
- Marker 4: Footer with page number
Read this figure as text
A simulated report page showing a header, a title, a heading, body text, a list and a footer with a page number.
A simulated A4 page. A header at the top reads Neighbourhood Water Report. Below is a Title, Water Use in Our Street. Then a Heading 1, Main findings, followed by a body paragraph and two bullet items. At the bottom a footer reads Page 1. Marker 1 points to the header. Marker 2 points to the Heading 1 style line. Marker 3 points to the bullet list. Marker 4 points to the footer with the page number.
Add a header, footer and page numbers
In LibreOffice Writer
Step 1: Insert a header
Choose Insert, then Header and Footer, then Header, then Default Page Style.
You should see: A dotted box appears at the top of the page and the cursor moves into it.
Step 2: Type your header
Type a short title, such as
Neighbourhood Water Report.You should see: The text repeats at the top of every page.
Step 3: Insert a footer
Use Insert, Header and Footer, Footer, Default Page Style, then click inside the footer.
You should see: A box appears at the bottom of the page.
Step 4: Add the page number
With the cursor in the footer, choose Insert, then Field, then Page Number. Press Ctrl+E to centre it. Menus in some releases also offer Insert, then Page Number.
You should see: The footer shows 1 on page one and 2 on page two.
To start a new page deliberately, press Ctrl+Enter to insert a page break, for example before a new chapter.
In Microsoft Word
Step 1: Insert a header
Open the Insert tab, click Header and choose Blank.
You should see: The top of the page becomes editable.
Step 2: Type your header
Type a short title, then click Close Header and Footer (or double-click in the body).
You should see: The header text repeats on every page.
Step 3: Add page numbers
On the Insert tab, click Page Number, choose Bottom of Page and pick a centred style.
You should see: A number appears in the footer of every page.
Step 4: Start a new page
Press Ctrl+Enter to insert a page break.
You should see: The cursor moves to the top of a new page.
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Making headings by enlarging and bolding ordinary text.
✔ Do this: Apply Heading 1, Heading 2 and so on, then change the style if you want a different look.
✖ Instead of: Using the space bar or repeated Enter keypresses to position things.
✔ Do this: Use alignment, tabs, spacing settings and page breaks. They stay in place when the text changes.
✖ Instead of: Typing bullets (such as an asterisk) or numbers by hand.
✔ Do this: Use the list buttons so that the program keeps the list correct.
✖ Instead of: Using five different fonts and many colours.
✔ Do this: Use one or two fonts and a single accent colour. A plain document reads better.
If something goes wrong
- My heading style does not seem to change anything.
- Make sure the cursor is in the paragraph before choosing the style, and open Format, then Paragraph to check that nothing was set by hand on top of the style.
- The page number shows the same number on every page.
- You probably typed a number. Delete it and insert the Page Number field instead (Insert, Field, Page Number in Writer; Insert, Page Number in Word).
- A blank page appears at the end of the document.
- Turn on the formatting marks (Ctrl+F10 in Writer, Ctrl+Shift+8 in Word) and delete the empty paragraphs or the extra page break.
- Margin changes do not seem to apply to the whole document.
- In Writer, make sure you changed the Page Style used by those pages. In Word, check that Apply to says Whole document.
Key terms
- Paragraph style
- A saved set of formatting, such as font and spacing, that you apply to a whole paragraph in one click.
- Margin
- The empty space between the edge of the page and the text.
- Line spacing
- The amount of vertical space between lines of text.
- Header and footer
- Text repeated at the top and bottom of every page in a document.
- Screen reader
- Software that reads aloud what is on the screen, helping people who cannot see it well.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Give a plain page some structure
Type a short made-up report of about ten lines, with a title, two section headings, a paragraph under each and a list of three items. Apply Title, Heading 1, Body Text and a bulleted list using styles, set margins to 2.5 cm and line spacing to 1.15, then add a header with the report title and a centred page number in the footer. Save it as water-report-2026-10.
Challenge: change every heading at once
In your report, add two more sections so that you have four headings. Then change the look of every heading in one action by modifying the Heading 1 style: make it a different colour and size. Explain in two sentences why this was not possible quickly if you had made the headings by hand.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- Styles name what a paragraph is. Change a style once and every paragraph using it changes.
- Use Heading 1, Heading 2 and Body Text; do not fake headings with bigger text.
- Margins of about 2 to 2.5 cm and line spacing of 1.15 to 1.5 suit most documents.
- Use the list buttons rather than typing bullets or numbers.
- Headers, footers and page-number fields repeat automatically; page breaks start new pages.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.
- LibreOffice Writer guide (The Document Foundation)
- LibreOffice Help (The Document Foundation)
- Microsoft Word help and learning (Microsoft)