How to start every chapter on a new page in Word
What the rule sets in the TypesetOS checker apply for chapters on a new page. Each chapter starts on a new page: University of Michigan Rackham Dissertation and Generic US Graduate School Thesis.
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What this rule means
Each chapter has to start at the top of a new page.
The reliable way is a setting on the chapter heading style. Pressing Enter until the title falls onto the next page, or adding a page break by hand, breaks as soon as the text above changes.
What each rule set asks for
Each row is the rule set the TypesetOS checker applies, taken from the guide linked in its last column. Open the school’s own page for the full list of rules.
| School or style | What the checker applies | How it is handled | Guide it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan Rackham DissertationUniversity of Michigan Rackham Dissertation format requirements | Each chapter starts on a new page | Checked automaticallyThe TypesetOS formatter normally fixes this. | University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School: Formatting Guidelines |
| Generic US Graduate School ThesisGeneric US Graduate School Thesis format requirements | Each chapter starts on a new pageWorking reading: source being re-checked. | Shown for reviewThe TypesetOS formatter normally fixes this. | University of Notre Dame Graduate School: Style Guide for Formatting Dissertations and Theses |
Generic US Graduate School Thesis is a working reading, because the source is being re-checked.
The checker does not apply this rule for MIT Thesis, Stanford Dissertation, UC Berkeley Dissertation, Columbia GSAS Dissertation, Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD Dissertation, ProQuest / UMI Dissertation Submission, APA 7th Edition: Student Paper, Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition.
TypesetOS is not affiliated with the schools and organisations named on this page. Compare the values with the current guide that applies to your submission.
Fix it in Word
Steps in Word (Windows and Mac)
- On the Home tab, right-click the style your chapter titles use (usually Heading 1) in the Styles gallery and choose Modify.
- Click Format at the bottom left, then Paragraph….
- Open the Line and Page Breaks tab and tick Page break before.
- Click OK, then OK again.
- Delete the page breaks and empty paragraphs you added by hand before chapter titles. Press Ctrl+Shift+8 (Command+8 on a Mac) to show them.
- Every paragraph in that style now starts a new page, so give headings that should not start a page a different style.
Microsoft’s own instructions:
Then check the file
Run the free format checker on the saved file to see whether this rule now passes. It names what it checked and what it could not check. It does not decide whether your school will accept the file.
Other fixes in Word
- How to fix thesis margins in Word
- How to set the page size of a thesis in Word
- How to fix the body font and size in Word
- How to fix thesis line spacing in Word
- How to fix skipped heading levels in Word
- How to number tables and figures in Word
- How to fix the reference list layout and hanging indent in Word
- How to put the front pages of a thesis in order in Word
- How to add page numbers to a thesis in Word
- How to fix the position of page numbers in Word
- How to fix Roman and Arabic page number formats in Word
Word steps last reviewed: 2026-10-17.