Why does a Microsoft Word document display differently on different computers?

Question

Hi there,

I want to share a Word document with my supervisor. The formatting looks fine on my laptop, where I use the Microsoft Word desktop application for Mac. However, when my supervisor opens it on their laptop, there are weird formatting issues such as strange indentations and askew page numbers. How can I ensure that the formatting remains consistent when I share the document with others?

Answer 1

The apparent cause is that the font used in the original is not available in the web app so a substitution has been made in order to display the document. Although very similar in appearance the metrics of the 2 fonts are slightly different. That causes the spacing to be altered somewhat which forces the web app to generate more lines.

The trickle-down effect is that the last paragraph comes close enough to the bottom margin to prevent the entire paragraph from fitting on that page. Therefore, the last 2 lines of the paragraph are forced to the next page due to Widow/Orphan Control.

Try changing the font to a Microsoft font [e.g., Cambria, Georgia, etc.] which is available in both the desktop software & the web app to see how the flow compares.

BTW: The only indentation is the last paragraph which is the same in both screen shots, so I'm not sure what you are referring to.

Answer 2

Hi Nina Kunzendorf,

Greetings. Thank you for posting the thread to our community.

I understand your concern, it seems your shared Word document is not display in a correct format on your supervisor’s device.  For the situation you’ve encountered, I do understand the inconvenience caused and feel very sorry about it.

In that case, to have a better understanding and identify the root cause of your issue, May I confirm the following information with you?

1. May I confirm if you open the Word document on Word for the web, whether the format matches to your display or your supervisor’s display?
2. May I confirm whether the issue happens to all your documents or a specific document?
3. Could you please provide me a screenshot of the comparing between your display and your supervisor's display?
4. May I confirm the version number of the Word app (Word > About Word) you are using with on your Mac? Please provide me a screenshot of your Word app as the same format down below:

Appreciate your understanding that sometimes the initial reply may not resolve the situation very soon. However, we can work together to narrow down and resolve the situation. Please kindly provide the requested information so that I can work further.

Hope you having a nice day.

Sincerely,

Harry | Microsoft Community Moderator

Answer 3

The simple answer is that you can't control how a Word document displays on a different computer. In a way you've answered your own question, the key word is different. That's why PDF was developed 🙂

How a Word document displays is influenced by system configuration, program version & settings, font availability, document construction and even printer driver. If the two computers are not identical the same document will display differently — the greater the disparity between computers the more dramatic the difference in how the document displays.

Not having access to the document or the specs of the 2 systems makes it difficult to offer any pertinent suggestions. Screen shots may be useful provided the non-printing characters [¶] are displayed. Provided it has no confidential content, a shared copy of the file on OneDrive could be even more helpful. Paste a link into a reply here.

Answer 4

Hi Harry,

Many thanks for your quick reply!

Please find my attempt to answer your questions below:

1. I encountered a similar problem when opening the document on Word for the Web –– the display looked similar to that of my supervisor's, with weird formatting, strange indentations and askew page numbers.
2. I've tested several other documents and encountered the same problem.
3. I don't have access to my supervisor's display. However, since the document's information is confidential, I am sharing a document with placeholder text, which has the exact same formatting as the original. The document on the left is how it's displayed when opened in Word for the Web. The document on the right is how it's displayed in the desktop application. As you can see, the text on the left starts lower and, therefore, extends over two pages, whereas the text on the right is only one page long.
4. My Word version number is: Version 16.87 (24071426)

Please find the supporting screenshots below.

Thanks so much for your help!

Nina

Answer 5

Hi Nina Kunzendorf,

Thank you for your further reply and cooperation.

Based on your description,

Since you mention this issue happens to several other Word documents and the issue happens when you open the document in the Word for the web, I’m afraid this issue needs to be investigated from back end to find the cause. **The support team has higher permission to remotely assist you and collect background logs for the root cause.**This is a more efficient way in handling this case for you.

If you are an admin, I recommend you get support by following steps from this link: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn.

If you are not an admin, you can contact your admin to contact Microsoft support. You can look for the way to find your admin through this link: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

Appreciate again for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Harry | Microsoft Community Moderator