How to Make Multiple Columns in LaTeX
For balanced multi-column text in LaTeX, load \usepackage{multicol} and wrap the content in the multicols environment: \begin{multicols}{2} ... \end{multicols} for two columns. For an entire two-column layout (common in conference papers), use \documentclass[twocolumn]{article} instead.
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Example
\usepackage{multicol}
\begin{multicols}{2}
Lots of text that flows across
two balanced columns ...
\end{multicols}
% Whole document two-column:
% \documentclass[twocolumn]{article}Frequently asked questions
multicol or the twocolumn class option?
Use \documentclass[twocolumn] for a whole document (like an IEEE paper). Use the multicol package when only part of the document needs columns, or when you want balanced columns.
How do I span a figure across both columns?
In a twocolumn document, use the starred float figure* (or table*) to span the full page width across both columns.
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