I'm learning how to use Office 2013. All of the page layout icons are grayed out and are inactive.I tried moving the margin by dragging the indicator on the ruler and that didn't work either.

Do you have a document open?

How did you start Word?

I would NEVER use the ruler to change margins, only indents.

Margins are a Section property.
Sections / Headers and Footers in Microsoft Word 2007-2013

I have a blank document open. I started Word from a shortcut pinned to the taskbar

Page Layout (tab) > Margins > Custom Margins (or)
Page Layout (tab) > Page Setup Group Dialog Launcher
2013PageLayoutTab[1].jpg

Either of these will bring up the Page Setup dialog on the Margins tab.

Note that changes to this dialog that are set for "This Point Forward" will create a Section Break.
Sections / Headers and Footers in Microsoft Word 2007-2013

If you set it for the entire document, it does not create a section break.

Attached Images

2013PageSetupDialogMargins.png (19.1 KB, 18 views)

The dialog launcher is the little arrow button in the bottom-right corner of a "group" on a tab. Groups are designated by titles along the bottom of the tab.

In Word 2013 everything generally looks grayed-out to my eyes used to the color of Word 2010. In the image above from the Page Layout tab six of the buttons in the Arrange group on the far right are actually grayed out. Are you saying that your Margins button looks like one of these? If so, what happens if you click on the dialog launcher?

If these are grayed-out, and the dialog launcher does not work, this would indicate that some sort of document protection is in force. I would use the Developer Tab to investigate under the Restrict Editing pane.

Have you activated Office?

NOTHING works! The arrow does nothing. And yes, Word SAYS it is activated . . .

I gave up and went back to Office 2007.

Thank you for your assistance.

Did you check for document protection under the Developer Tab's Restrict Editing button?

What happens if you open an existing document (that you can change the margins on in Word 2007) in Word 2013?

The Tools and developer tabs aren't visible. Like I said NOTHING in the page layout ribbon works. I don't like the interface, being tied to skydrive, or the general unfriendliness of the apps.

I'll stay with Office 2007

Did you look at the page on the Developer Tab? That's why I gave you the link. That tab is not visible by default in any of the Ribbon versions of Word.

If you want to fix this, chances are that it can be fixed. If you just want to complain, go ahead.

I don't particularly care for Word 2013 but it is very much an improvement over Word 2007 (which is at least as bad as Word 2000 IMO). Word 2007 is the only version of Word that I uninstalled after buying it. I reinstalled it as a reference after I bought Word 2010.

I've asked you other questions you haven't answered. Here is yet another: What happens if you start Word 2013 in safe mode? You do not have to answer these diagnostic questions. That is up to you.

If you want to continue with Word 2007, feel free.

I have Word 97, 2003, 2007, 2010, and 2013 on this computer. I regularly use Word 2003, 2010, and 2013. The other two are for reference and checking whether something will work.

I have a coworker with this same issue, except the margin ribbon options seem to go in and out of working. If I add some text or move down the page, the margins will work for a second or two, and then go back to not working. None of the other menu options seem to come alive, just margins. I looked at the developer tab, don't see anything offhand that would offer a solution. Can someone help?

Please read through the thread and answer the questions asked previously, especially about document protection and safe mode.

The issue happens both with documents that are opened and in the blank document that comes up when Word is opened. I've opened and closed Word several times, no change.
I can't edit the document through the page setup options. I can open the drop down menus, but everything is grayed out. I can click the page setup menu option in the bottom right corner, bring up the window, and manually edit the margins there, and that works. Not super convenient, but a workaround for now.
Office is activated.
Document protection is not on.
Opening Word in safe mode changes nothing.
There are no missing updates for Windows.

Thank you.

Try repairing your Office installation.

One point, you should NOT be editing margins for a part of a page or within a page.
Margins and Indents in Word