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A blank page in Microsoft Word usually has a cause that is hidden from the normal editing view: extra paragraph marks, a manual page break, a section break, or Word’s required final paragraph. Turn on formatting marks before deleting anything. That lets you see what is actually forcing the page to exist instead of repeatedly pressing Backspace and possibly changing your document’s layout.
The methods below work with recent desktop versions, including Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016. Word for the web supports some of the steps, but section-break changes require the desktop app.
Before you start: show hidden formatting
Press Ctrl+Shift+8 in Windows or ⌘+8 on a Mac. You can also select Home > Show/Hide ¶.
Word will display paragraph marks (¶), manual page breaks, and section breaks. These marks do not print, but they explain why content has moved to another page.
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| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Several ¶ marks | Empty paragraphs | Select and delete them |
| Page Break | Manual page break | Select the break and press Delete |
| Section Break (Next Page), (Odd Page), or (Even Page) | Section formatting starting on another page | Delete it or change it to Continuous |
| A single ¶ at the end of the document | Word’s required final paragraph | Reduce its font size to 1 point |
| A square symbol beside ¶ | Page break before is enabled | Clear Page break before in Paragraph settings |
1. Delete empty paragraphs and Word’s final paragraph
Extra empty paragraphs are the simplest cause of an unwanted page. Each paragraph mark represents a paragraph ending in a hard return. Several consecutive marks can push the last few lines—or an entire empty paragraph—onto a new page.
- Turn on formatting marks with Home > Show/Hide ¶, or use Ctrl+Shift+8 in Windows or ⌘+8 on Mac.
- Go to the unwanted page and select the empty paragraph marks. Drag over them, or place the cursor before the first mark and hold Shift while selecting the rest.
- Press Delete. If you remove too much, press Ctrl+Z in Windows or ⌘+Z on Mac.
- Hide the formatting marks again when finished.
At the end of every Word document, there is one paragraph mark that cannot be deleted. If that final mark is pushed onto a new page—often by a table at the end of the document—make it smaller:
- Select the final paragraph mark.
- Click the Font Size box on the Home tab.
- Type 01 and press Enter.
- Hide formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 or ⌘+8.
If the 1-point paragraph still creates a page, select Layout > Margins > Custom Margins and reduce the bottom margin. Microsoft gives approximately 0.3 inches as an example. Change the margin only if it will not conflict with your document’s printing or submission requirements.
2. Remove or change a page or section break
Remove a manual page break
A manually inserted page break appears as a horizontal line labelled Page Break when formatting marks are visible. It can be deleted.
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- Place the cursor immediately after the page-break line, or select the break itself.
- Press Delete. Microsoft also documents double-clicking the break and then deleting it.
Do not confuse this with an automatic page break. Word creates automatic breaks when text no longer fits on a page; they cannot be deleted. You can only change the paragraph settings that influence where the break occurs.
Check paragraph pagination settings
If there is no visible manual break, select the paragraph that has moved to the next page. Open the paragraph settings dialog from the Layout or Page Layout tab, then select Line and Page Breaks. Review these options:
- Page break before forces the paragraph to begin on a new page.
- Keep with next keeps the paragraph with the one following it, which can move a heading and its content together.
- Keep lines together prevents a paragraph from splitting between pages.
- Widow/Orphan control prevents isolated lines at the top or bottom of a page.
Clear an option only when it is causing the unwanted page and the resulting pagination remains readable. If a square symbol appears beside the paragraph mark, Page break before is a particularly likely cause. Right-click the paragraph, select Paragraph Settings, open Lines and Page Breaks, clear the option, and select OK.
Delete or change a section break
Switch to View > Draft if section breaks are difficult to find. With formatting marks enabled, look for a line such as Section Break (Next Page), Section Break (Odd Page), or Section Break (Even Page).
Next Page starts the following section on the next page. Odd Page and Even Page start it on the next odd- or even-numbered page, respectively. That can intentionally produce an apparently blank intervening page.
To delete a section break:
- Place the cursor immediately before the section-break line.
- Press Delete in Windows. On Mac, Microsoft also documents placing the cursor before the break and pressing Backspace.
Be careful: deleting a section break does more than remove a page. It merges the sections, and the resulting section takes its formatting from the section that followed the deleted break. Headers, footers, margins, columns, orientation, and other layout settings may change.
If the section is needed—for example, because it has a different header, footer, orientation, or column layout—change the break instead of deleting it:
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- Select or double-select the section break.
- Open Layout > Breaks.
- Choose Continuous.
- Select OK.
A Continuous section break starts the next section on the same page when the content and layout permit it.
3. Select and delete the unwanted page
When the extra page contains text, graphics, empty paragraphs, or a mixture of content, Word can select the whole page at once. This is useful when you want to remove the page’s contents rather than diagnose every item individually.
Windows
- Click anywhere on the unwanted page.
- Press Ctrl+G.
- In the Enter page number box, type
page. - Press Enter, then select Close.
- Check that the page’s text, objects, and empty paragraphs are selected.
- Press Delete.
Mac
- Click anywhere on the unwanted page.
- Press Option+⌘+G.
- Type
pagein the Enter page number box. - Press Enter, select Close, and verify the selection.
- Press Delete.
This method deletes the page’s selected content, but it does not independently remove an automatic page break. If the page remains, turn on formatting marks and look for the underlying manual break, section break, final paragraph, or paragraph setting.
Also check the selection before pressing Delete. If Word selects a table, image, or text that you intended to keep, press Esc or click elsewhere and use the formatting-mark method instead.
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In Word for the web, select Edit Document > Edit in Word for the web before making changes. You can delete empty paragraphs and manual page breaks there. Section breaks must be deleted or modified in the desktop Word application. Word for the web also cannot currently add section breaks; use Open in Word for that operation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which method should you use?
| Situation | Best choice |
|---|---|
| The page is empty and several ¶ marks appear | Method 1 |
| The page follows a visible Page Break line | Method 2 |
| The document has different headers, footers, margins, or orientation | Inspect the section break before deleting it |
| The last page contains a single ¶ after a table | Method 1: set the final mark to 1 point |
| You want to remove all content on a known page | Method 3 |
| The page appears because of text flow | Review Line and Page Breaks settings; automatic breaks cannot be deleted |
FAQ
Why does pressing Backspace not remove the blank page in Word?
Backspace is not a universal fix. The page may be caused by Word’s required final paragraph, an automatic page break, Page break before, or a section break. A section break also requires the cursor to be positioned immediately before it, and deleting one can change the document’s formatting.
How do I remove a blank page after a table in Word?
Turn on formatting marks, select the final paragraph mark after the table, and set its font size to 1 point. If it still does not fit, use Layout > Margins > Custom Margins and reduce the bottom margin slightly.
Can I delete an automatic page break?
No. Word creates automatic page breaks as text flows, so they cannot be selected and deleted. Review the affected paragraph’s Widow/Orphan control, Keep with next, Keep lines together, and Page break before settings instead.
Why does deleting a section break change my headers or margins?
Deleting a section break merges the two sections. The merged section takes its formatting from the section that followed the break, so headers, footers, margins, columns, and page orientation can change.
Does the Navigation Pane delete a blank page?
No. The Navigation Pane, opened with Ctrl+F or View > Navigation Pane, is useful for locating a page through the Pages view. You still need to delete the page’s underlying content or break.
The Bottom Line
Turn on Show/Hide ¶ first. Delete empty paragraphs or a manual Page Break, resize Word’s required final paragraph to 1 point when it follows a table, and treat section breaks carefully because they control layout. Use the page selection method when you want to remove all content from a known page at once.
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