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A blank page in Word is usually not a page object that can be deleted. It is caused by something on the page or immediately before it: empty paragraph marks, a manual page break, a section break, a paragraph set to start on a new page, or Word’s required final paragraph.
The quickest way to find the cause is to display nonprinting characters. Then remove the specific break or adjust the paragraph that is forcing the extra page.
First, show Word’s formatting marks
Formatting marks reveal the hidden characters and breaks responsible for apparently empty pages.
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|---|---|
| Windows | Press Ctrl+Shift+8 |
| macOS | Press ⌘+8 |
You can also select the Home tab and click the Show/Hide ¶ button. You may see paragraph marks (¶), a line labelled Page Break, or a section-break label.
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To keep these marks visible permanently:
- Windows: select File > Options > Display, then enable the relevant options under Always show these formatting marks on the screen.
- Mac: select Word > Preferences > View, then enable Show Non-Printing Characters.
1. Delete empty paragraphs on the blank page
If the blank page contains several paragraph marks, select those marks and press Backspace or Delete. Empty paragraphs can be left behind after pressing Enter repeatedly, especially after a table or heading.
Do not remove the final paragraph mark at the end of the document. Word requires that paragraph and does not allow it to be deleted. If it is being pushed onto a new page, use the fix below instead.
2. Shrink Word’s required final paragraph
A document that ends with a table is a common example of this problem. Word must place its final paragraph mark after the table, but the preceding content may fill the page, leaving that paragraph on a new, apparently blank page.
- Show formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or ⌘+8 on macOS.
- Select the final paragraph mark at the end of the document.
- Click inside the Font size box on the Home tab.
- Type
01and press Enter. This reduces the paragraph to 1 point. - Hide formatting marks again with the same keyboard shortcut.
If the page remains, reduce the bottom margin slightly. Select Layout > Margins > Custom Margins, reduce Bottom, and select OK. Microsoft gives approximately 0.3 inches as an example. Use the smallest change that brings the final paragraph back onto the preceding page; changing margins can affect the document’s layout and print appearance.
3. Remove a manual page break
A manually inserted page break appears as a line labelled Page Break when formatting marks are visible. It can leave a blank page if it occurs after content that already ends at a page boundary.
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- Show formatting marks.
- Click or drag across the displayed Page Break.
- Press Delete.
If the following content still needs to begin on a new page, do not remove the break blindly. Instead, check whether the break was intentional and whether moving it to a different position produces the desired layout.
4. Turn off “Page break before”
A paragraph can be configured to begin at the top of a new page even when no manual page break is visible. If that paragraph is empty, it can appear to be the cause of a blank page.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteA square bullet beside the final paragraph mark is a possible indication of a paragraph-level page break. To turn it off:
- Right-click the empty paragraph or paragraph mark.
- Select Paragraph Settings.
- Open the Line and Page Breaks tab.
- Under Pagination, clear Page break before.
- Select OK.
You can reach the same setting through the ribbon:
- Select the affected paragraph.
- On the Home tab, click the Paragraph Dialog Box launcher—the small arrow in the lower-right corner of the Paragraph group.
- Open Line and Page Breaks.
- Clear Page break before, then select OK.
5. Check for a section break
Section breaks control more than pagination. They can change headers, footers, margins, orientation, columns, and other layout settings. A Next Page, Odd Page, or Even Page section break can therefore create an unwanted blank page.
An Odd Page break is particularly easy to misread: Word forces the next section to begin on an odd-numbered page, so it may insert a blank even-numbered page. An Even Page break does the opposite.
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Inspect section breaks in Draft view
- Show formatting marks.
- Select View > Draft. Section breaks are often easier to locate in this view.
- Look for labels such as Section Break (Next Page), Section Break (Odd Page), or Section Break (Even Page).
Keep the section but stop it forcing a new page
If you need the separate section formatting but do not need a new page, change the break to a continuous break:
- Select the section break.
- Choose Layout > Breaks > Continuous.
- Select OK.
This is generally safer than deleting the break because it preserves the section boundary while allowing the next section to start on the same page.
Delete the section break
- Select Home > Show/Hide so the section break is visible.
- Place the cursor immediately before the section break.
- Press Delete. On macOS, placing the cursor before the break and pressing Backspace is also documented.
Warning: deleting a section break combines the content before and after it into one section. The resulting section uses the formatting from the section that followed the deleted break. Headers, footers, margins, page orientation, columns, and related settings may change.
If you need the preceding section’s headers or footers to remain in use, Microsoft recommends using Link to Previous rather than deleting the section break. Check the header or footer tools after changing the section structure.
6. Delete the contents of the blank page in one operation
If the page contains stray text, images, paragraph marks, or other objects, you can select the page’s contents rather than trying to drag over them manually. This does not delete a page object; it selects whatever content is on that page.
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- Click anywhere on the unwanted page.
- On Windows, press Ctrl+G. On macOS, press Option+⌘+G.
- In the Enter page number box, type
page. - Press Enter, then select Close.
- Verify that the unwanted page’s contents are selected.
- Press Delete.
If the page is produced by a section break or the required final paragraph, this method may not solve the problem by itself. Return to the formatting-mark view and fix the underlying break or paragraph.
7. Use the right workflow in Word for the web
Word for the web can remove empty paragraphs and manual page breaks, but it has fewer layout controls than desktop Word. Microsoft says section breaks must be deleted or modified in the desktop application.
In Word for the web:
- Select Edit Document > Edit in Word for the web if the file is in viewing mode.
- Display formatting marks if available, then select unwanted empty paragraphs and press Delete.
- Click a displayed manual page break to select it and press Delete.
For section-break problems, use Open in Word to open the document in the desktop application, then use View > Draft and the section-break instructions above.
A practical diagnosis order
Use this order instead of deleting random blank lines:
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Several ¶ marks | Empty paragraphs | Select and delete them. |
| One final ¶ mark after a full page or table | Word’s required end paragraph | Set it to 1 point; reduce the bottom margin if necessary. |
| “Page Break” | Manual page break | Select it and press Delete. |
| Square bullet beside a paragraph mark | Page break before | Clear Page break before in Line and Page Breaks. |
| “Section Break (Next Page/Odd Page/Even Page)” | Section pagination | Change it to Continuous or delete it carefully. |
Why common fixes fail
- Deleting the final paragraph mark does nothing: Word’s required end paragraph cannot be deleted. Resize it to 1 point instead.
- Deleting one page does not work: Word does not generally provide a page-object delete command for an apparently blank page. The page is generated by content, a break, or pagination settings.
- Deleting a page break makes the layout worse: the break may have been intentional. If the document uses sections, inspect section breaks before removing anything.
- The blank page returns after editing: a paragraph may still have Page break before, or an Odd Page/Even Page section break may be forcing the pagination again.
These procedures apply to desktop Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 on Windows and macOS, with the corresponding Mac keyboard shortcuts where noted.
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FAQ
Can I delete a blank page in Word with Backspace?
Only if the page is being created by removable empty paragraphs or a break immediately before it. Turn on formatting marks first so you can see what Backspace would remove. The required final paragraph mark cannot be deleted.
Why does Word add a blank page after a table?
Word must place a required final paragraph mark after the table. If the table fills the page, that paragraph can be pushed onto a new page. Select the final paragraph mark and set its font size to 1 point; if needed, reduce the bottom margin slightly.
How do I remove a blank page caused by an Odd Page section break?
Show formatting marks, preferably in View > Draft, and locate the Section Break (Odd Page). Change it with Layout > Breaks > Continuous if you need to retain the section, or delete it if the section is unnecessary. Deleting it can change headers, footers, margins, and orientation.
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Does Word for the web support deleting section breaks?
Microsoft documents Word for the web as supporting deletion of empty paragraphs and manual page breaks, but section breaks must be deleted or modified in desktop Word. Use Open in Word for the desktop controls.
What does page do in Word?
It selects the contents of the current page. Click in the page, press Ctrl+G on Windows or Option+Command+G on macOS, enter page, press Enter, choose Close, verify the selection, and press Delete. It selects content rather than deleting a page object.
The Bottom Line
Turn on Show/Hide first, identify what is producing the page, and fix that item. Delete empty paragraphs or manual page breaks, disable Page break before, resize the required final paragraph to 1 point, or change a forced section break to Continuous. Be cautious when deleting section breaks because they carry formatting as well as pagination.
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