If a page in Word won’t delete, turn on formatting marks before pressing Delete again. The marks show whether the page contains content, empty paragraphs, a manual page break, a section break, or Word’s required final paragraph—each needs a different fix. A page with text or graphics is handled differently from a blank page created by layout rules.
First, identify what is on the page
In desktop Word, show formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac. You can also use the paragraph-mark button on the Home tab. These marks are editing aids and do not print. They make paragraph marks and manual page or section breaks visible, so you can remove the cause rather than repeatedly pressing Delete.
- Text, graphics, or other content: select the material on the page and delete it.
- Repeated paragraph marks (¶): remove the empty paragraphs that are pushing content onto another page.
- Page Break: this is a manual break that can be selected and deleted.
- Section Break: inspect its effect on the document’s layout before changing or deleting it.
- No visible break but awkward pagination: Word may be placing an automatic page break according to paragraph settings.
Microsoft’s desktop instructions cover Microsoft 365 and Word 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016 for Windows and Mac. Labels and controls can vary somewhat by version.
Delete a page that contains content
Use Word’s Go To command to select a page’s contents, then check the selection before deleting it. The shortcut differs by platform:
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- On Windows, press Ctrl+G. On Mac, press Option+Command+G.
- In the Go To dialog, enter
pageand confirm the selection. - Close the dialog and inspect the highlighted material. Make sure it is the page and content you intend to remove.
- Press Delete.
This removes the selected page content; it does not make an automatic page break into a deletable object. If the page remains, show formatting marks and diagnose what is still creating it.
Delete a blank page caused by empty paragraphs or a manual page break
Remove empty paragraphs
With formatting marks on, select the extra paragraph marks (¶) on the blank page and press Delete or Backspace. Remove only the empty marks that are creating the unwanted page. If the page is at the end of a document, check whether the final paragraph mark is the real cause before trying to remove it: Word requires that mark.
Remove a manual page break
A visible manual page break can be selected and deleted like other document content. Place the cursor immediately before the break and press Delete, or immediately after it and press Backspace. Check that the following text flows where you expect.
Adjust an automatic page break instead of trying to delete it
Automatic page breaks occur as Word flows text onto pages; they are not removable controls. Microsoft Support puts it this way: “You can’t remove automatic page breaks, but you can adjust where they occur.” If a paragraph is being pushed to a new page, select it and review its paragraph pagination settings, including Keep with next, Keep lines together, and Page break before. Change only the setting responsible for the unwanted layout, since these options affect how paragraphs stay together across pages.
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Check section breaks before removing one
A Next Page, Odd Page, or Even Page section break can create an apparently blank page as Word starts the next section on the specified page. If the break is in the middle of a document, consider changing it to Continuous rather than deleting it, if that preserves the layout you need.
Deleting a section break merges the sections on either side. The merged section takes its formatting from the section after the break, which can change margins, page orientation, columns, headers, or footers. Before deleting the break, consider whether those differences are intentional; afterward, check those layout settings and restore any that changed.
Fix a blank page at the end of the document
Word requires a final paragraph mark, so it cannot simply be deleted. If that mark has been pushed onto a blank last page—often after a table—make it small enough to fit on the preceding page:
- Turn on formatting marks and select the final paragraph mark on the blank page.
- Set its font size to 1 point.
- If it still does not fit, cautiously reduce the bottom margin until the mark fits.
- If the paragraph mark has a square marker beside it, check whether Page break before is enabled and adjust that setting if appropriate.
Once the page is gone, restore any temporary margin or formatting changes that are no longer needed.
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In Word for the web, switch to Edit view to remove empty paragraphs or manual page breaks. Microsoft directs users to open the document in desktop Word to delete or modify section breaks; the web workflow does not provide that section-break editing capability.
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