How to Delete an Extra Page in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word / By /
906838 How to Delete an Extra Page in Microsoft Word

It’s frustrating when extra blank pages appear in your Word documents. These pages clutter up your file, make it longer than needed, and look unprofessional.

In this article, I’ll explain several common causes of extra pages and show you step-by-step how to delete them in Word on both Windows and Mac. By the end, you’ll have the skills to easily remove any blank, unwanted pages that sneak into your documents.

What Causes Extra Pages in Word?

Here are some of the most common culprits for extra pages in Word documents:

Excess Paragraph Breaks or Hard Returns

Hitting the Enter key too many times inserts extra paragraph markers that push text onto another page.

Manual Page Breaks

Inserting a manual page break, like Ctrl+Enter on Windows or Command+Return on Mac, forces a new page even when one isn’t needed.

Tables

Tables often have extra paragraph breaks after them, causing a new blank page to start.

Section Breaks

Section breaks tell Word where to start a new section with different formatting, page orientation, margins, etc. Sometimes extra section breaks create unnecessary blank pages between sections.

How to Delete a Blank Page on Windows

Here are a few quick ways to remove a blank page in Word on Windows:

Method 1: Delete Key

Click or highlight the entire blank page and press the Delete key. This removes all the invisible paragraph and section breaks causing the extra page.

Method 2: Navigation Pane

  1. Click the View tab and check Navigation Pane to show the pages thumbnail list.
  2. Right-click the blank page thumbnail and select Delete Page.

Method 3: Show Formatting Marks

  1. Click the Home tab and press Ctrl+Shift+8 to reveal paragraph breaks, section breaks, and other hidden formatting marks.
  2. Delete the marks causing the blank page.

How to Delete a Blank Page on Mac

Here are a few ways to quickly remove extra pages on the Mac version of Word:

Method 1: Delete Key

Just like on Windows, click the blank page and press the Delete or Backspace key to remove it.

Method 2: Navigation Pane

  1. Go to View > Navigation Pane.
  2. Right-click the blank page thumbnail and choose Delete Page.

Method 3: Show Invisibles

  1. Click View > Show Invisibles to display formatting marks.
  2. Delete the paragraph breaks, section breaks, or table causing the extra page.

Removing Blank Pages at the End of Documents

Sometimes an extra blank page gets added after the end of your document’s actual content. Here’s how to delete it:

  1. Click the Home tab and press Ctrl+Shift+8 (or Command+8 on Mac) to show paragraph marks.
  2. Select and delete the end paragraph mark, highlighted in gray.
  3. Adjust the bottom margin size if needed to fit text onto the preceding page and eliminate the blank page.

Conclusion

Now you know what causes extra blank pages and several quick ways to delete them in Word on Windows and Mac. Just remember to look for excess paragraph breaks, manual page breaks, tables, or section breaks that might be pushing text onto unnecessary pages.

Taking a minute to remove blank pages keeps your Word documents clean, professional, and ready to share or print when needed.

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