Delete an Unwanted Page in Word: Simple Fixes

To delete an unwanted page in Word, remove the text or objects on it, or delete the page break or other formatting mark that is forcing it to appear. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, turn on formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 to find hidden breaks; on Mac, use Command+8. Then select the unwanted content or break and press Delete.

First identify what is creating the page

Word does not treat a page as a separate object that you can simply select and erase. It lays out pages according to the document’s text, paragraph marks, page and section breaks, tables, and formatting. A page that looks empty can still contain a paragraph mark or a break, while a page with visible content may be removable by deleting that content.

Before changing anything, click on the unwanted page and check what is there. If you can see text, an image, or a table, remove only the material you do not need. If the page appears blank, show formatting marks so you can inspect the paragraphs and breaks that are usually invisible in a printed document. The marks are editing aids; they do not print.

It also helps to distinguish a genuinely blank page from a page that is merely pushed out of position. For example, a large paragraph spacing value or an image set to wrap text can move content onto a later page. Deleting a break may fix that layout, but it can also pull text together in a way you did not intend. Save a copy first if the document is important or has complex formatting.

Delete a page that contains text or objects

For a page with unwanted material, select and delete that material. You can drag across text, click an image and press Delete, or select a range of paragraphs. If you need to remove an entire page and want Word to select its contents for you, use the Go To method:

Click anywhere in the page you want to remove.
In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+G. In the Go To tab of the Find and Replace dialog, type \page in the page-number box and press Enter.
Close the dialog. Word selects the contents of the current page. Press Delete, then review the pages around it.

On Word for Mac, the corresponding Go To shortcut is Option+Command+G. Enter \page, press Return, close the dialog, and delete the selection. Keyboard behavior can vary with keyboard settings or a particular Word build, so if the shortcut does not open Go To, use the dialog through Edit > Find > Go To on Mac or Home > Find > Go To on Windows.

This method selects the page’s content, not a permanent page object. It may not remove a manual page break or section break that sits at the boundary; those marks can continue to create a blank page. It can also select content you want to keep if a table or paragraph crosses a page boundary. Inspect the selection before deleting, and undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac if the wrong material disappears.

Remove a manual page break

A manual page break is an instruction to start the next content on a new page. To see one, turn on formatting marks using Home > Show/Hide ¶ on the ribbon, or the keyboard shortcut. Look for a line labeled Page Break between paragraphs. Click just before the break and press Delete, or click just after it and press Backspace. The text that followed will move up if there is room.

Removing a manual break can change pagination beyond the page you are fixing: the next page may disappear, but later paragraphs may also shift. If the page still remains, look for additional paragraph marks, a section break, or paragraph settings that require a new page. A break may be intentional, such as one used to start a chapter or keep a title on a fresh page, so check the surrounding text before removing it.

Find and handle section breaks carefully

A section break separates parts of a document that can have different page settings, such as margins, columns, orientation, headers, or footers. With formatting marks on, Word identifies section breaks and their type, such as Next Page, Continuous, Even Page, or Odd Page. A Next Page break can create a blank page if it follows content at the end of a page, and Even Page or Odd Page breaks may deliberately leave a page empty to make a section start on a specific side.

You can remove a section break by placing the cursor immediately before it and pressing Delete, or immediately after it and pressing Backspace. Do this only if you are comfortable combining the sections. When a section break is deleted, Word applies the formatting of the section after the break to the combined section, which can change margins, page orientation, columns, and headers or footers. Check the document after removal, especially if it has different layouts in different chapters.

If you need to keep separate section formatting but do not want the next section to start on a new page, change the break type instead of deleting the break. Select the section that follows the break, then choose Layout > Breaks > Continuous in Word for Windows. Word for Mac also provides section break choices under Layout > Breaks; labels or ribbon placement can differ slightly by version. A continuous break keeps the sections distinct while allowing the following section to continue on the same page where the layout permits.

Fix an unwanted blank final page after a table

A frequent puzzle is a blank page after a table at the end of a document. Word requires a paragraph mark after a table, and that final mark cannot simply be removed. If the table fills the preceding page, the required paragraph may be pushed onto a new page by itself.

Turn on formatting marks and select the paragraph mark immediately after the table. Reduce its font size to 1 point using the font-size box on the Home tab. If needed, open the Paragraph settings and set spacing before and after to 0 and line spacing to a small value. The goal is to make the required paragraph small enough to fit on the page with the table. Avoid deleting or shrinking the table unless that is what you intend; the paragraph mark is often the only cause of the extra page.

If the blank page remains, check for a page or section break as well. Adjusting margins or table dimensions can also create room, but those changes affect the document’s layout and may make the table harder to read. Review the printed or PDF output after the fix, since a page that looks blank in editing view may still be generated by layout settings.

Use formatting marks and navigation tools

Show/Hide ¶ displays paragraph marks, tabs, spaces, and break indicators. On Windows, Ctrl+Shift+8 toggles these marks; on Mac, Command+8 usually does so. You can also use the ¶ button on the Home tab. If you cannot spot a break, zoom in or scroll to the boundary between the last content on one page and the first content on the next.

The Navigation Pane can help you locate a page, but it does not delete a page by itself. Open it from View > Navigation Pane, then use its page thumbnails or search to move to the relevant area. Select and remove the page’s contents or formatting mark in the document. This distinction matters because a thumbnail is a way to navigate, not a page-level delete control.

In Word for the web, editing and keyboard shortcuts can depend on the browser and the web version’s available controls. Use the document’s Find or navigation tools to reach the page, then remove the content or break in the editing area. For complicated section formatting or a stubborn blank page, opening the file in the desktop app gives access to the full ribbon and more detailed layout controls.

Why a deleted page may come back

If a page remains after you delete its visible contents, there is probably still something taking up space or forcing a new page. Turn on formatting marks and check for empty paragraphs, manual breaks, or section breaks. Also inspect the paragraph before the page: settings such as Page break before, Keep with next, or Keep lines together can push text forward. These options are available in the Paragraph dialog’s Line and Page Breaks settings, though the exact dialog layout can vary between Windows and Mac.

For example, a heading with Keep with next may move itself and the paragraph below it to a new page if they will not fit together at the bottom of the previous page. Deleting the heading’s paragraph mark can damage the document’s structure; changing the relevant paragraph setting is usually a better fix. Similarly, a large image or table may be too tall to fit in the remaining space, leaving what looks like an unexplained gap.

After editing, check both the page you meant to remove and the pages around it. Content can reflow, page numbers can change, and section-specific headers or footers can be affected. If the document uses a table of contents, update it afterward by right-clicking the table and choosing Update Field, then selecting whether to update page numbers or the entire table.

Choose the safest method for the situation

Page contains unwanted text or images: select and delete the material, or use Go To with \page and inspect the selection before deleting.
Blank page follows a visible break: show formatting marks and remove the manual page break if it is not needed.
Blank page appears at a section boundary: identify the section break and decide whether to remove it or change its type; check formatting afterward.
Blank page follows a table: reduce the size or spacing of the required paragraph mark after the table.
Page appears due to a heading or object: inspect paragraph pagination settings, image wrapping, and object size rather than deleting unrelated content.

There is no separate cost or special add-on needed for these ordinary editing steps in the Word desktop app. The key choice is not which button deletes a page, but which document element is producing it. A targeted change is less likely to disturb the layout than repeatedly pressing Backspace at the end of the preceding page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a page in Word without deleting its text?
A page is determined by the document’s layout, so Word cannot remove the page while keeping all its content in the same place. You can remove a break or change spacing so the content moves onto another page, but the text itself remains only if there is room for it elsewhere.

Why can’t I delete a blank page in Word?
It may contain hidden paragraph marks, a manual page break, a section break, or the required paragraph mark after a table. Turn on Show/Hide ¶ and inspect the page and the boundary immediately before it to find the cause.

How do I delete a page in Word on a Mac?
Remove its content or use Option+Command+G to open Go To, enter \page, close the dialog, and delete the selected content. Use Command+8 or the Home-tab ¶ control to show formatting marks and find hidden breaks.

Does deleting a section break change formatting?
It can. Deleting a section break combines sections, and Word may apply the following section’s page setup to the combined section. Check orientation, margins, columns, headers, and footers; change the break to Continuous instead if you need separate section settings.

Can I remove a page from Word’s Navigation Pane?
No. The Navigation Pane helps you find and move to a page, but it does not have a command to delete that page. Delete the page’s contents or the break or formatting mark that is creating it in the document.

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