How to Delete a Blank Page in Word 365 Without Losing Text

To delete a blank page in Word 365, show formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows, find the extra paragraph marks, page break, or section break causing it, and remove or adjust that item. On a Mac, use Command+8 or the Show/Hide button on the Home tab. Save a copy first if the document contains important layout or section formatting, because removing a section break can change the pages around it.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac. Word for the web can handle simple extra paragraph marks, but use the desktop app for more control over section breaks and layout.
The document open in Word, with editing permission if it is stored in a shared location.
Optional: a saved copy of the document, especially if it has different page orientations, headers, footers, or columns in different sections.

Step-by-Step

Save the document. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If you are uncertain what caused the blank page, use File > Save As to create a separate copy before changing the layout. This gives you a way to restore the original if deleting a break affects formatting elsewhere.
Go to the blank page. Scroll to it, or open View > Navigation Pane and select the page in the navigation pane if page thumbnails are available. The navigation pane helps you locate a page, but it does not show the hidden formatting marks that usually explain why the page is blank.
Show formatting marks. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8. On Mac, press Command+8. You can also select Home > Show/Hide ¶ in either desktop version. Paragraph symbols, page breaks, and section breaks will appear. These marks do not print; they are editing aids. Toggle them off later with the same shortcut or button.
Check what is on the page. Look for one or more paragraph marks (¶), a line marked Page Break, or a line marked Section Break. A page that looks empty on screen can still contain one of these. If the page follows a table, check for a paragraph mark immediately after the table; Word requires a final paragraph after a table, and that mark can be pushed onto a new page.
Remove extra paragraph marks. If the blank page contains only paragraph marks, click immediately before the first mark on that page and press Backspace, or click after the last mark on the preceding page and press Delete. Remove marks one at a time and watch the text below them, because a mark may hold paragraph formatting or separate content. Stop when the blank page disappears; do not delete paragraph marks that separate paragraphs you want to keep.
Delete a manual page break. Click just before the Page Break line and press Delete, or just after it and press Backspace. If the break is difficult to target, drag across the break line to select it and press Delete. Check the text that follows: it should move up, but a paragraph may still start on a new page because of its own pagination setting or a nearby section break.
Handle a section break carefully. A Next Page, Odd Page, or Even Page section break can create a blank page. Select the break line and press Delete only if you are prepared for the sections to join and their formatting to change. If you need the section’s headers, footers, margins, columns, or orientation, consider changing the break instead: click in the section after the break, then select Layout > Breaks and choose Continuous where appropriate. A continuous break is not suitable for every layout, particularly when the next section needs a different page orientation or must begin on a new page.
Fix a blank page after a table. Click the paragraph mark after the table. Word will not let you remove this final paragraph mark, but you can make it small enough to fit on the previous page. Select only that mark, open the font-size box on the Home tab, type 1, and press Enter. If necessary, open the Paragraph dialog from Home and set spacing before and after to 0 and line spacing to Single. Avoid selecting the table itself or changing its font unless you intend to alter its appearance.
Review the result and save. Turn off formatting marks, then check the pages before and after the change. Confirm that headings, tables, page numbers, headers, footers, and section-specific layouts still look right. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac when the document is correct.

If the page is still there and you want a direct way to select its contents, use Word’s Go To command on Windows: press Ctrl+G, enter \page in the Enter page number box, press Enter, then close the dialog. The page contents should be selected. Press Delete and inspect the result. This can also select real content, not just invisible marks, so use it only after checking that the page is genuinely blank. On Mac, the shortcut and dialog may vary by Word release; use Edit > Find > Go To or the Navigation Pane, then inspect the page before deleting anything.

Common Mistakes

Deleting a section break without checking the layout. A section break can control orientation, columns, margins, headers, footers, or page numbering. Removing it may apply the surrounding section’s settings to the combined section. If the layout changes unexpectedly, undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then consider changing the break type instead.
Deleting content along with the blank page. The Go To page selection selects whatever is on the page, whether visible or not. A page that appears blank may contain a text box, an image, or content outside the usual text area. Inspect the selection and the page before pressing Delete.
Removing every paragraph mark nearby. Paragraph marks carry formatting and separate paragraphs. Deleting too many can join text or change the formatting of the preceding paragraph. Work one mark at a time and undo if surrounding text changes in an unwanted way.
Assuming the blank page is always caused by a page break. It may instead come from a section break, a paragraph set to start on a new page, a large table, or the required paragraph after a table. Showing formatting marks is a better first step than repeatedly pressing Delete.
Trying to delete Word’s final table paragraph. Word requires a paragraph after a table at the end of a document. Select that paragraph mark and reduce its size or spacing rather than trying to erase it.

Tips

Use the Show/Hide button rather than changing document settings when you only need to diagnose a page. The marks are visible while editing but do not appear in a printed copy or PDF.
When a blank page appears between two pages of text, inspect both its top and the end of the preceding page. A break or paragraph setting may be at the end of the previous page, not in the visibly empty area.
If a paragraph is being forced onto a new page, click in that paragraph and open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab. On the Line and Page Breaks tab, check Page break before, Keep with next, and Keep lines together. Change only the setting that explains the unwanted page; these options can be useful for keeping headings with the text that follows.
For a document with complex sections, turn on formatting marks and make one change at a time. Compare page layout before and after each change so you can identify which break or paragraph setting caused the issue.
In Word for the web, use Home > Show/Hide ¶ if the button is available. If the page is caused by a section break or cannot be corrected with the visible editing controls, open the document in the Word desktop app and continue there.

Troubleshooting

The blank page remains after removing a paragraph mark. Show formatting marks again and look for a break farther up, including at the end of the previous page. Also check whether the first paragraph after the gap has Page break before enabled. If it does, clear that setting in the Paragraph dialog rather than deleting more text.

Deleting a section break changes page orientation or headers. Press Ctrl+Z or Command+Z straight away. Restore the break, click in the section after it, and use Layout > Breaks to choose an appropriate break type. A Continuous break may preserve the section boundary while removing the forced new page, but changing break type can affect layout, so recheck the affected pages.

The blank page is after a table and will not disappear. Show formatting marks, select the paragraph mark directly after the table, and set it to 1-point type. If the mark still flows to a new page, set its paragraph spacing to zero and check the table’s row height or spacing. Do not shrink the table text unless that is an acceptable change.

The page is not actually blank. Look for objects such as pictures, shapes, or text boxes that may sit outside the page’s visible text area. Use the Selection Pane from the Home tab if available, or carefully select the page contents with Go To and verify what is selected before deleting it. You can also check Print Preview to confirm whether the apparently blank page will be included in the output.

The menus or shortcuts differ. Confirm whether you are using desktop Word or Word for the web, and whether you are on Windows or Mac. In desktop Word, the Home tab’s Show/Hide ¶ button is a dependable alternative to the keyboard shortcut. If a command is missing in the web version, choose Open in Desktop App and make the change there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a blank page at the end of my Word document?
The usual causes are extra paragraph marks, a manual page break, a section break, or Word’s required paragraph after a final table. Turn on formatting marks to identify which one is responsible.

Can I delete a blank page without changing the rest of the document?
Usually, yes, if the cause is an extra paragraph mark or manual page break. Section breaks can control layout, so deleting one may change formatting. Save a copy and check the pages around the break before and after editing.

How do I delete a blank page in Word 365 on a Mac?
Press Command+8 to show formatting marks, or choose Home > Show/Hide ¶. Remove the extra paragraph mark or page break with Delete or Backspace, then verify the layout. Use the desktop Mac app for more complex section-break fixes.

How do I remove a blank page after a table?
Select the paragraph mark after the table and reduce its font size to 1 point. If needed, set its paragraph spacing to zero. Word requires that final paragraph mark, so shrinking it is the usual fix.

Will the blank page appear when I print?
If it is part of the document’s page layout, it may print or appear in a PDF even though it looks empty. Check Print Preview before printing, and remove the underlying break or paragraph mark if the page is unwanted.

What if the page is blank only in one view?
Switch to View > Print Layout and check Print Preview. Different views can show page boundaries differently, and hidden formatting marks can make a page look occupied during editing. Confirm the actual page layout before changing content.

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