How to Delete a Blank Page in Word: Step-by-Step

To delete a blank page in Microsoft Word, turn on formatting marks, find the paragraph mark, page break, or section break that is pushing content onto the page, and remove or adjust that cause. Save a copy first if the document is important; the steps below work in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, with Mac differences noted where they matter.

A page that looks blank may contain hidden formatting characters, or it may be created by a setting elsewhere in the document. Follow the steps in order rather than repeatedly pressing Backspace: identifying the cause helps you remove the extra page without disturbing nearby text, headers, or layout. You can also use this as a written follow-along if you are watching a Word tutorial video.

What You’ll Need

A copy of the Word document, especially if it contains carefully formatted sections or tables.
Microsoft Word for Windows or Mac. The ribbon labels may vary slightly between versions, but the key commands are available in current desktop versions of Word.
A keyboard and a few minutes to inspect the page and the pages around it.

Step-by-Step

Save a working copy. Open the document and choose File > Save As to create a copy if you want a simple way to restore the original layout. If the document is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, Word may also have version history, but a separate copy is the most direct safeguard. Avoid making several untracked changes before you know what caused the page.
Go to the blank page and check what is around it. Click somewhere on the page that should not be there. Look at the page before and after it, too: an extra page can be caused by the final paragraph of the previous page or by a break placed at the end of a section. If the page is at the end of the document, check the final table or paragraph in particular.
Show formatting marks. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8, or select Home > ¶ Show/Hide. On Mac, press Command+8, or use the Show/Hide button on the Home tab. Word will display paragraph marks (¶), page breaks, section breaks, and other normally hidden formatting marks. These marks do not print; they simply make the document structure visible. Toggle the button or shortcut again when you are finished.
Look for empty paragraph marks. A row of ¶ symbols on the blank page usually means there are empty paragraphs. Click just before the first extra mark and press Delete, or click after the last mark and press Backspace, until the blank page disappears. Work a mark at a time and watch the surrounding text: a paragraph mark also carries formatting, so deleting too much can join paragraphs or change where text starts. On a Mac, the key labelled Delete usually works like Backspace; use Fn+Delete for forward delete on many Mac keyboards.
Remove a manual page break if you find one. A page break appears as a labelled line when formatting marks are on. Click immediately before the break and press Delete, or click immediately after it and press Backspace. This removes the forced break and lets Word paginate the text naturally. Check the next page afterward, because the text that had been pushed forward may now flow onto the page above. If the break is needed to keep a new chapter on a fresh page, do not remove it; instead, check whether there is another cause for the apparently blank page.
Use Go To if the page contains content you want to select. On Windows, press Ctrl+G (or F5), enter \page in the page-number box, and press Enter. Close the dialog; Word selects the contents of the current page. Press Delete only if the selection contains nothing you need. On Mac, use Option+Command+G to open Go To, enter \page, and confirm. This method can remove page content, but it may leave a paragraph mark or section break behind, so turn on formatting marks and inspect the result if the page remains.
Check for a section break before deleting it. A labelled section break can force the following section to start on a new page, or on an odd- or even-numbered page. Deleting it may remove the blank page, but it also joins the surrounding sections and can change page orientation, margins, headers, footers, columns, or page numbering. If those settings matter, first try changing the section’s start setting instead. In Word for Windows, click in the affected section, open Layout > Page Setup using the small dialog launcher in that group, select the Layout tab, and change Section start to Continuous when appropriate. Confirm the setting applies to the intended section. The Mac dialog and labels can differ; look in the document’s page setup or layout options for the section-start setting. If you are unsure, save a copy and test the change there.
Fix the extra paragraph after a table. Word requires a paragraph after a table at the end of a document. If that required mark is pushed onto a new page, click the paragraph mark after the table and reduce its font size to 1 pt. You can select the mark and use Home > Font Size; if the paragraph has spacing, open the Paragraph settings and set spacing before and after to zero. Do not try to delete the required mark. If the page remains, reduce the table’s height slightly or adjust the bottom margin only if the document’s layout allows it.
Confirm the result and save. Turn off formatting marks, scroll through the pages around the change, and check that headings, numbering, headers, footers, and tables still look right. Save the document. If deleting a break caused an unexpected layout change, immediately use Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac to undo it, then try the safer adjustment for that cause.

Common Mistakes

Deleting visible text without checking hidden marks. A blank page can be generated by a break or a paragraph mark on the previous page. Deleting a visible sentence may change the meaning while leaving the actual cause in place. Show formatting marks first.
Removing a section break as if it were an ordinary page break. Section breaks can control different headers, footers, page numbering, margins, and orientation. Deleting one can make the page disappear but also apply one section’s layout to another. Check the section settings or test in a copy.
Holding Backspace until the page is gone. This can erase text or merge paragraphs. Use a single deletion at a time and review the document after each change.
Trying to delete the final paragraph mark after a table. Word retains a paragraph after a table at the end of a document. Make that mark smaller or reduce its spacing instead of repeatedly attempting to remove it.
Assuming a blank page is always empty. It may contain a page number, a floating object, or a section marker. Inspect the page with formatting marks and review the Navigation pane or Print Layout before deleting anything.

Tips

Use Print Layout while diagnosing. Select View > Print Layout so you can see where pages begin and end. A page that appears blank in another view may be easier to diagnose in this view.
Search the document for break labels. With formatting marks turned on, scroll from the end of the previous page through the blank page. A manual page break and a section break have different effects, so identify the label before changing it.
Use the Navigation pane to orient yourself. Press Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac and select the Pages view if available. It helps locate the extra page, but it does not reliably remove all the hidden marks that create one.
Make one change, then inspect. If you delete a break and the layout changes unexpectedly, undo immediately. Changing one item at a time makes it easier to identify which setting affected the page.
Check the final page after editing. Pagination can shift when text is removed, so a fix may move the blank page rather than eliminate it. Scroll to the document’s end and verify the page count and layout before sharing or printing.

Troubleshooting

The page remains after deleting the paragraph marks. Turn formatting marks back on and inspect the bottom of the page before the blank one. Look for a section break, an intentional page break, or a paragraph mark attached to a table. Also check whether a large paragraph spacing setting or an object with text wrapping is pushing content forward. Remove only the item responsible, then review the following page.

The blank page is between sections. Look for an Odd Page or Even Page section break. Word may intentionally insert a blank page so the next section begins on the required side of a sheet. If that layout is not needed, change the section start to Continuous or New Page as appropriate in Page Setup. Changing the start type may affect section layout, so compare headers, footers, and page numbering afterward.

A page appears blank but still prints. It may contain a hidden paragraph, a page number, or an object such as a text box. Turn on formatting marks, click the page, and check whether an object is selected or anchored nearby. You can also open File > Print to preview the pages and confirm which page is actually included. Do not remove a header or footer element unless you want it removed from that section.

The table at the end keeps creating a page. Select the paragraph mark immediately after the table and set its font to 1 pt. If necessary, set its paragraph spacing to zero and check whether the table fits within the page margins. Avoid shrinking the entire document’s text just to hide the extra mark.

The fix changes formatting on nearby pages. Undo with Ctrl+Z or Command+Z. The change likely affected a section break or paragraph formatting rather than only an empty page. Restore the copy if necessary, then use formatting marks to identify the cause and change only the relevant setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a blank page at the end of my Word document?
A trailing paragraph mark, a manual page break, or a required paragraph after a final table is a common cause. Turn on Show/Hide marks to see which one is present before editing.

Can I delete a blank page without changing the rest of the document?
Usually. Removing an extra empty paragraph or manual page break is low risk, but section breaks can control formatting across pages. Check the break type and save a copy before changing section settings.

How do I delete a blank page in Word on a Mac?
Use Command+8 to show formatting marks, then remove the extra paragraph marks or page break. Use Option+Command+G for Go To. The ribbon and page setup dialogs may be arranged differently from Windows.

Why can’t I delete the paragraph after a table?
Word requires a paragraph mark after a table at the end of a document. Reduce that mark to 1 pt or adjust its paragraph spacing rather than trying to remove it.

Will deleting a section break remove my header or page numbers?
It can change which section’s header, footer, numbering, or page setup applies. Undo if the layout changes, then consider changing the section start type instead of deleting the break.

Does deleting a page remove it from the printed document?
If the page is truly removed from the document, it will no longer print. Check File > Print before printing, especially if the page is intentionally inserted by an odd-page or even-page section break.

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