How to Delete a Page in Word With a Header

To delete a page in Word that has a header, remove the page’s body text or the break creating it; do not delete the header unless you want it removed from the whole section. Word headers usually belong to a section and repeat on its pages, so first check whether the page is blank, contains content, or starts a new section.

What You’ll Need

The Word document open in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac.
Permission to edit the document. If it is protected, ask the owner to unlock it before changing the layout.
A saved copy if the document has complex section formatting, different headers, or important page numbering. Use File > Save As to make a separate copy before removing section breaks.

Step-by-Step

Save the document and identify the page. Click in the page you want to remove and note whether it contains text, is blank, or appears after a table or section break. If you are unsure which page is affected, open the Navigation pane from View > Navigation Pane, then select the Pages tab and click the page thumbnail. The pane helps you move to a page, but it does not provide a reliable one-click command to delete a page.
Check what the header does before editing. Double-click inside the header area at the top of the target page. Look at the Header & Footer tab and check whether the header is linked to the previous section; Word may show “Same as Previous.” Headers are generally shared by pages in the same section, not attached to an individual page. Press Esc or click Close Header and Footer when you have finished checking. Avoid selecting the header text as a way to remove the page.
If the page contains ordinary text, select its body content. Click in the page’s main text area, not in the header. In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+G to open Go To, enter \page in the page-number field, press Enter, and close the dialog. Word selects the content on the current page. Press Delete, then inspect the pages around it. This method removes the page’s body content, but it may leave a page behind if a page break, section break, or required paragraph mark is still there.
Use the Mac Go To shortcut if needed. In Word for Mac, press Option+Command+G to open Go To. Enter \page, press Return, and close the dialog to select the current page’s body content; press Delete to remove the selection. If the shortcut differs on your keyboard or in your Word build, use Edit > Find > Go To and enter the same command. Check that the header and footer were not selected before deleting.
Reveal formatting marks if the page remains blank. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8; on Mac, press Command+8. You can also use the paragraph-mark button (¶) on the Home tab. Formatting marks show paragraph symbols, manual page breaks, and section breaks that are normally hidden. These marks do not print. They help explain why a page that looks empty is still part of the document.
Remove an unwanted manual page break. If you see “Page Break” on the blank page or immediately before it, click just before the break and press Delete, or click just after it and press Backspace. Remove only the break that creates the unwanted page. A manual page break is different from a section break: deleting a manual page break normally changes pagination without merging section formatting.
Handle a section break carefully. If the blank page is caused by a “Section Break (Next Page),” deleting that break may make the page disappear, but it can also change headers, footers, margins, orientation, columns, or page numbering in the surrounding section. First save a copy. If you need the next section’s formatting, consider changing the break type rather than deleting the section: click in the following section, then use Layout > Page Setup (the dialog launcher) > Layout and change Section start to Continuous, if that layout is suitable. The precise dialog labels can vary slightly by Word version. Review the header and page layout after any section change.
Check pages created by a table or a final paragraph. Word requires a paragraph after a table at the end of a document. If that required mark has flowed onto a new page, turn on ¶, select only the final paragraph mark, and set its font size to 1 pt. If needed, open Home > Paragraph dialog and reduce its spacing before and after. Do not delete the table or unrelated content. For other leftover empty paragraphs, remove the extra marks only when they are not needed to preserve spacing or formatting.
Review the header, footer, and pagination. Turn off formatting marks and check the pages before and after the deletion in Print Layout. Confirm that the desired page is gone, the remaining text is in the right order, and headers, footers, page numbers, margins, and section-specific layouts still look correct. Save the document when the result is right. If it is not, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac immediately, then try a narrower edit.

Common Mistakes

Deleting the header instead of the page. A header is separate from the main text. Clicking in it and choosing Header & Footer > Remove Header can remove the header for an entire section, or for linked sections, rather than remove one page. If you only want to delete a page, work in the body or remove the break that creates it.
Assuming every page has its own header. A header may repeat across a section, while “Different First Page” or “Different Odd & Even Pages” can create variations. Deleting a page does not automatically create a unique header change for the page next to it.
Removing a section break without checking what it controls. Section breaks can carry a different header, page-number format, orientation, or margins. Deleting one may appear to fix a blank page but cause unexpected changes on several pages. Save a copy and inspect the document after editing the break.
Selecting the wrong page’s content. Go To selects the current page, so first click somewhere in the intended page body. Avoid starting with the cursor in a header, footer, table, or text box; those areas can behave differently when selecting page content.
Deleting a paragraph mark that holds formatting. Paragraph marks can store paragraph and section formatting. Removing one may change spacing or layout beyond the visible empty line. Use formatting marks to identify what you are deleting, and undo if other pages shift unexpectedly.

Tips

Use Print Layout and the Navigation pane’s Pages tab together: the thumbnail locates the page, while the document body is where you make the edit.
Keep formatting marks visible while diagnosing a stubborn blank page, then turn them off before judging the finished layout.
If a header should be different on a remaining page, create or adjust a section deliberately. In Header & Footer, options such as Different First Page and Different Odd & Even Pages affect a section’s header behavior, not just one isolated page.
After deleting a page, check page numbers. Word fields usually update as the document repaginates, but a manually typed number will not update automatically.
For a quick recovery, use Undo immediately. Once you make several unrelated edits, it can be harder to return to the exact prior layout.

Troubleshooting

The page is still there after deleting its text. Turn on paragraph marks and look for a manual page break, a section break, or extra paragraph marks. Remove the cause rather than repeatedly pressing Delete in the body. If the page is after a table, check the required paragraph mark following that table.

The next page’s header changed. Undo the last change and inspect the section break and the “Same as Previous” setting. You may have merged sections that used different headers. Restore the break from your saved copy, or adjust the section start type only if the following section can use continuous layout. Recheck first-page and odd/even header settings too.

The page appears in the document but not in the Navigation pane. The pane is a navigation aid, not a complete view of formatting marks. Click in the surrounding text, turn on ¶, and inspect the break marks. Also check Print Layout, since pagination can shift with page size, margins, printer settings, or font substitution.

Deleting the selected page removes more than expected. Press Undo right away. Confirm that the cursor was in the target page’s main body and repeat the selection more carefully. For a page with tables, floating objects, or text boxes, select and delete the specific objects or text instead of relying on a whole-page selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a page without deleting its header?
Yes. Delete the page’s body content or the break making it appear, and leave the header alone. The header may continue on the adjacent pages because it belongs to the section.

Why does a blank page have a header?
The page may still be part of a section whose header repeats on every page. A page break, section break, empty paragraph, or table at the end of the document can create the blank page even though there is no visible body text.

Will deleting a page remove its header from every page?
Usually not. Removing body content does not remove the section header. However, deleting a section break or using Remove Header can affect headers on other pages, particularly when sections are linked.

How do I delete only the header on one page?
Word does not normally treat a header as belonging to a single page. If the page is the first page of a section, you can use Header & Footer > Different First Page and leave that first-page header blank. For a one-off page elsewhere, create section boundaries around it, turn off Link to Previous as appropriate, and edit that section’s header. Check adjacent headers and page numbering afterward.

Can I use Backspace to remove a page?
Backspace can remove the page break or empty paragraphs if the cursor is positioned after them, but it can also erase text or a section break. Turn on formatting marks and place the cursor next to the specific mark you intend to remove.

Do these instructions work in Word for the web?
The basic approach of deleting body content works, but Word for the web may offer fewer controls for section breaks and detailed header behavior. If you need to change section settings or troubleshoot different headers, open the document in the desktop Word app.

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