How to Remove a Section Break in Microsoft Word on Mac

To remove a section break in Word on Mac, show formatting marks, click at the beginning of the text immediately after the break, and press the Delete key. This joins the sections, so check the page layout afterward: margins, orientation, columns, headers, footers, and page numbering can change. Save a copy first if the document’s formatting matters.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Mac and the document you want to edit. The steps apply to current desktop versions of Word; ribbon labels can vary slightly between releases.
A way to see nonprinting marks. The Show/Hide paragraph mark button on the Home tab is the easiest option. A keyboard can help, but you do not need a special tool or add-in.
A backup copy if you are editing a long, shared, or carefully formatted document. Use File > Save As to make a separate copy before changing section formatting.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and make a safety copy if needed. In Word, choose File > Save As and save a duplicate with a different name, or make sure the original is backed up. Removing a break is easy to undo immediately, but later layout edits can make it harder to restore the exact original state.
Go to the page where the formatting changes. Look for clues such as a new page orientation, different margins, a changed header or footer, a restart in page numbering, or a new column layout. A section break is often placed just before the paragraph where one of these changes begins.
Turn on formatting marks. Select the Home tab, then click the paragraph symbol (¶), usually in the Paragraph group. This is the Show/Hide command. In many Word for Mac versions, Command+8 also toggles formatting marks. If that shortcut does not work on your keyboard or in your version, use the ribbon button instead.
Locate the section break. With formatting marks visible, look between the relevant blocks of text for a dotted or dashed line labeled with a break type, such as “Section Break (Next Page),” “Section Break (Continuous),” “Section Break (Even Page),” or “Section Break (Odd Page).” The exact appearance can differ slightly. Do not confuse it with “Page Break,” which starts a page but does not create a new section.
Check that you have the right break. Read the label on the line and note what changes on the page after it. If you want to remove only an extra blank page, first confirm that the mark is a section break rather than a page break or several empty paragraph marks. Deleting the wrong break can affect more of the document than intended.
Place the insertion point immediately after the break. Click at the very beginning of the first paragraph that follows the section break, before its first letter or other character. If it is difficult to position the cursor, zoom in or use the arrow keys after clicking in the paragraph. Avoid selecting any of the paragraph’s text.
Delete the break. Press the Delete key on the Mac keyboard once. On Mac, the key labeled Delete normally erases the character to the left of the insertion point; at the start of the following paragraph, that means it removes the section break before the cursor. If you have a keyboard with a forward-delete key, you can instead place the cursor just before the break and use forward delete. Press only once, then inspect the result.
Review the merged section’s layout. Word combines the content on either side of the removed break into one section. The merged section uses section formatting from the section after the break, so the pages before it may take on that section’s settings. Check orientation, margins, columns, headers, footers, and page numbering from the join onward.
Adjust any settings that changed. Click in the affected section and use the Layout tab to set the required page orientation, margins, or columns. For header and footer changes, double-click the header or footer area and review the Header & Footer tab, including Link to Previous where available. For numbering, use Insert > Page Number and the page-number formatting options as appropriate. Recheck the pages around the join.
Hide the marks and save. Click the ¶ button again to return to the normal view; this hides formatting symbols but does not remove text or breaks. Scroll through the document, especially around the edited pages, then save with Command+S.

Common Mistakes

Deleting a page break instead. A page break controls where a page starts. A section break also separates formatting settings. If you remove a page break, the text may move up, but headers, columns, or orientation will not be merged in the same way. Read the label before deleting.
Expecting only one page to change. Section formatting applies to a section, which can span several pages. Removing its boundary may change settings across a larger range than the visible page. Check at least the pages before and after the break.
Pressing Delete in the wrong place. If the insertion point is not at the start of the paragraph after the break, Delete may remove a letter or other content instead. Use Command+Z right away if the wrong material disappears, then turn on marks and reposition the cursor carefully.
Removing several breaks at once. Multiple section breaks can separate sections with different layouts. Delete only the specific break you intend to remove, and review the document after each deletion. Removing a group of breaks in one go makes it harder to identify which change caused a layout problem.
Assuming the ¶ marks are part of the printed document. Formatting marks are editing aids. Turning them on or off does not add marks to the page when printed or exported to PDF.

Tips

Use a backup for complex layouts. A document with landscape pages, chapter-specific headers, or different numbering schemes may rely on section breaks intentionally. Save a separate copy before experimenting.
Record the settings before you delete. Click in the section after the break and note its orientation, margins, columns, and page-number behavior. If the merged layout is not what you want, you can restore the appropriate settings manually.
Check headers and footers separately. A section may have a unique first-page header, different odd and even page headers, or a footer that is not linked to the previous section. Deleting its break can change how those areas relate. Open the header or footer and inspect the visible Link to Previous setting.
Use Show/Hide to diagnose blank pages. An unexpected blank page may be caused by a section break set to Odd Page or Even Page, which makes Word start the next section on a particular side. Confirm the break type before removing it; changing the break type or layout may be a better fix than deleting the section boundary.
Keep a clean final view. Turn formatting marks off when you are done so the document is easier to read. If the document is still behaving oddly, turn them back on; seeing paragraph marks and breaks is often the quickest way to find the cause.

Troubleshooting

I cannot see a section break. Confirm that you are on the Home tab and have clicked the ¶ Show/Hide button. If the break is still hard to spot, increase the zoom level and inspect the space between paragraphs. Check that you are editing the document in the Word desktop app rather than a preview that may not show all editing marks.

The Delete key removed text instead. Press Command+Z immediately to undo. Turn on formatting marks, click at the start of the paragraph after the labeled section break, and try again. Make sure the cursor is before the first character and not one space or paragraph mark into the text.

The page layout changed after deletion. This is a normal consequence of merging sections. Undo with Command+Z if you need to restore the original layout, or keep the deletion and reset the desired options from the Layout tab. Also check headers, footers, page numbering, and the first-page setting; those may need separate attention.

The break will not disappear. Click directly in the text after the break rather than trying to click the visible line itself, then press Delete once. If the cursor is in a protected or read-only document, check whether editing is restricted or whether you have permission to make changes. Make a writable copy if necessary.

A blank page remains. Turn on formatting marks and inspect the page for another section break, a page break, or empty paragraph marks. A table at the end of a document can also force a final paragraph onto a new page. Remove only the mark you have identified, and check how the surrounding content reflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting a section break delete my text?
It should not delete the text in the sections. It joins the text into one section, but a misplaced cursor can remove a character, so check the insertion point and undo immediately if content disappears.

Will removing the break change my headers or footers?
It can. Sections may have different headers, footers, first-page settings, or links to previous sections. Review these areas after the change and adjust them if the merged section should use a particular header or footer.

Can I remove a section break without changing the layout?
Not always. A section break exists to separate section-level formatting, so removing it merges those settings. You can often recreate the desired appearance by setting margins, orientation, columns, or numbering after the deletion, but the document may need more than one adjustment.

What is the difference between a continuous and next-page section break?
A continuous break starts a new section on the same page, while a next-page break starts it on the following page. Odd-page and even-page breaks start the next section on the specified type of page, which can produce an apparently blank page.

Does hiding formatting marks remove the break?
No. The Show/Hide button only changes whether nonprinting marks are displayed on screen. To remove a break, place the cursor at the start of the following paragraph and delete the break itself.

Can I undo the change if I remove the wrong break?
Yes. Use Edit > Undo or press Command+Z soon after deleting it. If you have made several later changes, restoring the backup copy may be safer than undoing a long chain of edits.

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