How to Delete a Single Page in Word Safely

To delete a single page in Word, click anywhere on it, press Ctrl+G on Windows (Option+Command+G on Mac), enter \page, press Enter, close the Go To window, and press Delete. Check the selection before removing it: Word pages are created by flowing text and formatting, so deleting a page can also affect a section break, layout, or content that moves onto it.

What You’ll Need

A copy of the document open in the Word desktop app. These steps are for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the Mac shortcut is noted where it differs.
The page number you want to remove, if you know it. Page numbers can change as content reflows, so confirm the page visually before deleting.
If the document is important, save a copy first with File > Save As. You can also use Ctrl+Z (Command+Z on Mac) immediately if a deletion has an unexpected effect.

Step-by-Step

Save and locate the target page. Open the document and switch to View > Print Layout if you are not already seeing individual pages. Scroll to the page you want to remove. If you are using a page number to find it, remember that the number shown in Word’s status bar may not match a printed page number when the document has a title page, Roman numerals, or restarted numbering. Use the page’s content and position to identify it as well.
Place the insertion point on that page. Click inside its text or, for a blank page, click in the empty area. The cursor needs to be on the page you intend to remove. If a large table or image makes it hard to click, click a nearby paragraph on that same page before using the selection method in the next step.
Select the page’s contents. In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+G to open the Go To tab of Find and Replace. In the box labeled Enter page number, type \page and press Enter, then choose Close. The contents of the current page should now be selected. In Word for Mac, use Option+Command+G to open Go To, enter \page, press Enter, and close the dialog. If you do not see a selection on the intended page, do not press Delete; click the correct page and try again.
Inspect the selection before deleting it. Confirm that the highlighted text, objects, or marks belong to the page you want to remove. Word selects page content, not a permanent page object. If the page starts or ends with a section break, or the selection extends into content you want to keep, stop and use the blank-page or manual-selection guidance below instead. This pause is especially important in documents with different headers, footers, columns, or page orientations.
Delete the selected content. Press Delete on Windows or Delete/Backspace on Mac. The text and other selected items are removed, and Word pulls later content forward to fill the space. If the page had a page break, that break may be removed with the selection; if it had a section break, deleting it may change formatting beyond the page. Undo immediately with Ctrl+Z or Command+Z if the result is not what you intended.
Check the document after the page disappears. Look at the pages before and after the deletion, and scroll through the rest of the document to check that headings, tables, images, and page numbering still make sense. A page is not always a fixed block: removing text can cause paragraphs to reflow, so the former next page may become part of the previous page rather than retaining its old number. Save when the layout is correct.
For an unwanted blank page, reveal formatting marks first. Press Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac, or select Home > ¶ Show/Hide. Look for paragraph marks, a Page Break label, or a Section Break label on the blank page. Select only the extra paragraph marks or the page break and delete them. Turn Show/Hide off afterward using the same shortcut or button; the marks are formatting indicators and do not print.

Common Mistakes

Deleting the wrong page because the number changed. Word recalculates page positions as text is edited. A page that was page 5 before a change may no longer be page 5. Locate it by its visible text or nearby heading, then click on it before selecting it.

Using Backspace from the start of the next page. Backspace can remove the paragraph break or page break before the cursor, joining content that you meant to keep. For a page of unwanted text, select and inspect that page’s contents first. For a blank page, reveal formatting marks so you can identify what is creating the space.

Removing a section break without considering its effect. Section breaks can control margins, columns, headers and footers, page orientation, and numbering. Deleting one may apply the surrounding section’s formatting to a larger part of the document. If you need to preserve those settings, undo, then consider retaining the break and removing only the extra content, or ask the document owner which section formatting should remain.

Assuming a blank-looking page contains nothing. It may contain an empty paragraph, a manual page break, a section break, or a paragraph Word must keep after a table. Show formatting marks before removing it so you can see the cause rather than deleting nearby content at random.

Deleting without checking what is selected. The Go To method is quick, but pressing Delete without confirming the highlighted area can remove wanted text or formatting. If the selection looks broader than expected, press Esc or click elsewhere to cancel it and select more carefully.

Tips

Make a recovery point. Before a substantial edit, use File > Save As to create a separate copy. Undo is useful for immediate mistakes, but a saved copy provides a safer fallback if you continue editing after the deletion.
Use Navigation for long documents. Press Ctrl+f on Windows or Command+f on Mac and search for a distinctive word or heading on the target page. Close the navigation pane, click within the matching passage, and then use Go To with \page if you want to select that page’s contents.
Handle an unwanted page break directly. With Show/Hide on, click just before the Page Break label and press Delete, or select the break and delete it. Check that the text following it joins the preceding page in the way you expect.
Take extra care around tables. Word requires a paragraph after a table. If a table fills the preceding page, that required paragraph can be pushed onto a new page and make it look blank. Do not remove the table or its contents to fix this. Select the paragraph mark after the table and, if appropriate, reduce its font size or paragraph spacing instead.
Check the printed layout. Use File > Print to preview the pages before sharing or printing. This helps catch a remaining blank page, unexpected page numbering, or a layout shift that is not obvious while editing.

Troubleshooting

The \page command does not select anything. Make sure you clicked on the target page before opening Go To, typed the backslash as well as the word, and pressed Enter before closing the dialog. If the selection still does not appear, use the mouse: click at the start of the page’s content, then hold Shift and click at the end of the content you intend to remove. Inspect the highlighted range carefully before pressing Delete. In Word for the web, desktop Go To selection behavior may differ; manual selection is a practical alternative.

The page remains after deleting its text. Turn on Show/Hide and inspect the page for an empty paragraph, manual page break, or section break. A section break can be responsible even if it looks like a blank page. If the page follows a table, check for the required paragraph mark after the table. Remove only the item creating the extra page, and watch for any change to section formatting.

Deleting the page changed headers, orientation, or numbering. Press Ctrl+Z (Command+Z on Mac) right away to restore the document. The deleted item may have been a section break. Keep the break if its section settings are needed, and remove only the unwanted text or blank paragraphs. If you are unsure which section should control the formatting, compare the document with the saved copy before making further changes.

The page disappeared but other content moved unexpectedly. This is often normal reflow: Word fills the space left by deleted material. Undo if the movement is undesirable, then select a narrower range or remove only the specific break or paragraph responsible. Check nearby tables and images too, because their wrapping and placement can affect pagination.

You are using Word for the web. Open the document in the desktop app for the Go To page-selection method if available. Otherwise, click and drag to select the unwanted text, then delete it; for a blank page, show formatting marks if the web version offers that control and remove the extra paragraph or break. The exact controls can vary by browser and Word update, so avoid deleting surrounding content when the selection is uncertain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a page without deleting the text on it?
A page is a result of Word’s layout, not a separate object. To remove the page, you must remove or change whatever creates it, such as text, a page break, or extra paragraph spacing. If you want to keep the text, move it elsewhere or adjust the layout rather than deleting it.

Does the Go To method delete only one page?
It selects the contents of the current page, then Delete removes the selection. Review the highlighted area before deleting, particularly near section breaks or complex layouts. Afterward, later content may move, so the document’s page count and page numbers can change.

How do I delete a blank last page in Word?
Turn on Show/Hide with Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac. Delete an extra empty paragraph or page break if present. If a table ends on the preceding page, Word’s required paragraph after the table may be spilling over; reduce that paragraph’s font size or spacing instead of deleting table content.

Why does deleting a section break change my document?
A section break can store layout differences between parts of a document, including orientation, margins, columns, headers, footers, and numbering. Removing it can cause Word to apply one section’s settings to another. Undo the change and preserve the break if those differences matter.

Can I delete a page in Word on a Mac?
Yes. In Word for Mac, click the page, press Option+Command+G, enter \page, press Enter, close the dialog, inspect the selection, and press Delete/Backspace. Command+8 toggles formatting marks to help diagnose blank pages.

Will deleting a page renumber the rest of the document?
Word updates automatic page numbers as pages reflow. If numbering is set to restart in a section or uses a different numbering format, it may not simply decrease by one. Check the footer and print preview after editing, especially if the document uses multiple sections.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

Spotted an error in this guide? Let us know.