Remove a Section Break in Word Without Wrecking Layout

To remove a section break in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, choose Home > ¶ to show formatting marks, click the section-break line, and press Delete. Removing it joins the sections, so check the layout afterward: margins, orientation, headers, footers, and page numbering may change.

What a section break does

A section break divides a document into parts that can use different page setup or formatting. For example, a report might use portrait orientation for most pages, landscape orientation for a wide table, and a separate header on its title page. Section breaks tell Word where one set of section-level settings ends and another begins.

Word offers several section-break types. You can see and insert them from Layout > Breaks > Section Breaks:

Next Page: Starts the next section on a new page. It is commonly used when a chapter or other section should begin on a fresh page.
Continuous: Starts a new section on the same page. It can support different column layouts within a page, among other uses.
Even Page: Starts the next section on the next even-numbered page.
Odd Page: Starts the next section on the next odd-numbered page.

A section break is not the same as a page break. A page break moves following text to a new page without creating a new section. If all you need is a new page, replacing a section break with a page break may be appropriate—but first confirm that you do not rely on separate section formatting.

Remove one section break in Word for Windows

Make a copy of an important document before changing its section structure. Then locate the break and remove it:

Open the document in the Word desktop app.
On the Home tab, select the paragraph-mark button (¶). The same toggle is available with Ctrl+Shift+8.
Find the line labeled with the type of break, such as Section Break (Next Page). If it is hard to spot in Print Layout, choose View > Draft to inspect the document in Draft view.
Click directly on the section-break line or select the break marker, then press Delete. If you place the insertion point immediately after the break instead, press Backspace.
Review the pages on both sides of the removed break. Check page layout and headers or footers, then turn off formatting marks with Home > ¶ if you no longer need them.

Formatting marks are nonprinting guides; displaying them does not add symbols to the printed document. If clicking the line is difficult, use the arrow keys to move the insertion point to the break and delete it from there. Avoid selecting nearby text by accident.

Remove a section break on a Mac

In Word for Mac, open the document in the desktop app and use Home > ¶ to display formatting marks. Command+8 also toggles those marks in Word for Mac. Locate the section-break line, select it, and press Delete. On many Mac keyboards, Delete works like Backspace on a Windows keyboard; to delete forward from the cursor, use Fn+Delete where needed. You can also choose View > Draft to make breaks easier to inspect.

The key difference is mostly the keyboard: Windows uses Ctrl+Shift+8 to show formatting marks, while Mac uses Command+8. The basic editing process is the same. Afterward, inspect the affected pages just as you would on Windows, because removing the break can change section formatting on either platform.

What changes when you delete a section break

Deleting a section break merges the sections on its two sides. The merged section uses the section formatting associated with the section after the break, so content that was before it can take on that formatting. This is why removing a break can appear to change several pages rather than just erase a visible line.

Check these settings after the deletion:

Page setup: Look for changes to margins, paper size, orientation, and vertical alignment. A landscape page may become portrait, or the margins may shift.
Columns: Text that used a different number of columns may reflow into the merged section’s column setup.
Headers and footers: Section-specific headers and footers may be replaced or become linked to another section. Compare the first and last pages around the old break.
Page numbering: Numbering can continue, restart, or use a different format depending on the section settings. Check both the displayed numbers and the page-number format options if the sequence changes.
Different first page: A section’s first-page header or footer setting may no longer apply as expected after the sections merge.

For example, suppose a landscape table occupies one section between two portrait sections. Deleting the breaks around the table can make the table’s pages portrait or make surrounding pages landscape, depending on which breaks you remove and what formatting remains. If you want to remove only an unwanted blank page but preserve the landscape table, deleting every nearby section break is likely the wrong fix.

Find a break or remove several

For one break, showing formatting marks is usually the clearest method because it lets you see the break in context. If a long document contains many breaks, Word’s Find and Replace can search for the section-break code ^b. Press Ctrl+H on Windows to open Find and Replace, enter ^b in Find what, and use Find Next to move between matches. On Mac, open Find and Replace from the Edit menu or use the available Find and Replace command in your version of Word.

Use Replace All with care. It can remove every section break found in the search scope, including breaks that control orientation, columns, headers, or page numbering. A safer approach is to find each match, assess its purpose, and replace only the breaks you truly want to remove. If you do use Replace All, save a separate copy first and inspect the entire document afterward. Word’s Undo command is Ctrl+Z on Windows and Command+Z on Mac, but it is not a substitute for a backup when many changes are involved.

Fix common problems

The break is not visible. Turn on Home > ¶. If the document is in Print Layout and the break is still hard to locate, try View > Draft. A section break can be near the end of a page or paragraph, so inspect the relevant boundary rather than only the blank page itself.

Deleting it changes the wrong pages. Undo immediately, then check which section’s formatting you need to keep. If the two sections have different layouts, changing the break may not be the right solution. You may need to adjust page setup or header/footer settings instead of merging the sections.

A blank page remains. The page might be caused by a page break, extra paragraph marks, or the required paragraph after a table at the end of a document—not by the section break you removed. Keep formatting marks on while diagnosing it. Delete only the extra mark or break you have identified; removing ordinary paragraph marks can join text or alter formatting.

The break seems impossible to select. Switch to Draft view, click near the break, and use the arrow keys to position the cursor around it. You can also use Find and Replace to locate a specific section break with ^b, then close the dialog and remove the selected match carefully.

The document is open in Word for the web. Word for the web may preserve section breaks, but its section-break editing options are limited compared with the desktop app. If you cannot reliably display or remove the break, open the document in Word for Windows or Mac, make the change there, and save it. Reopen the saved file in the browser to verify the result.

Choose between deleting and replacing the break

Delete a section break when the two parts should share section-level formatting. Keep it when the document needs different page orientation, margins, columns, headers, footers, or numbering. If your goal is simply to start text on a new page, a standard page break may be enough; in Word, use Insert > Page Break or press Ctrl+Enter on Windows. On Mac, use Insert > Page Break; the keyboard shortcut can vary with the keyboard layout and Word version.

There is no universal one-click conversion that safely turns every section break into a page break while preserving the intended layout. First decide what should happen to the content and settings on either side. If you replace a break, insert the page break where needed, remove the section break, and then check pagination. For a complex document, do this on a copy and compare the result page by page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I delete a section break without deleting text?
Show formatting marks with Home > ¶, select only the line labeled Section Break, and press Delete. Do not highlight the paragraphs around it. Review the layout afterward because the sections will merge.

Why does deleting a section break change my header?
Headers and footers can be set separately for each section, and they can also be linked to a previous section. When you remove a break, the sections merge and their section-level settings no longer remain independent. Check the header and footer on the affected pages.

Can I remove all section breaks at once?
Find and Replace can search for section breaks using ^b, and Replace All can remove matches. This may also remove breaks needed for page orientation, columns, or numbering, so save a copy and consider removing matches individually.

What is the difference between a section break and a page break?
A page break starts a new page but does not create a new section. A section break starts a new section, which can have its own page setup and other section formatting. Use a page break for a simple page transition when separate section settings are unnecessary.

Can I remove a section break in Word for the web?
If the web app does not let you find or remove the break reliably, open the file in the Word desktop app for Windows or Mac. Make the change there, save the document, and check the updated file in the browser.

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

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

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