Remove Section Breaks in Word Without Losing Formatting

To remove a section break in Microsoft Word, show formatting marks with Home > ¶, select the section break, and press Delete (or place the cursor just after it and press Backspace). Save a copy first if the document has different page layouts, headers, or page numbering, because removing a section break joins the sections and can change their formatting.

What a section break does

A section break divides a document into parts whose page setup can be controlled separately. One section might use portrait pages and another landscape pages; sections can also have different margins, columns, headers and footers, page-number formats, or rules for where a new section begins. The break is a formatting mark, not ordinary text, so it is usually invisible until you display nonprinting characters.

Word offers several kinds of section breaks. A Next Page break starts a section on the following page. A Continuous break starts a new section without necessarily starting a new page. Even Page and Odd Page breaks begin the next section on a page with the specified parity, which may leave a blank page when necessary. Removing any of these joins the sections; it does not simply erase a visible line.

Check whether it is a section break or a page break

A regular page break and a section break both affect pagination, but their effects are different. A page break moves following content to the next page without creating a new section or changing section-level page setup. A section break divides the document into sections and may be responsible for changes in orientation, margins, columns, headers, footers, or numbering. If you delete the wrong kind, the result may not solve the underlying problem.

To reveal the marks in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select Home > ¶ in the Paragraph group. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+8. On a Mac, select the paragraph-mark button on the Home tab or press Command+8. A section break appears as a labeled divider, such as Section Break (Next Page); a page break is labeled Page Break. The marks are not printed, and you can turn them off again using the same button or shortcut.

Remove a section break in Word for Windows

Work in Print Layout or Draft view, and make sure formatting marks are on so the correct break is easy to identify. Then use one of these methods:

Click immediately before the section-break mark and press Delete.
Alternatively, click immediately after the mark and press Backspace.
If selecting the mark is easier, drag across the break itself and press Delete. Avoid selecting surrounding text or paragraph marks you intend to keep.
Check the pages on both sides of the former break. Review orientation, margins, columns, headers and footers, and page numbering.

If the cursor is difficult to position, choose View > Draft to make breaks easier to see in the document text. You can also use Find and Replace: press Ctrl+H, enter ^b in the Find what field, and leave Replace with empty to locate section breaks. Use Find Next to inspect each match before replacing it. Replacing every match at once can remove breaks that are deliberately controlling the document’s layout.

Remove a section break on a Mac

The basic process in Word for Mac is the same: show formatting marks, find the labeled section break, and delete it. Use Home > ¶ or Command+8 to show marks. Click directly before the break and press Delete, or place the insertion point just after it and press Delete on a Mac keyboard; the key labeled Delete usually removes the character to the left, like Backspace on a Windows keyboard. If your keyboard has a forward-delete key, it can remove the break when the cursor is before it.

Ribbon placement and keyboard behavior can differ slightly by Mac model and Word release, but the visible paragraph-mark control and the labeled break are reliable guides. After deleting it, check the page setup and headers as you would on Windows. If you are working in Word for the web, editing and display controls may differ from the desktop app; for precise section-break cleanup, open the file in the desktop version of Word if the web interface does not expose the break clearly.

What changes when you delete the break

Deleting a section break merges the sections on either side. Word must then use one section’s page setup for the merged area. In general, the merged section takes the formatting associated with the section after the break. This is why a document can unexpectedly switch to landscape, acquire different margins, or change columns after a break is removed. The text itself remains, but its layout may change substantially.

Headers and footers can also be affected because they are managed by section and may be linked to the preceding section. Page numbering can change if the sections used different number formats or restarted numbering independently. For example, a report may use Roman numerals for its front matter and Arabic numerals for its main text. Removing the break between those parts can disrupt that arrangement. Before deleting a break, note which settings differ and whether the sections need to remain separate for any of those reasons.

Keep the layout you want

If the break is unnecessary but the layout difference is intentional, record the relevant settings before you remove it. You can review margins, orientation, paper size, columns, and page borders on the Layout tab; header, footer, and page-number controls are available from the Insert tab and the header or footer editing tools. The exact available controls depend on the document and Word version.

A safer sequence is to save a duplicate, remove one break at a time, and inspect the result before continuing. If the merged section takes the wrong page setup, undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. Then decide whether to restore the break, change the section’s settings, or use a different type of break. Do not assume that changing orientation or margins in the merged area will affect only the pages you intended; section boundaries determine where those settings apply.

For a document that needs a new page but not separate page setup, replace the section break with a page break only when that is appropriate. Remove the section break, place the cursor where the next page should begin, and use Insert > Page Break or the Windows shortcut Ctrl+Enter. On Mac, use Command+Enter where supported, or choose the Page Break command from the Insert tab. A page break controls pagination, not section-specific headers, orientation, or margins.

Common problems and practical fixes

A blank page remains: The break may be an Odd Page or Even Page break, or another paragraph/page setting may be forcing a new page. Turn on formatting marks and inspect nearby paragraph marks and breaks before deleting anything else.
The next pages change orientation: The removed break separated sections with different page setup. Undo, then decide whether the document needs that boundary or whether you can apply one consistent orientation to the combined section.
The header or footer changes: Section-level headers and footers may differ or be linked. Restore the break if the distinction matters, or edit the surviving section’s header and footer after merging.
Text jumps to another page: This can happen when the break’s page-start behavior disappears or when the merged section has different pagination settings. Check paragraph pagination options, including page-break-before and keep-with-next, if the break itself is not the cause.
You cannot see a break: Turn on formatting marks, switch to Draft view, and inspect the boundary between sections. In a complex file, use Find and Replace with ^b to move through section breaks one at a time.

When to keep the break or use another option

Keep a section break when the document genuinely needs different formatting in neighboring parts. Common examples include a single wide table on a landscape page within a portrait report, a two-column newsletter section following single-column text, or a chapter with a different header. Deleting the boundary may make the document simpler, but it can also remove the mechanism that makes these layouts possible.

If the only goal is to start text on a new page, a page break is usually more suitable. If you need a new section without forcing it onto the next page, a Continuous section break may be the right choice. To change the kind of existing section break, place the cursor in the section that follows it and use Layout > Page Setup dialog launcher > Layout to adjust the section start setting, where available in your Word version. Choose based on the intended layout rather than deleting breaks simply because they are visible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting a section break delete my text?
Normally, deleting the break removes the section boundary, not the words in the document. However, the text may repaginate or take on different section formatting, so review the surrounding pages afterward.

Why does my document change to landscape after I remove a section break?
The two sections had different page setups. When they merge, Word applies one section’s formatting to the combined area. Undo the change if you need both orientations, then keep a section boundary around the pages that require landscape layout.

Can I remove all section breaks at once?
Find and Replace can search for section breaks using ^b, but replacing all matches may destroy intentional differences in layout, headers, or numbering. Inspect matches individually unless you are certain every section boundary is unnecessary.

How do I remove a section break without changing formatting?
If the adjacent sections have different section-level settings, you generally cannot merge them and preserve both sets of settings as separate areas; a section boundary is what allows those differences. Save a copy, identify the settings you need, and either retain the break or redesign the layout after merging.

Is a section break the same as a page break?
No. A page break starts the next page but does not create a separate section. A section break divides the document into sections and can control page setup, headers, footers, and numbering in addition to where content begins.

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