Delete a Page in Word: Can You Remove One?

Yes. In Word for Microsoft 365, you can select the contents of a page and delete them, but a page is not a separate object: Word creates pages as text and formatting flow through the document. If a page is blank, you may need to remove a page break, adjust a section break, or fix an oversized table rather than delete page contents.

Delete the current page with Go To

For a page containing text, Word’s Go To command is usually the quickest method. It selects the content Word places on the page where your cursor is, so you do not have to drag across the text and risk missing part of it.

Click anywhere on the page you want to remove.
In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+G. In Word for Mac, press Option+Command+G.
In the Go To dialog, enter \page in the page-number box and press Enter.
Close the dialog. The page’s contents should remain selected.
Press Backspace or Delete to remove the selection. Check the surrounding pages afterward.

This removes the selected page’s content, not a permanent page boundary. Word repaginates the document, so text that followed the deleted material moves up and the total page count may change. If the page contains a paragraph that controls formatting or a break that starts a section, deleting it can also affect nearby layout. Save a copy first if the document’s formatting is important or difficult to reproduce.

What Word selects—and what it does not

The \page command selects the contents Word associates with the current page. It does not treat a page like a slide in PowerPoint or a sheet in a workbook. A page may include text, pictures, tables, and paragraph marks, and its contents can change when you edit text elsewhere. A page number in the status bar is therefore a location in the document, not an independently removable page object.

After using Go To, look closely at the selection before deleting. If you meant to remove only one paragraph or image, press Esc to cancel the selection and select just that item instead. If a heading or other content appears to be selected from the next page, remember that a paragraph can start on one page and continue onto another because of pagination settings. Review the result after deletion, particularly in documents with columns, tables, or section formatting.

You can also remove a page manually by selecting its text with the mouse or keyboard and pressing Delete. That works for a short, simple page, but it is easier to leave behind a paragraph mark or miss an object anchored in the text. Go To is generally more convenient for a page with several paragraphs, though it still cannot identify your intention if the page is blank or created by formatting.

Remove a blank page by finding its cause

A blank page often contains something invisible that pushes the next content onto another page. Rather than repeatedly pressing Backspace at the end of the document, show formatting marks so you can see paragraph marks, page breaks, and section breaks. In Word for Windows, choose Home > Paragraph > Show/Hide ¶, or press Ctrl+Shift+8. On Mac, use the Show/Hide ¶ control on the Home tab or press Command+8.

Extra paragraph marks: Select the unwanted ¶ marks on the blank page and delete them. Keep the paragraph mark required after the preceding text.
Manual page break: If you see a Page Break label, select that break and delete it. The following text will move up if there is room.
Section break: A section break may be responsible for the blank page, but deleting it can change section formatting. Check the next section’s layout before removing it.
Paragraph pagination settings: A paragraph may have Page break before, Keep with next, or Keep lines together enabled. Adjusting the relevant paragraph setting may fix the page without removing content.

To inspect paragraph settings, place the cursor in the affected paragraph and open the Paragraph dialog launcher on the Home tab, then check the Line and Page Breaks tab. The exact result depends on surrounding content: for example, a heading set to stay with the paragraph after it may move together with that paragraph and leave a large gap. Avoid deleting visible text simply because it appears near a blank page; first identify what is forcing Word to start a new page.

Handle page breaks and section breaks carefully

A manual page break tells Word to begin following text on the next page. If the break is the only reason for a blank page, deleting it is often straightforward. With formatting marks on, click immediately before the Page Break marker and press Delete, or select the marker and press Backspace. The text after the break may then join the preceding page, depending on available space.

A section break does more than start a new page. Sections can have different margins, page orientation, columns, headers and footers, or page-number formats. Removing a section break joins the sections, and Word generally applies the formatting of the section that follows the break to the merged section. This may change the appearance of several pages, not just the blank one. If you need the section’s formatting, consider changing the break type or adjusting the section layout instead of deleting it. Make a copy before experimenting with a complex document.

Some section-break types begin a new page by design; an Odd Page or Even Page section break can also produce an apparently empty page when Word needs to place the next section on the specified side. Check the break label and the section’s requirements before removing it. A blank page inserted for printing or book layout may be intentional.

When the last page follows a table

Word requires a paragraph mark after a table, including a table at the very end of a document. If that final paragraph mark does not fit below the table, it can spill onto a new page and make the document appear to have an undeletable blank last page. Turning on Show/Hide ¶ reveals the mark. Deleting it may not be possible because Word needs it, and removing the table is not the right fix if you want to keep the table.

Instead, select the paragraph mark after the table and make it small enough to fit, such as by setting its font size to 1 point. You can also reduce paragraph spacing or adjust the table’s size and page margins if appropriate. Check that the table remains readable and that the paragraph has not acquired unusual spacing. This is a different problem from an extra blank paragraph elsewhere in the document, so the usual instruction to select the blank page and press Delete may not solve it.

Choose the right method for the job

Use Go To when you want to remove a page with ordinary content. Use Show/Hide when a page is blank or when deletion seems to have no effect. Use manual selection when you want to preserve some of the page’s contents, and inspect section formatting before removing a section break. These approaches address different causes; there is no universal Delete Page button because Word builds page boundaries from document content and layout.

For a long document, the Navigation Pane can help you locate a page by heading or search term: choose View > Navigation Pane, then use its headings or search results to navigate. It is a navigation aid, not a page-deletion tool. Once you reach the right location, use Go To or formatting marks to remove the content or break that is actually causing the page.

After any deletion, review the page before and after the edit. Check page numbers, headers and footers, images, and the start of the next section. If the document is shared, tracked changes may also affect what you see: deleting text with Track Changes on can mark it as deleted rather than immediately removing it from the final display. Review the markup and accept or reject changes as appropriate before deciding whether the page is gone.

Common mistakes to avoid

Deleting too much: Confirm that the selected material belongs to the page you intend to remove. Undo with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac if the result is wrong.
Repeatedly pressing Backspace: This can remove content before the blank page without addressing the break or formatting setting that caused it.
Removing every paragraph mark: Word needs paragraph marks to store paragraph formatting, and a table needs a paragraph after it. Remove only the extra marks you can identify.
Deleting a section break without checking layout: Headers, margins, orientation, and page numbering may change after sections are joined.

If the page reappears after editing, inspect the remaining formatting marks and pagination settings again. Word may have moved content because of the edit, or another break may still be forcing a new page. Use Undo before trying a different fix if the layout changes in an unexpected way.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I delete a page in Word without selecting all its text?
Click on the page, press Ctrl+G on Windows or Option+Command+G on Mac, enter \page, press Enter, close the dialog, then press Delete or Backspace. Check the selection before removing it.

Why can’t I delete a blank page in Word?
The page may be caused by a page or section break, extra paragraph marks, paragraph pagination settings, or the required paragraph after a final table. Turn on Show/Hide ¶ to identify what is present before deleting anything.

Can I delete a page in Word on a Mac?
Yes. The Go To procedure is similar; use Option+Command+G to open Go To, enter \page, press Enter, close the dialog, and delete the selection. The Delete key on many Mac keyboards deletes backward; use Fn+Delete for forward deletion if needed.

Will deleting a page change my page numbers?
Usually, Word renumbers pages automatically after content is removed. Page-number formatting can be different in separate sections, however, so inspect the document if the page numbering does not behave as expected.

Can I undo deleting a page?
Yes. Use Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac immediately after the change. If you have continued editing or closed the document, recovery may depend on your save and version history, so keeping a copy is prudent for important files.

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.