How to Delete a Blank Page in Microsoft Word

To delete a blank page in Microsoft Word, show formatting marks, find the paragraph mark or break that is creating it, then select and remove that extra item. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8 to show marks; on Mac, press Command+8. This guide explains how to remove a trailing page, a page caused by a break, or an extra page after a table without accidentally deleting content or changing the document’s layout.

Before editing, save your document or make a copy if it contains important formatting. A blank page is usually caused by an extra paragraph, a manual page break, or a section break—not by an empty page object. Identifying the cause first makes the fix safer.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac, with the document open.
Permission to edit the document. If it is read-only or protected, you may need to save an editable copy or ask the document owner for access.

Step-by-Step

Save a copy if the layout matters. Choose File > Save As and save a separate copy before changing section breaks, page numbering, or complex formatting. For a simple extra paragraph at the end, this may not be necessary, but a copy gives you an easy way to restore the original layout.
Go to the blank page. Scroll to it, or move to the end of the document with Ctrl+End on Windows or Command+End on Mac. If the unwanted page is in the middle, use the vertical scroll bar or the Navigation pane to locate it. The Navigation pane can help you find the page, but you still need to remove the mark or break that creates it.
Turn on formatting marks. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8; on Mac, press Command+8. You can also select Home > ¶ on the ribbon. Word displays paragraph marks (¶), page breaks, and section breaks. These symbols are nonprinting: they help diagnose the layout and will not appear on a normal printed page. Press the same shortcut or button again when you want to hide them.
Look for an extra paragraph mark. A blank page at the end often contains one or more ¶ symbols. Click immediately before an extra mark and press Delete, or click immediately after it and press Backspace. On Windows, Delete removes the item after the cursor and Backspace removes the item before it; the Mac keyboard’s Delete key usually works like Backspace, so use Fn+Delete for forward Delete on many Mac keyboards. Remove only the extra marks, and stop when the page disappears.
Remove a manual page break if one is visible. Word labels a manual break as Page Break when formatting marks are on. Click just before that label and press Delete, or select the break itself and delete it. Check the pages around it afterward: the content that followed the break will move up, which is usually the intended result. If text was deliberately meant to start on a new page, undo the change with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac and keep the break.
Handle a section break cautiously. A label such as Section Break (Next Page), Section Break (Odd Page), or Section Break (Even Page) can create an apparently blank page. Deleting it may also merge sections and change headers, footers, margins, columns, or page numbering. If you do not need the separate section formatting, place the cursor before the break and delete it, then inspect the document. If you do need the formatting, do not simply remove the break: on Windows, place the cursor in the section after the break, open Layout > Page Setup dialog launcher > Layout, and choose Continuous under Section start if that layout is suitable. Word for Mac has different dialog placement; check the Layout or Document settings available in your version before changing a section.
Check the paragraph after a final table. Word requires a paragraph after a table at the end of a document, so that final ¶ cannot be deleted in the usual way. If it has flowed onto a new page, click that paragraph mark, select Home > Font Size, enter 1, and press Enter. If needed, open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab and set spacing before and after to 0 and line spacing to Exactly 1 pt. This usually makes the required paragraph small enough to fit on the previous page. Avoid deleting the table or changing its row settings just to remove the extra page.
Confirm the result and save. Turn off formatting marks, then check the page before and after the removed page for missing text, changed headers, or unexpected page numbering. Save with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If the blank page remains, keep the marks visible and use the troubleshooting section below to identify what is still taking up space.

Common Mistakes

Deleting visible content instead of the cause: Pressing Backspace repeatedly from the blank page can remove the last sentence on the previous page. Look for the paragraph mark or break first, and delete only that item.

Removing a section break without checking section formatting: This may make headers and footers match across sections, alter page numbering, or change page orientation. Undo immediately if the layout changes unexpectedly, then consider changing the section start type instead.

Assuming formatting marks will print: The ¶ symbol and break labels are editing aids. They are not normally printed or included in a PDF. You can hide them after the repair without deleting any document content.

Deleting the paragraph after a table: Word keeps a required paragraph after a final table. Shrink its formatting instead of trying to remove it; otherwise, you may disrupt the table or the content around it.

Tips

Use the zoom control or Print Layout view to see where the blank page sits, but rely on formatting marks to identify its cause.
If you are unsure whether a mark is essential, delete one item at a time and use Undo immediately if the document changes in an unwanted way.
After fixing a section break or table overflow, check the document’s headers, footers, page numbers, and the first page of each section.
If the page is blank only in print preview or a PDF, check print settings and printer behavior as well as the document itself. A page shown by Word’s layout is not always caused by the same issue as a page added by a printer driver.

Troubleshooting

The blank page is still there after deleting a paragraph mark. Turn formatting marks back on and inspect the whole page, including its top and bottom. There may be several paragraph marks, a page break, or a section break. Also check whether the paragraph before the page has a pagination setting that forces it onto a new page. Select that paragraph, open the Paragraph dialog from Home, choose Line and Page Breaks, and review Page break before. Turn it off only if the paragraph is not meant to start a new page.

Deleting a section break changes the document’s appearance. Press Ctrl+Z or Command+Z straight away. The break may separate sections with different headers, margins, orientation, or numbering. Keep the break and, if appropriate, change the following section’s start setting to Continuous rather than deleting it. Review the pages on both sides, because section formatting can affect more than the blank page.

The blank page appears between sections, especially with odd or even page starts. An Odd Page or Even Page section break may make Word insert a blank page to place the next section on the required side. That page can be intentional for book-style layouts. If it is not needed, change the section start setting only after checking the effect on headers, footers, and page numbering. For a document designed for two-sided printing, confirm whether the blank page is required before removing it.

The page follows a table and will not disappear. Select the paragraph mark after the table and reduce its font size to 1 pt. Set paragraph spacing to zero and line spacing to Exactly 1 pt if necessary. If the table itself is too tall to fit, adjust its row height or cell spacing only if doing so will not compromise the content or layout.

The page looks blank but contains something you cannot see. With formatting marks on, check for an object anchor, a floating image, a text box, or text formatted in a color that blends into the background. Click around the page and use the Selection Pane, available from Home > Select > Selection Pane on Windows, to inspect and select objects. Be careful not to remove an item that is simply positioned outside the visible text area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word add a blank page at the end?
Most often, an extra paragraph mark, a manual page break, or a section break pushes content onto another page. A table at the end can also leave its required final paragraph on a new page.

Can I delete a blank page without deleting the text before it?
Yes. Show formatting marks and remove only the extra paragraph mark or break responsible for the page. Avoid holding Backspace, which can erase preceding text.

How do I delete a blank page in Word for Mac?
Use Command+8 to show formatting marks, then remove the extra paragraph mark or break. The ribbon has the same general Home > ¶ control, though some dialog boxes and keyboard keys differ from Windows.

Will deleting a section break remove my header or footer?
It can change which sections share headers and footers, and may affect page numbers or layout. Undo if those elements change, then keep the break and adjust its section-start setting if that is appropriate.

Can I remove the final paragraph mark after a table?
No. Word requires a paragraph after a table at the end of a document. Make that paragraph smaller—usually 1 pt with no extra spacing—so it fits on the preceding page.

Why does the blank page show up only when I print?
A print driver, paper-size setting, or printer-specific layout can create a page that is not obvious in the document view. Check Print Preview, paper size, and printer settings, and compare with a PDF exported from Word.

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