Delete a Next Page Section Break in Microsoft Word

To delete a Next Page section break in Word, show formatting marks with Home > ¶, locate the line labeled Section Break (Next Page), select that break, and press Delete. First save a copy if the document’s page layout matters: removing a section break can change headers, margins, orientation, columns, or page numbering. If the line instead says Page Break, it is a regular page break and can usually be deleted without changing section formatting.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, or Word for Mac if that is the version you use.
The document you want to edit. If it has carefully arranged sections, save a separate copy before changing the break.
Optional: access to the document’s formatting marks, which reveal otherwise hidden page and section breaks.

Step-by-Step

Save a copy of the document. In Word, choose File > Save As and save another copy, or duplicate the file in File Explorer. This is especially useful if different parts of the document use different headers, footers, page orientations, margins, or numbering. Deleting a section break is an edit to the document structure, not just a blank line removal.
Turn on formatting marks. On Windows, select Home > ¶ Show/Hide, or press Ctrl+Shift+8. On Mac, select Home > ¶ or press Command+8. The paragraph symbol and other nonprinting marks appear; they will not appear on printed pages. If the button is not visible, look in the Paragraph group on the Home tab.
Go to the unwanted break. Scroll to the page where the unwanted new page begins, then inspect the end of the preceding page and the start of the next one. With formatting marks on, Word displays a horizontal divider labeled Section Break (Next Page). The label may sit between paragraphs, so check the surrounding text before selecting it.
Confirm which kind of break you found. A Section Break (Next Page) starts a new section on the following page and can carry section-specific layout settings. A Page Break simply forces text after it onto a new page. If the label is Page Break, you can use the same selection and deletion method, but expect less impact on layout. Do not delete a section break just because it looks like an ordinary page break.
Select the break itself. Click immediately before the break label, then drag across the label to highlight it. You can also click at the end of the paragraph immediately before the break and use the keyboard: hold Shift and press the right-arrow key to select the break marker. Move carefully; selecting text or paragraph marks on either side can remove content or alter paragraph formatting.
Delete it. Press Delete on Windows or Mac. If the insertion point is immediately after the break instead of before it, pressing Backspace will usually remove it. The following content should move up into the preceding section, and the forced start on a new page should disappear. If nothing changes, undo any unintended edit with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then select the break more precisely.
Check the layout where the sections meet. Review the page containing the former break and several pages after it. Compare page orientation, margins, columns, headers and footers, and page numbers. When a section break is removed, Word joins the sections; the resulting section generally takes its formatting from the section after the deleted break. This can make earlier pages adopt the later section’s layout.
Turn off formatting marks and save. Select Home > ¶ Show/Hide again, or use the same keyboard shortcut, to return to the normal view. Save the document and, if needed, use File > Print or Print Preview to confirm that pages now flow as intended. Formatting marks are a display aid; hiding them does not undo or restore a break.

Common Mistakes

Confusing a page break with a section break. The text in the label matters. A Next Page section break controls both where the next section begins and which section-level layout settings apply. A simple page break only starts the next text on another page.
Removing the wrong marker. Paragraph marks, page breaks, and section breaks can appear close together. Selecting too much may delete a blank paragraph, a heading, or other text. Undo immediately if the result is not what you intended.
Expecting all formatting to stay exactly the same. A section break can separate portrait and landscape pages, different headers, or different page-number formats. Joining sections can cause one layout to carry across the merged area. Check the surrounding pages rather than judging only the page where the break was.
Trying to fix a blank page by deleting the wrong thing. A blank page can be caused by a paragraph mark after a table, several empty paragraphs, or a different break. Show formatting marks and identify the cause before removing anything.

Tips

Use the Navigation pane to get close. Press Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac and search for a nearby heading or phrase. Then close or move away from the pane and inspect the break with formatting marks on. Searching for the break label itself is not always reliable, because Word treats it as a structural marker.
Consider changing the section start instead of deleting the break. If you need the section’s different headers, page numbering, or layout but do not want it to begin on a new page, change its start type to Continuous. Click in the section that begins after the break. On Windows, open the Layout tab, click the small Page Setup dialog launcher, choose the Layout tab in the dialog, set Section start to Continuous, and select OK. Check the result, because some layout changes cannot flow continuously in the way you expect.
Make one change at a time. If the document has several breaks, remove or adjust one, inspect the result, and then continue. This makes it easier to identify which break caused a header, page number, or orientation to change.
Use Undo as a quick safeguard. If the page flow or layout changes unexpectedly, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac before making further edits. You can then decide whether to keep the section and change its start type instead.

Troubleshooting

The break label is not visible. Turn on formatting marks using Home > ¶ Show/Hide. If you are in a view where the page layout is difficult to inspect, choose View > Print Layout. On Mac, the Home tab’s paragraph-mark button is also the quickest way to show the markers. In Word for the web, editing and display options can differ from the desktop app; if you cannot clearly select the section break, open the file in the Word desktop app.

The page does not move after deletion. Check whether another break or a series of empty paragraphs is still forcing the content down. With formatting marks on, look between the text and the next page for another Page Break, another Section Break, or repeated paragraph symbols. Delete only the marker responsible for the unwanted space. Also check whether the next paragraph has a page-break setting: select that paragraph, open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab, and inspect Line and Page Breaks for Page break before.

The header, footer, page number, or orientation changed. Undo the deletion if you need to preserve the original layout, then restore the section break if necessary. If the content should continue without a new page but retain section-level settings, use the Continuous section-start method in Tips instead. For headers and footers, check whether Link to Previous is on in the Header & Footer tab; linking behavior and section boundaries affect what appears in each section. Recheck page numbering settings after any structural change.

You cannot select or remove the break. Confirm that the document is editable and not protected. In Word, check Review > Restrict Editing for editing restrictions; if the file is read-only, save an editable copy if you have permission. Click directly beside the break label rather than on the text above or below it. If you are working in a browser and selection remains difficult, choose Open in Desktop App and make the change in Word for Microsoft 365.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Next Page break the same as a page break?
No. A Page Break moves following text to a new page. A Section Break (Next Page) starts a new section on a new page and can separate layout settings, headers, footers, or numbering.

Will deleting a Next Page section break delete my text?
It should remove the break, not the text. However, selecting too much can delete nearby content, so select the labeled break carefully and use Undo if text disappears.

Why did my margins or header change after I deleted the break?
The break separated sections with potentially different settings. Once the sections are joined, Word applies the resulting section’s formatting across the merged content. Undo the deletion or adjust the section settings if you need the earlier layout.

Can I remove the new-page behavior but keep the section?
Usually. Change the section start from Next Page to Continuous in the Page Setup dialog. This keeps a section boundary, though some page-layout features may still cause content to start on a new page.

How do I delete a regular Page Break?
Show formatting marks, select the label Page Break, and press Delete. This removes the forced page start without merging two sections, so it normally does not change section-specific headers or orientation.

Can I delete a section break in Word for the web?
Browser editing capabilities can vary. If the break is hard to locate or remove, open the document in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Word for Mac, show formatting marks, and delete or adjust it there.

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.