How to Delete a Page in the Word App

To delete a page in the Word app, select the page’s contents and press Delete; Word does not have a separate command that removes a page while leaving its contents untouched. On Windows, use Go To to select a whole page quickly. For a blank page, remove the paragraph mark or break that is making it appear. Save a copy first if the document has important formatting or section layouts.

What You’ll Need

The Word document you want to edit, open in Microsoft Word.
Editing permission. If the document is read-only or protected, you may need to save an editable copy or ask the owner to enable editing.
A keyboard is helpful for selecting a whole page on Windows or Mac. On a phone or tablet, you can select text with touch, although removing a large page is usually easier on a computer.

Step-by-Step

Save a working copy. In Word for Windows, choose File > Save As and save a copy under a different name if you may need to restore the original. On Mac, use File > Save As. If AutoSave is on, edits may be saved to the original file as you work, so a separate copy is the safest option. Deleting text can change pagination and formatting on later pages.
Check which page you want to remove. Scroll to it and look at its contents. Decide whether you are deleting a page of text, an unwanted blank page, or a page created by a break. This matters because selecting a page of content will not always remove the formatting mark that creates a blank page.
Select a whole page in Word for Windows. Click anywhere on the page you want to delete. Press Ctrl+G to open the Go To tab in the Find and Replace window. In the Enter page number box, type \page and press Enter. Word selects the contents of the current page. Click Close to dismiss the window without cancelling the selection, then check that the highlighted text is on the intended page. Press Delete. If you want to remove only some content, click in the document and select that text instead of using the page selection.
Use the corresponding method on a Mac. Click on the page, press Option+Command+G to open Go To, type \page in the page field, and press Return. Close the Go To window, confirm the selection, and press Delete. Depending on your Word version or keyboard settings, you can also open the Go To command from Edit > Find > Go To. If the shortcut behaves differently, use the menu route or check the shortcut shown in your version of Word.
Delete the selected content in Word for the web or on a mobile device. Word’s desktop Go To selection is the most reliable way to select a whole page. In Word for the web, click and drag across the content you want to remove, then press Backspace or Delete; use the desktop app if selecting a full page precisely is difficult. In the Android or iPhone app, tap and hold a word, use the selection handles to extend the highlight across the page’s text, and tap Backspace or Delete on the on-screen keyboard. The exact controls can vary by device. Avoid deleting text on the pages before or after the target page.
Remove the cause of an unwanted blank page. If the blank page remains, show formatting marks. In Word for Windows, choose Home > ¶, or press Ctrl+Shift+8. On Mac, choose Home > ¶ or press Command+8. Look on the blank page for paragraph marks (¶), a Page Break label, or a Section Break label. Select the unwanted mark and press Delete or Backspace. Turn off the ¶ display when you are finished; those marks are not printed.
Check the document after deletion. Scroll through the pages around the edit. Confirm that no needed heading, footnote, table, or text has disappeared, and check that page numbering and section formatting still look right. Press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac immediately if the wrong material was removed. Save the document after you are satisfied.

Common Mistakes

Pressing Delete without selecting the right material. If the insertion point is simply at the start of a page, Delete removes the character after it; it does not automatically remove the entire page. Use Go To on the Windows or Mac desktop app, or carefully select the page’s content before deleting.

Removing a section break without checking its purpose. Section breaks can control different headers, footers, page orientation, columns, and page numbering. Deleting one can make the next section take on the previous section’s formatting. If the break is needed, keep it and adjust the layout instead. If you decide to remove it, inspect the sections on both sides and undo at once if the formatting changes unexpectedly.

Deleting a page break but not the extra paragraph mark. A blank page can contain more than one formatting mark. Turn on ¶ and inspect the whole page, including the paragraph after a table or the paragraph at the start of the next page. Remove only the marks causing the extra page.

Assuming a page is a fixed object. Word reflows text when content is removed. Deleting one page can pull text from the following page upward, and the page count may decrease by more than one if later content also reflows. Judge the result by the content and layout, not just by the original page number.

Tips

Use the page number displayed in Word’s status bar to navigate, but verify the page’s heading or first line before deleting. Page numbers printed in a footer may not match the document’s current page count if numbering restarts in a section.
To select just a range of text, click at the start, hold Shift, and click at the end, then review the highlight before pressing Delete. On a touch screen, move the selection handles slowly and zoom in if the page is crowded.
If you are removing a page because its text is no longer needed, consider whether references to that page, its heading, or its contents appear elsewhere in the document. Delete or update those references separately.
For a blank page after a table, Word may require a paragraph mark after the table. Select that final mark and make its font size very small, such as 1 pt, rather than trying to remove a required mark. You can select the mark with ¶ visible and set the size from the Home tab’s font-size box. Check that the table and page layout remain readable.
After changing a section break or page break, use Print Layout and review the pages around the change. A layout that looks acceptable in one view can shift when Word repaginates the document or when it is opened on another device.

Troubleshooting

The page will not disappear. Show formatting marks and look for a page break, section break, or extra paragraph mark. Delete the relevant mark if it is unnecessary. If the page is blank after a table, try reducing the final paragraph mark’s font size as described above.

Go To does not select the page. Make sure you entered \page in the Go To page-number field, not in the document text or the Find box. Click in the page first so Word knows which page to select. If your version does not accept the command, select the content manually or open the file in the desktop Word app.

The next page’s layout changes. You may have removed a section break that was controlling orientation, margins, columns, headers, or numbering. Undo immediately. Restore the break if possible, then adjust the content or the section settings without removing it. If the document is complex, make another copy before trying layout changes.

Text from the wrong page is highlighted. Do not press Delete. Close the Go To window, click on the intended page, and repeat the selection. If the selection is difficult to judge, zoom in or select the text manually. You can also press Escape to cancel a selection before editing.

Word will not let you edit. Look for a Protected View or read-only notice near the top of the window. Choose Enable Editing only if you trust the file’s source. If editing is restricted by the document owner or your organization, save a permitted copy or request access rather than trying to bypass the restriction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a Delete Page button in Word?
No. Word treats a page as the result of its text, objects, and layout rather than as a separate object. Select and delete its contents, or remove the break or paragraph mark that is creating an unwanted blank page.

Can I delete a blank page without changing the rest of the document?
Often, yes, if the page is caused by an unnecessary paragraph mark or page break. Removing a section break can affect the formatting of the following section, so check the layout before and after the change.

Does selecting \page delete the page immediately?
No. It selects the current page’s contents. You still need to close the Go To window and press Delete, after checking the highlighted selection. The command is most useful in the desktop versions of Word.

Can I delete a page in the Word mobile app?
Yes, by selecting the text on that page with the touch selection handles and deleting it. The mobile app may not offer the same convenient whole-page selection as desktop Word, so use a computer if the page has complex content or formatting.

Why is there still a blank page after I delete the text?
A hidden paragraph mark, page break, or section break may still be forcing the page to appear. Turn on formatting marks from Home > ¶ and remove only the unnecessary mark. A paragraph after a table may need to remain but can sometimes be made small enough to fit on the previous page.

Will deleting a page affect page numbers?
It can. Word repaginates the document, and pages may shift. If page numbering restarts in a section or uses different headers and footers, review those settings after deleting content, especially if you changed a section break.

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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