How to Delete a Page in Word and Google Docs Easily

To delete a page in Microsoft Word, use Ctrl+G, enter \page, select Close, then press Delete; in Google Docs, remove the page’s text or the page break that creates it. The right fix depends on whether the page contains content, is blank, or is being forced by a layout break. Before editing, save or confirm your document is syncing, especially if you are removing a section break that may change formatting.

What You’ll Need

Access to the document in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The Word instructions below are for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac differences are noted where they matter.
Editing permission. In Google Docs, you must have Editor access to remove content; viewers and commenters cannot make the change.
A moment to check the pages around the one you plan to remove. Deleting a page break or section break can shift text or alter layout elsewhere.

Step-by-Step

Identify which app and kind of page you have. Scroll to the page and check whether it contains text, images, a table, or only empty space. If the page is blank, look at the paragraph before and after it and check for a page break or section break. Word and Google Docs reflow text automatically, so deleting content may remove a page while changing the numbering of all later pages. If you are unsure, make a copy first using File > Save a Copy in Word or File > Make a copy in Google Docs.
Delete a page of content in Word on Windows. Click anywhere on the page you want gone. Press Ctrl+G to open the Go To tab of the Find and Replace dialog. In the Enter page number box, type \page, then press Enter. Word selects the content on the current page. Select Close to dismiss the dialog while keeping the selection, then press Delete. Review the text immediately before and after the deleted area because Word may join paragraphs or move content onto a different page. This method is useful for a page with mixed text and objects, although you should verify that every item you meant to remove was selected.
Use the equivalent Go To command on a Mac. In Word for Mac, click in the page and press Option+Command+G to open Go To. Type \page in the page-number field, press Enter, close the dialog, and press Delete. If that shortcut is intercepted by a system setting or does not open Go To in your version, use Word’s Edit > Find > Go To command instead. Check the selection before deleting; the dialog should select the current page’s contents, not just place the cursor there.
Remove a blank page in Word. On Windows, go to Home and select the paragraph symbol button, ¶, in the Paragraph group. On Mac, use the same button on the Home tab; if it is not visible, use Word’s formatting marks control in the ribbon. The marks reveal otherwise hidden paragraph marks and break labels. On the blank page, select and delete an unnecessary empty paragraph mark or a manual page break. If the page appears after a table at the end of the document, Word requires a paragraph after the table; select that final paragraph mark and reduce its font size to 1 point rather than trying to remove it. Confirm that the table and preceding page still look right.
Remove a page break in Google Docs. Click at the very beginning of the text on the page after the unwanted break, then press Backspace until the break is removed and the text moves up. If you can place the cursor at the end of the preceding page, you can instead press Delete. Work carefully: holding either key can erase text as soon as the break is gone. If the break is visible as a labeled line, click just before it and press Delete, or just after it and press Backspace. On a Mac, use the same Delete or Backspace key names as shown on your keyboard; the key that erases backward may be labeled Delete.
Delete a page of content in Google Docs. Drag across the text, images, or other material on the unwanted page and press Backspace or Delete. For a long page, click at the start of the material, scroll to its end, hold Shift, and click after the last item to select a range; check that you have not included material from the next page. Delete the selection and inspect the surrounding paragraphs. If the page remains, it may be caused by extra empty paragraphs, a manual page break, or spacing settings rather than by visible text alone.
Check section breaks and page setup. In Word, a section break can start a new page and also control headers, footers, columns, or page numbering. Turn on paragraph marks and find labels such as Section Break (Next Page), then pause before deleting one. Removing it can merge sections and apply one section’s layout settings to another. In Google Docs, check for a page break and review page setup if the document uses unusual margins or page size. After removing any break, scroll through the document and check the headers, footers, numbering, and page layout.
Verify and save the result. Confirm that the unwanted page is gone and the content that should remain is present. In Word, press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. Google Docs saves changes automatically when it is online; wait for the saved-to-Drive indicator before closing the tab. If you made a copy, compare it with the original before sharing or printing.

Common Mistakes

Deleting visible text but leaving the cause of the page. A blank page can be created by a manual break, a section break, or a required paragraph after a table. Removing nearby words will not necessarily remove that layout element. Show formatting marks in Word or inspect the break in Google Docs before making repeated edits.

Removing a section break without checking its effects. In Word, section breaks can preserve different headers, footers, page orientation, margins, columns, or numbering. Deleting one may change the formatting of the section before it, the section after it, or both. If you need the page gone but want to keep the layout, consider changing the break type or adjusting the section’s layout rather than deleting it blindly.

Pressing Backspace or Delete for too long. These keys remove the break first, then continue deleting text if you keep pressing them. Use one press at a time and check the document after each edit. Also make sure you are editing the intended file and not a read-only copy.

Expecting page numbers to stay the same. Word and Google Docs repaginate after content changes. The page that follows the deleted one may take its place, and later page numbers can shift. That is normal; check any references in the text that mention a page number.

Tips

Turn on formatting marks in Word before working on a blank page. Paragraph marks, page breaks, and section breaks make the cause easier to identify. Turn the marks off again by selecting the ¶ button; they do not print.
In Word, use the Navigation Pane to locate a page by its nearby heading or text, then click in the page and use Go To with \page to select its contents. The Navigation Pane helps you find material but does not itself provide a simple delete-page button.
In Google Docs, move the cursor carefully around a break before deleting it. If the document is shared, consider telling collaborators before removing substantial content; their edits may appear while you are working.
For a persistent final blank page in Word after a table, shrinking the final paragraph mark to 1 point often allows it to fit on the preceding page. You can also check paragraph spacing or the table’s size, but avoid changing margins across the whole document unless that is intended.
Use Undo immediately if the wrong content disappears: Ctrl+Z in Word or Google Docs on Windows, and Command+Z on Mac. Undo is useful for a recent edit, but a saved copy is safer before changes to complex layouts.

Troubleshooting

The page is still there after deleting its text. Turn on formatting marks in Word and look for an empty paragraph, page break, or section break. In Google Docs, click at the start of the next page and press Backspace once, then check the result. If there is no visible break, inspect paragraph spacing and the page’s margins; large spacing or an object that cannot fit can push content onto another page.

Word selects the wrong page or nothing happens. Click inside the page you mean to remove before opening Go To, enter \page exactly, and press Enter. Close the dialog rather than clicking elsewhere, since clicking elsewhere can clear the selection. If you use a version or keyboard layout where the shortcut differs, open Go To from the ribbon or Edit menu. If the page contains a large floating image or text box, check the object separately because it may not behave like ordinary paragraph text.

Deleting a break changes the document’s headers or layout. Undo immediately, then inspect the section settings before trying again. In Word, you may be able to change a Next Page section break to a Continuous break through Layout > Breaks, but first confirm that a continuous section is suitable for the content. If the section has a different orientation or column layout, a continuous break may not preserve the intended appearance. For a document with complex formatting, make a copy and compare the result before using the edited version.

Google Docs will not let you remove the page. Confirm that you have Editor access rather than Viewer or Commenter access. If you can edit but the blank page returns, check for an extra paragraph or a page break, and inspect whether a large image or table is forcing text down. If the document is in Pageless format, it does not have fixed pages in the same way as a Pages document; switch to File > Page setup > Pages if you need to work with page breaks and print-style pages.

The page disappears, but content from the next page moves too. Repagination is expected, but lost text is not. Use Undo, then repeat the selection more carefully or delete only the break. In Word, confirm the selected range before pressing Delete. In Docs, remove the page break with one keypress instead of selecting a broad range. Review the full document before sharing or printing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a page in Word without deleting its text?
Not usually as a separate operation. Pages are created by flowing content and layout, so removing a page means removing its content or changing the break, spacing, or page setup that puts content there. Choose the cause that matches the page you want gone.

Is there a Delete Page button in Google Docs?
No. Delete the content on that page, remove its page break, or adjust the layout that is pushing content onto it. Google Docs automatically closes the gap by repaginating the remaining material.

Why is there a blank page at the end of my Word document?
Common causes are extra paragraph marks, a manual page break, a section break, or the required paragraph after a final table. Turn on the ¶ marks to identify the cause. If the final paragraph after a table is the issue, reduce its font size rather than trying to erase the required mark.

Will deleting a page change page numbers or headers?
Page numbers usually shift because the document repaginates. Headers and footers can also change if you remove a section break in Word, since sections may have different settings. Check both after deleting a break, especially in a document with multiple sections.

How do I delete a page on a Mac?
In Word for Mac, use Option+Command+G, enter \page, close Go To, and press Delete. In Google Docs, remove the page’s content or break with the keyboard. A Mac keyboard may label its backward-delete key Delete; use it carefully, one press at a time.

Can I recover a page after deleting it?
Use Undo right away: Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. Google Docs also keeps version history, available under File > Version history > See version history. Word users can recover an earlier version when the document is saved to OneDrive or SharePoint and version history is available.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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