Delete a Page in Word: The Quick Keyboard Shortcut

To delete a page in Word quickly, click anywhere on the page, press Ctrl+G on Windows (or Option+Command+G on Mac), type \page, press Enter, close the Go To dialog, and press Delete. This selects the current page’s contents so you can remove them. Save a copy first if the page contains anything you may need; Word reflows the remaining pages after deletion.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac. The desktop app is best for this shortcut.
The document open, with the page you want to remove visible or its page number known.
Optional: a saved copy of the document, particularly if it contains important text, tables, or section formatting.

Step-by-Step

Save the document. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If you are unsure whether you want to keep the page, use Save As to create a separate copy first. Deleting selected content can usually be reversed with Undo, but saving a copy gives you a safer fallback.
Go to the page you want to delete. Scroll to it and click inside its text, table, or other content. The shortcut targets the page containing the insertion point, so check that the cursor is on the intended page before continuing. If you know the page number, you can also use Go To to navigate there: press Ctrl+G on Windows or Option+Command+G on Mac, enter the page number, and press Enter.
Select the page. Press Ctrl+G on Windows or Option+Command+G on Mac to open the Go To tab or dialog. In the field labeled Enter page number, type \page. Include the backslash. This is a special Go To entry that selects the contents of the current page; it is not a page number or a command to type into the document itself.
Confirm the selection. Press Enter. Word selects the current page’s contents and may leave the Go To dialog open. Close the dialog with its Close button or press Esc. Look at the document before deleting: the target page’s text or objects should appear highlighted. If the selection is on the wrong page, press Esc, click the intended page, and repeat the selection.
Delete the selected contents. Press Delete or Backspace. Word removes the selected material, and the text or pages after it move up as the document repaginates. There is no separate page object to remove in an ordinary Word document; a page exists because its content and layout take up space.
Check the result and save again. Review the page before and after the deletion. Make sure the correct content is gone and that headings, tables, headers, footers, and page numbering still look right. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac to save the change. If the result is wrong, immediately press Ctrl+Z or Command+Z to undo, then select more carefully.

The shortcut is most dependable when you want to remove a page of ordinary text. If it is a blank page, or the page is being created by a page break, section break, or table, removing visible text alone may not solve the cause. In those situations, identify the formatting mark that is forcing the extra page and remove or adjust that mark instead.

Common Mistakes

Typing the command in the document. The text \page belongs in the Go To dialog’s page-number field. If you type it into the document, Word will insert those characters as ordinary text. Undo the accidental entry, open Go To, and enter it in the correct field.

Starting from the wrong page. The command selects the current page, not necessarily the page whose number you last visited or the page you can see in a thumbnail. Click within the actual target page before opening Go To. After closing the dialog, inspect the highlighted selection; do not press Delete until it is clearly the right material.

Expecting a permanent page number. Removing a page changes the document’s flow. A page that was page 6 may become page 5, and later content can shift because Word lays out text again. If you need to remove a particular topic or passage, select its content rather than relying only on its current page number.

Deleting a section break without checking formatting. Section breaks can control page orientation, margins, columns, headers, footers, and numbering. Removing one may join two sections and apply one section’s formatting to the other. If a blank page is caused by a section break, inspect the surrounding layout and consider changing the break’s type or location rather than deleting it blindly.

Tips

Use formatting marks to understand blank pages. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8 to show or hide paragraph marks and breaks. On Mac, press Command+8. You can also turn on the paragraph-mark button (¶) on the Home tab. The marks are not printed; they reveal paragraph returns, page breaks, and section breaks that affect pagination.

Choose the right method for the cause. For a page with ordinary content, use Go To and \page. For a page created by a manual page break, show formatting marks, click just before the Page Break mark, and press Delete or Backspace. For a page with text you want to retain, do not use the whole-page selection; remove only the extra break or adjust the paragraph layout.

Use the Navigation pane when you need to locate content. Press Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac, search for a distinctive heading or phrase, and click the result to move to it. Then use the Go To shortcut from the target page. This is often safer than guessing from a printed page number, especially when the document has a cover page or section-specific numbering.

Remember that deleting the contents does not always remove the page. Word keeps paragraph marks and some structural elements to preserve document layout. A final paragraph after a table, for example, may be required even when it appears on an unwanted extra page. In that case, reduce the paragraph’s font size or spacing rather than trying to erase a required mark.

Troubleshooting

The shortcut opens Find instead of Go To. In desktop Word for Windows, Ctrl+G opens Go To; the F5 key can also open Go To in many desktop configurations. On Mac, use Option+Command+G. If a laptop’s function-key settings interfere, use the keyboard’s Fn key with F5, or open the Go To command from Word’s Find menu or navigation controls. Once the Go To interface is open, make sure you are using its page-number field.

Nothing seems selected after pressing Enter. Press Esc to close the dialog and look closely at the page. Selection shading can be subtle, and the insertion point may be near the page boundary. Click within the page’s text and repeat the steps. If your Word version presents a different Go To layout, select the Page option first, then enter \page in the page-number field and confirm.

The page remains after you delete its text. Turn on formatting marks and look for a manual page break, section break, or extra paragraph mark. Delete a manual page break if it is unnecessary. If a section break is involved, first check whether it controls formatting that must remain. If the page is at the end of the file after a table, select the final paragraph mark and set its font size to 1 point; you can also reduce its paragraph spacing. Do not remove the table simply to clear the extra page.

Deleting the page changes nearby formatting. Undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. Show formatting marks and check whether the selection included a section break. If it did, restore the document and consider adjusting the break instead. You can also compare the section’s Layout settings, header and footer links, and page-number options before making another change.

The shortcut does not behave the same in Word for the web. Browser shortcuts can overlap with browser commands, and selection behavior may differ. If the Go To method is unavailable or does not select the page reliably, open the document in the Word desktop app using the editing option in Word for the web. Use the desktop steps above, then save so the change synchronizes back to the online document.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the keyboard shortcut to delete a page in Word?
There is no single key that deletes a page as a page object. Use Ctrl+G on Windows or Option+Command+G on Mac, enter \page, confirm and close the dialog, then press Delete or Backspace to remove the selected page contents.

Can I delete a blank page with the same shortcut?
Sometimes, but a blank page often has no ordinary content for the shortcut to remove. Show formatting marks and inspect for an extra paragraph, page break, or section break. Remove or adjust the element causing the blank page; take care with section breaks because they can control layout.

How do I delete just one page without affecting the rest?
Select the page contents with Go To and \page, verify that only the intended page is highlighted, and then delete. Word will move later content forward as it repaginates, so the later pages may change numbers even though their text remains. Use Undo if the selection includes material you meant to keep.

Does deleting a page remove its header and footer?
Headers and footers are usually attached to a section, not to one individual page. Removing page contents does not necessarily remove a header or footer, and deleting a section break can change which header or footer appears. Check the section settings if the page has different headers, footers, or numbering.

Can I undo a page deletion?
Yes. Press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac soon after deleting. If you have made many later edits, use Undo carefully because it reverses actions in order. A saved backup or a separate copy is useful when the document’s structure is complex.

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