How to Delete a Blank Page in Word: Quick, Simple Fixes

To delete a blank page in Word, show formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac, find the extra paragraph mark or break on the page, and remove it or adjust it. Save a copy first if the document has complex section formatting. The right fix depends on what is creating the page: an empty paragraph, a manual page break, a section break, or the paragraph Word requires after a table.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word and the document with the unwanted blank page.
A keyboard and, if the document is important, a saved copy to use as a backup.

Step-by-Step

Save a copy and locate the blank page. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, choose File > Save As or press F12 to save a separate copy before changing a document with columns, headers, footers, or multiple sections. On Mac, use File > Save As. Scroll to the blank page and note whether it is at the end of the document or between pages that contain text. You can also open View > Navigation Pane and select the page in the page thumbnails if they are available in your version.
Turn on formatting marks. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8 or select Home > ¶ in the Paragraph group. On Mac, press Command+8 or select the paragraph-mark button on the Home tab. The marks are editing aids; they do not print. Look on the blank page for repeated paragraph symbols (¶), a line labeled Page Break, or a Section Break label. These clues reveal what Word is reserving space for.
Remove empty paragraph marks. If the page contains only one or more ¶ symbols and no break label, place the cursor immediately before the first extra mark and press Delete, or place it after a mark and press Backspace. On Mac, Delete usually works like Backspace on a Windows keyboard; use Fn+Delete for forward delete on many Mac keyboards. Remove only the empty marks that create the page. If a paragraph mark is at the end of a page with text, deleting it may join paragraphs or change formatting, so undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac if the text changes unexpectedly.
Delete a manual page break. If you see Page Break, click just before its label and press Delete, or click just after it and press Backspace. On Mac, use the equivalent forward-delete or Backspace key as appropriate. The following text should move up into the space. Check that the break was a manual page break, not a section break: removing a section break can also affect page layout, headers, footers, numbering, or columns.
Handle a section break carefully. If the blank page contains a Section Break label, first decide whether the section is still needed. A section break can control margins, orientation, columns, page numbering, or different headers and footers. Deleting it may merge the two sections and make the following section inherit formatting from the earlier one. If the blank page is caused by a break that starts the next section on an odd or even page, Word may insert a blank page to honor that setting. In Word for Windows, place the cursor in the affected section and open the Layout tab, then the Page Setup dialog launcher. On the Layout tab of that dialog, review Section start and choose New page if the section does not need to begin on an odd or even page. Labels and dialog placement can vary slightly by Word version. On Mac, check the Layout tab and Page Setup options for the section-start setting. Save and inspect the surrounding pages before keeping the change.
Check for a paragraph pushed after a table. Word requires a paragraph after a table at the end of a document, and that mark cannot simply be removed. Turn on formatting marks and click the ¶ immediately after the final table. Select that paragraph mark and set its font size to 1 pt from Home > Font Size. If needed, open the Paragraph dialog and set spacing before and after to zero. This often makes the required mark small enough to fit on the table’s page. Avoid deleting the table or changing its contents just to remove the page.
Check paragraph pagination settings. If no obvious extra mark or break explains the page, the paragraph before it may be set to start on a new page or stay with the next paragraph. Select the affected paragraph, open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab, and check Line and Page Breaks. Clear Page break before if it is selected. Review Keep with next and Keep lines together too; these options can push content onto another page when there is not enough room. Do not clear them blindly if they are needed to keep a heading with its paragraph.
Confirm the result and hide marks again. Check that the unwanted page has disappeared and that the text, page numbers, headers, and section layout still look right. Use File > Print on Windows or File > Print on Mac to review the print preview and page count. Press Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac to turn off formatting marks when finished. Save the document after confirming the change.

Common Mistakes

Deleting the wrong kind of break. A page break only forces a new page; a section break can define a whole set of layout rules. If deleting a break changes the next section’s margins, orientation, header, footer, or numbering, undo the change and adjust the section-start setting instead.

Removing the final paragraph after a table. Word keeps a paragraph mark after a final table. Trying to remove it may not work, and selecting too much can delete the table. Reduce the mark’s font size or paragraph spacing rather than removing the required mark.

Using repeated Backspace without checking the cursor. Backspace can erase the last words on the preceding page or merge paragraphs when the cursor is not where you think it is. Turn on formatting marks, click beside the specific mark, and remove one item at a time. Undo at once if content or layout changes unexpectedly.

Assuming every blank page is accidental. A blank page can be intentional, for example when a section is set to begin on an odd-numbered page in a book-style document. Check the section settings and page numbering before removing it, especially in a report or manuscript with deliberate layout rules.

Tips

Use formatting marks as a diagnostic tool, not as content to print. They make paragraph marks and breaks visible but do not appear in the printed document.
When you are unsure which mark causes the page, remove or change one item, then check the page count and surrounding layout before making another change. This makes it easier to undo only the problematic edit.
For a blank page in the middle of a document, inspect the last paragraph on the page before it and the first paragraph after it. Pagination settings on either paragraph can create the gap even when the blank page itself looks empty.
Keep a backup before changing section breaks in documents with different headers, footers, page numbering, columns, or landscape pages. Those settings are attached to sections, not just to individual pages.
Use print preview as a final check. The editing view can reflow as you change zoom or window size, while print preview shows whether Word is still reserving an extra printed page.

Troubleshooting

The blank page remains after deleting a paragraph mark. Turn formatting marks back on and look for another mark, a manual page break, or a section break. Also inspect the paragraph immediately before the page for Page break before or Keep with next. If the page follows a table at the end of the document, resize the required paragraph mark after the table instead of trying to delete it.

The following page’s formatting changed. Press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac to undo. The change may have removed a section break and merged two sections. Restore the break, then change the section-start type if the section is being forced onto an odd or even page. Check headers, footers, numbering, margins, and orientation afterward.

Deleting the mark removes text or joins paragraphs. Undo immediately. Turn on formatting marks, then place the insertion point directly beside the specific empty mark rather than dragging across the page. If the mark is not empty, it may contain paragraph formatting that should be adjusted rather than deleted.

The page disappears in the document but appears in print preview. Reopen print preview and check for a section break, a table’s final paragraph, or pagination settings. Confirm the printer’s paper size matches the document’s page size under Layout > Size. A mismatch can alter pagination. If the blank page is an intentional odd-page section start, it may remain in the printed layout until that section setting is changed.

You cannot see a Page Break label. Make sure formatting marks are enabled from the Home tab. If the page is still blank, check whether text is white, hidden, or outside the visible page area, and inspect the paragraphs before and after it for pagination settings. Avoid selecting the whole page and pressing Delete, since Word’s page view does not treat a page as a single removable object.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a blank page at the end of my Word document?
Common causes include extra paragraph marks, a manual or section break, or the required paragraph after a final table. Turn on formatting marks to identify which one is present before making a change.

Can I delete a blank page without changing the rest of the document?
Usually, if it is caused by an empty paragraph or a manual page break. Section breaks can carry layout settings, so changing or deleting one may affect later pages. Save a copy and check the surrounding layout afterward.

How do I delete a blank page in Word on a Mac?
Use Command+8 to show formatting marks, then remove the extra paragraph mark or page break. The forward-delete key may require Fn+Delete on a Mac keyboard. The ribbon labels may differ slightly from Windows, but the relevant controls are on the Home and Layout tabs.

Why does Word keep a blank page after a table?
Word requires a paragraph after a table at the end of a document. If that paragraph moves onto another page, select its mark and reduce the font size to 1 pt; setting paragraph spacing to zero may also help.

Is it safe to delete a section break?
Only if you are prepared for the sections to combine and their formatting to change. If you only need to stop an odd-page or even-page blank, change the section-start setting to New page when appropriate instead of deleting the break.

How can I tell whether the blank page will print?
Open File > Print and review the print preview and page count. If the blank page appears there, Word is still including it in the document’s pagination, even if it is easy to miss in the editing view.

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

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