How to Delete a Second Blank Page in Microsoft Word

To delete a second blank page in Word, turn on formatting marks with Home > ¶ Show/Hide, find what is forcing the page to appear—usually an empty paragraph, a page break, or a section break—and remove or adjust that item. Save a copy first if the document has complex layout or section formatting. The steps below are for Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac differences are noted where they matter.

What You’ll Need

The Word document with the blank page.
Permission to edit the document. If it is read-only or protected, you may need to save an editable copy or ask the owner to unlock it.
A moment to check the pages around the blank one after editing, especially if the document uses headers, footers, different page orientations, or section-specific margins.

Step-by-Step

Save a working copy if the layout matters. Choose File > Save As and save a separate copy before changing a long report, form, or document with multiple sections. Removing a section break can change formatting beyond the blank page, so a copy gives you an easy way to compare or undo the change.
Confirm which page is blank. Scroll to the second page and check whether it is truly empty or contains a faint paragraph mark, a page number, a header, or other content. If the page is at the end, press Ctrl+End to go to the document’s end, then look at the status bar or scroll upward to identify the page. A page that looks blank on screen may contain a break or an empty paragraph that still occupies space.
Show formatting marks. On the Home tab, select ¶ Show/Hide in the Paragraph group. The Windows shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+8 (use the number 8 on the main keyboard if the number pad shortcut does not work). On Mac, select the same ¶ control on the Home tab or press Command+8. You will now see paragraph marks (¶), page-break labels, and section-break labels. These marks do not print; they reveal the structure that controls pagination.
Look for an empty paragraph on the blank page. A row of paragraph marks means the page may be made up of empty paragraphs. Click immediately before one of the marks and press Backspace, or click after a mark and press Delete. Remove only the extra empty paragraph marks. If the blank page disappears, stop and check the surrounding text to ensure you did not remove a paragraph that contained content or formatting you need.
Delete a manual page break if you find one. Word displays a line labeled Page Break when formatting marks are visible. Click just before that line and press Delete, or click just after it and press Backspace. The text that follows may move up to fill the page. Review the new page layout; if you wanted a new page at that point, insert a break in the correct location rather than leaving an unwanted blank page.
Check for a section break before deleting anything. A label such as Section Break (Next Page) can force a new page. Deleting it may remove the blank page, but it can also make the preceding section adopt the following section’s page setup, headers, footers, columns, or page numbering. If you do not need separate section formatting, select the break and delete it, then inspect the pages on both sides. If you do need separate formatting, use the next step instead.
Change a next-page section start when you need to preserve sections. Click in the section that starts after the unwanted blank page. Open the Layout tab, then select the small dialog launcher in the Page Setup group. In the dialog, open the Layout tab, set Section start to Continuous, and select OK. This changes where that section begins without simply removing the section break. Check headers, footers, columns, and page numbering afterward, because a continuous section can still affect layout. If the continuous setting is unsuitable for the document, undo it and consult the document’s formatting requirements.
Check the paragraph before the blank page if no break is visible. A paragraph can be set to start on a new page even without a visible manual page break. Click in the last paragraph before the blank page, open Home > Paragraph using the small dialog launcher, and select Line and Page Breaks. Clear Page break before if it is selected, then choose OK. Also check whether a heading or paragraph has pagination settings that are intentionally keeping it with the next paragraph; avoid changing those settings unless you understand the effect on the layout.
Handle a blank page after a table carefully. Word keeps a final paragraph mark after a table at the end of a document. If that required mark spills onto a new page, click the paragraph mark after the table and set its font size to 1 pt from Home > Font Size. If needed, open the Paragraph dialog and set its spacing before and after to 0 pt and line spacing to Exactly with a small value. Do not delete the required mark; reducing its size and spacing can keep it on the table’s page.
Verify the result and save. Turn off formatting marks with Home > ¶ Show/Hide or the shortcut, then check the pages before and after the edit in Print Layout. Use File > Print to preview the page count and confirm that the blank page is gone. If text, headers, footers, or numbering changed unexpectedly, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then try the more targeted fix for the cause you found.

Common Mistakes

Deleting the wrong break. A page break and a section break are not interchangeable. A page break starts the next content on a new page; a section break can also control page orientation, margins, columns, headers, footers, and numbering. Before removing a labeled section break, decide whether the document relies on that separate section setup.

Selecting too much content. Dragging across an apparently empty page can select the last paragraph of the preceding page or the first paragraph after the break. That can remove text or alter its formatting. Turn on formatting marks and select the specific empty mark or break instead of guessing from the white space.

Assuming Show/Hide adds printable characters. The ¶ symbol and break labels are editing aids. They do not appear on a normal printout, so there is no need to delete every paragraph mark in the document. Hide them again when you finish if they make the page difficult to read.

Using repeated Backspace without checking. Holding Backspace can remove a break, text, and formatting in one run. Delete one item at a time and pause to see what moved. If the result is not right, undo immediately rather than making several more changes.

Tips

Use Print Layout view while diagnosing page boundaries. In other views, a page may not appear exactly as it will in the printed or exported document.
If you cannot find the cause visually, turn on formatting marks and inspect the very end of the page before the blank one as well as the start of the blank page. The forcing mark is often at the end of the preceding content.
Make one change at a time. Removing an empty paragraph, changing a paragraph setting, and altering a section break all at once makes it difficult to tell which edit fixed the problem.
After changing section formatting, check the header and footer on both sides of the break. If they are linked, edits can carry through to other sections. Use the Header & Footer tab’s Link to Previous control only when you understand which sections it links.
Word for Mac uses the same general approach and ribbon controls, though some dialog placement and keyboard behavior differ. On Mac, use Command+Z to undo and Command+8 to toggle formatting marks. Word for the web may have fewer layout controls; if you cannot edit a section’s page setup there, open the file in the desktop app.

Troubleshooting

The blank page remains after deleting an empty paragraph. Turn the marks back on and check for a page break, a section break, or another empty paragraph farther down. Also inspect the preceding paragraph’s Page break before setting. If the page is after a table, use the small-font solution for Word’s required final paragraph rather than trying to remove it.

Deleting a section break changes the whole document. Undo with Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac). Restore the break, then try changing the section start to Continuous through the Page Setup dialog, or keep the break if the section’s separate page setup is necessary. Compare orientation, margins, columns, headers, footers, and page numbers before saving.

The page disappears but text moves to an unexpected place. That is normal when a break is removed: Word repaginates the following content. If the new layout is unsuitable, undo and consider whether the blank page is caused by paragraph pagination settings or a section start instead. A page may also reappear after you edit nearby text because Word automatically adjusts page flow.

You cannot select the break or formatting mark. Zoom in, click near the start or end of the label, and use the arrow keys to position the cursor around it. If the document is protected, check Review > Restrict Editing or ask the document owner for an editable version. In Word for the web, open the document in the desktop version if the required section or paragraph controls are unavailable.

The blank page appears only in Print Preview or a PDF. Check that the document is in Print Layout and review its final page, including any table, footer, and section breaks. Print settings such as paper size can change pagination, so confirm the selected paper size in the print settings matches the document’s intended page size. Then save and export again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a second blank page in Word?
Common causes include an extra paragraph mark, a manual page break, a next-page section break, a paragraph set to start on a new page, or the required paragraph mark after a table. Showing formatting marks usually reveals which cause applies.

Can I delete a blank page without changing the formatting?
Often, yes: remove only an extra empty paragraph or manual page break. A section break can control layout, so deleting it may change formatting. If the section must remain, consider changing its start type and check the surrounding pages carefully.

How do I delete a blank page in the middle of a document?
Turn on formatting marks, locate the break or empty paragraphs immediately before and after that page, and remove only the item creating the extra page. Check that the content that followed now begins in the intended place and that any section formatting remains correct.

How do I remove a blank page after a table?
Keep Word’s final paragraph mark after the table, but select it and reduce its font to 1 pt. If it still spills over, reduce its paragraph spacing and line height. Check the print preview to confirm the page has disappeared.

Will the formatting marks show when I print?
No. Paragraph marks, spaces, and break labels displayed by Show/Hide are nonprinting marks. They are visible while editing but do not appear in a normal printout or exported PDF.

Do the steps work in Word for Mac?
Yes, the same causes and fixes apply. Use the ¶ control on the Home tab or Command+8 to show marks, and Command+Z to undo. Dialog locations can differ slightly from Windows; use the Layout and paragraph-formatting controls in the Mac ribbon.

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