Microsoft Word: Remove a Next Page Section Break

To remove a Next Page section break in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the break mark and press Delete, or place the cursor immediately before it and press Delete. First turn on formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 so you can find the break; on Mac, use Command+8. Removing a section break can change page layout, headers, footers, or numbering because it joins two sections.

What a Next Page section break does

A section break divides a document into sections so each part can have its own layout settings. The Next Page option starts the new section on the following page. It is useful when a report has a portrait introduction followed by landscape charts, or when one chapter needs different headers, margins, columns, or page numbering.

A section break is not the same as a page break. A page break simply moves following text to the next page; it does not create a new section with independent formatting. If you remove a page break, you generally change where text starts, but do not merge section settings. If you remove a section break, Word joins the sections and some of their settings may change.

The break itself usually appears as a labeled line when formatting marks are visible. It may say Section Break (Next Page). That label is a nonprinting mark: it will not appear on a normal printed page or in a PDF unless formatting marks have been included through a special workflow.

Show the break and delete it in Word for Windows

Open the document in the desktop version of Word and save a copy if the layout is important.
On the Home tab, select the Show/Hide ¶ button in the Paragraph group, or press Ctrl+Shift+8. This displays paragraph marks and other nonprinting characters.
Scroll to the end of the section before the unwanted new page. Look for the line labeled Section Break (Next Page).
Click just before the break and press Delete. Alternatively, select the break line and press Delete. If you click just after the break, press Backspace instead.
Check the pages around the former break, including headers, footers, margins, orientation, and page numbers. Turn off formatting marks using the same Show/Hide ¶ button or shortcut.

If selecting the line is awkward, click at the start of the paragraph immediately after the break and press Backspace once. Check that the text has joined the intended section before saving. Avoid selecting a large range of text: the goal is to remove the section-break marker, not the text around it.

Remove a section break on Mac

In Word for Mac, open the Home tab and click the ¶ button to display formatting marks; Command+8 is the keyboard shortcut. Locate the Section Break (Next Page) line, click immediately before it, and press Delete. If the cursor is after the marker, press the Mac Delete key, which acts like Backspace on many keyboards. On a keyboard with a separate forward-delete key, Fn+Delete may perform forward deletion.

The ribbon arrangement can vary slightly by Word for Mac release, but the relevant controls are the Show/Hide paragraph marks button on Home and the section-break options under Layout > Breaks. If the shortcut behaves differently on your keyboard, use the visible button and click directly in the document. As on Windows, review the resulting layout before keeping the change.

What changes when you delete the break

Deleting a section break joins the text on either side into one section. Word then applies section formatting to the combined section; in many cases, the merged section takes the settings of the section that followed the break. As a result, the document may look different even though you deleted only one marker.

For example, suppose page one is portrait and page two begins a landscape section for a wide table. Removing the break can make the table section portrait, or otherwise alter the orientation and layout in the merged section. Different margins, columns, paper sizes, headers and footers, and page-number settings can also be affected. If the pages after the break suddenly change, the change is usually a consequence of merging sections rather than a failure to delete the marker.

Headers and footers have an additional complication: sections can be linked or unlinked using Link to Previous. A section may also have a different first-page header or different odd and even page headers. After deletion, inspect the header and footer on pages around the former boundary. If you need separate formatting on both sides, you may need to keep a section break and change its type or adjust the section settings instead.

Keep the text but avoid an unwanted blank page

A Next Page section break deliberately starts a section on a new page. If a page appears blank, the break may be responsible, but it is not the only possible cause. A paragraph may have a page-break setting, a manual page break may be present, or a table at the end of the preceding page may force Word to place the next content on a new page.

Turn on formatting marks and inspect the area before deleting anything. If you see Page Break rather than Section Break (Next Page), remove the page break instead. If you see a section break but need to preserve different formatting, consider changing the break type: place the cursor in the section that follows it, then use Layout > Breaks and choose Continuous where appropriate. A continuous section break starts the new section on the same page, though changes such as column layout can still affect where text flows.

Also check paragraph settings for the first paragraph on the page. On Windows, open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab and look under Line and Page Breaks for options such as Page break before. A heading style may have that setting enabled, which can create a new page even after a section break is removed. Disable the setting only if the heading should not always begin a page.

When to change the break instead of deleting it

Deleting is appropriate when you no longer need separate section formatting and want the content to flow as one section. It is not the best choice when the break is doing useful work. If a chapter needs a distinct header, the appendix uses different page numbering, or a chart needs landscape orientation, removing the break may erase the separation those features rely on.

Use Next Page when the following section must begin on a new page and needs its own section settings.
Use Continuous when you need a new section on the same page, such as to change columns partway through a page.
Use an ordinary page break when you only need text to begin on the next page and do not need separate section formatting.
Keep the section break when page orientation, headers, footers, margins, or numbering must differ across the boundary.

To change a section break, click in the section after it, then choose Layout > Breaks and select the desired break type under Section Breaks. Do not choose a different type as a substitute without checking the result: Continuous, Next Page, Even Page, and Odd Page breaks have different effects on pagination.

Common problems and careful fixes

The break is hard to select. Turn on formatting marks, zoom in, and click at the start of the paragraph after the break. Press Backspace once, then check that the marker disappeared. If it did not, undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac and try clicking just before the marker instead.

The layout changes after deletion. This is expected when the sections had different settings. Undo, if necessary, then decide which settings the combined section should use. You can also record the existing settings first under Layout controls, and inspect headers and footers before deleting.

The blank page remains. Look for another page break, an empty paragraph with page-break-before enabled, or content such as a table that cannot fit in the available space. Showing formatting marks helps distinguish these causes. Removing the section break alone will not fix a separate pagination rule.

The marks appear in the document. Paragraph marks and break labels are editing aids, not ordinary document text. Toggle Show/Hide ¶ off; they normally do not print. If a line remains visible when marks are off, it may be a border, typed text, or another page element rather than the section-break marker.

Word for the web does not offer the needed control. Editing support for section breaks can differ from the desktop app. If you cannot select or remove the break in the browser, choose Open in Desktop App and make the change in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac. Then save the document and reopen or refresh the browser copy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove a Next Page section break in Word?
Show formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac. Find Section Break (Next Page), click before it, and press Delete. Review the layout because the two sections will be joined.

Why does deleting a section break change my header or margins?
The break separates sections that can have independent formatting. Deleting it merges them, so Word applies section formatting to the combined area. Check margins, orientation, headers, footers, and numbering after the change.

Can I remove a section break without changing formatting?
Not always. The break is what allows the sections to keep different settings. If those differences matter, keep the break and change its type or adjust the formatting instead of deleting it.

What is the difference between a page break and a section break?
A page break moves text to a new page. A section break can also start a new page, but it divides the document into sections with potentially different layout and header or footer settings.

How do I remove a blank page caused by a section break?
Turn on formatting marks and confirm that the break is the cause. Delete it only if separate section formatting is no longer needed. If the blank page remains, check for a manual page break, paragraph pagination settings, or a table that is forcing content onto another page.

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