The fastest way to start a new page
To add a new page in Google Docs, press Ctrl+Enter on Windows or Cmd+Enter on Mac. This inserts a page break and moves your cursor to the top of the new blank page. That is the quickest method and works whether you are in the middle of a sentence or at the end of a paragraph.
If you prefer using the menu instead, click Insert at the top, then select Break, then choose Page break. The result is identical — your text after the break moves to a fresh page. Both methods create a hard page break, meaning the new page stays where you put it even if you edit the text above it.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Cmd+Enter (Mac) to insert a page break and start a new page when ready.
- You can also use Insert > Break > Page break from the menu if you prefer not to memorize the keyboard shortcut.
- Page breaks stay in place when you edit your document, so the new page will not shift if you add or delete text above it.
- If you want to see where your page breaks are, turn on "Show non-printing characters" under the Tools menu to see the break markers.
Why page breaks matter more than just pressing Enter
Pressing Enter repeatedly to push text to a new page creates a problem: if you edit the text above, all those blank lines shift around and your page break disappears. A hard page break, by contrast, stays locked in place. This matters when you are writing a document that other people will read or edit — a report, a resume, a contract — because the formatting stays consistent no matter what changes happen above.
Page breaks also tell Google Docs (and any other program that opens the file) exactly where one page ends and another begins. When you export your document to PDF or print it, those breaks control where the page actually splits. Without them, the program has to guess based on how much text fits on a page, and that guess changes depending on your font size, margins, and printer settings.
Seeing where your page breaks are
By default, Google Docs does not show you a visible line where a page break happens. To see them, click Tools at the top, then select Show non-printing characters. A small icon that looks like a bent arrow will appear wherever you have inserted a page break. This makes it straightforward to spot accidental breaks or to find where you put one if you forget.
You can toggle this view on and off as many times as you want — it does not change your document, only what you see on screen. Many writers keep it on while drafting and turn it off before sharing, since the non-printing characters are invisible to anyone who reads the document or prints it.
Removing a page break you no longer need
To delete a page break, click right before the break icon (if you have non-printing characters turned on) or right at the spot where the page break is. Then press Delete or Backspace. The page break disappears and the text that was on the next page moves up to fill the space.
If you cannot see the break, use Find and Replace to locate it. Click Edit, then Find and replace. In the search box, type ^m (that is a caret symbol followed by the letter m). Google Docs will highlight every page break in your document. You can then click through each one and delete the ones you do not want.
Page breaks versus section breaks
Google Docs also offers section breaks, which are different from page breaks. A section break lets you change formatting — like margins, headers, or page numbering — partway through your document without affecting the pages before it. A page break just moves your text to a new page and keeps the same formatting throughout.
For most documents, a straightforward page break is what you need. Use a section break only if you want different headers on different pages, or different margins in different parts of the same document. You insert a section break the same way: Insert > Break, then choose Section break (continuous), Section break (next page), or Section break (odd page) depending on where you want the new section to start.
What happens to page breaks when you share or read
Page breaks stay in place when you share a Google Docs link with someone else — they will see the same page breaks you created. If you read the document as a Word file (.docx), the page breaks convert to Word's page break format and work the same way. If you read as PDF, the page breaks control exactly where the PDF splits across pages.
The one place page breaks sometimes behave unexpectedly is when you copy and paste content from Google Docs into another program. Some programs (like older versions of Microsoft Word) may not recognize Google Docs page breaks correctly. If you are moving a document to another tool, test it first by downloading a copy and opening it in that program to see if the breaks stayed where you wanted them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add multiple page breaks in a row?
Yes, but it usually is not necessary. If you want blank pages in your document, insert one page break, then add blank lines or paragraphs on that page if you need them. Multiple page breaks in a row create unnecessary breaks that can cause problems if you edit your document later.
Does Google Docs have a limit to how many pages I can add?
No. Google Docs documents can be very long — hundreds of pages — with no hard limit. The document may slow down slightly if it becomes extremely large (thousands of pages), but page breaks themselves do not cause any limit.
What is the difference between a page break and just pressing Enter a lot?
Pressing Enter creates blank lines that shift if you edit text above them. A page break is locked in place. If you delete text above a page break, the break stays where it is. If you delete text above blank lines, those lines move up with the text.
Will my page breaks show up if I print the document?
No. Page breaks are non-printing characters, meaning they control where pages split but do not appear as visible marks on the printed page. The printed document will show the page break as a new page, but not as a line or symbol.
Can I see a preview of how my pages will look before I print?
Yes. Click File, then Print (or press Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on Mac). The preview pane on the right shows how your document will look on paper, including where the page breaks fall. You can adjust margins and other settings from this screen before you actually print.