Where to find the page break command

A page break forces your document to start a new page at a specific spot, rather than letting text flow naturally. Most document editors put this command in the Insert menu. In Google Docs, click Insert, then Page Break. In Microsoft Word, go to Insert and select Page Break. In LibreOffice Writer, use Insert, then More Breaks, then Manual Break.

You can also use a keyboard shortcut in most editors, which is faster once you memorize it. In Google Docs and LibreOffice Writer, press Ctrl+Return (or Cmd+Return on Mac). In Microsoft Word, press Ctrl+Return as well. These shortcuts work the same way across Windows and Mac versions.

Key Takeaways

  • Page breaks live in the Insert menu in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and LibreOffice Writer, or you can use Ctrl+Return as a keyboard shortcut.
  • Place your cursor exactly where you want the new page to start before inserting the break.
  • A page break is different from pressing Enter repeatedly — it creates a hard boundary that stays in place even if you edit text above it.
  • You can delete a page break by clicking on it and pressing Delete, or by using Find & Replace to remove all page breaks at once.

Positioning your cursor before you insert

The location of your cursor matters. Click at the exact spot where you want the new page to begin — usually at the start of a paragraph or section heading. Then insert the page break. The text from that point forward moves to the new page.

If you insert a page break in the middle of a sentence, the second half of that sentence jumps to the next page. This is rarely what you want. Always position your cursor at a natural break point: the beginning of a new section, after a heading, or before a new paragraph.

Why page breaks matter more than just pressing Enter

Pressing Enter many times will push text down, but it is fragile. If you edit the text above it and add or remove lines, the spacing changes and your page break moves. A real page break stays locked in place no matter what you change above it.

This matters especially in longer documents. A report with chapters, a thesis with sections, or a manual with distinct parts all benefit from page breaks at the chapter or section start. When you revise the first chapter and it grows or shrinks, the second chapter stays on its own page.

Seeing and deleting page breaks

In Google Docs, a page break appears as a light blue line with the words "Page break" written on it. Click anywhere on that line and press Delete to remove it. In Microsoft Word, you need to turn on formatting marks to see page breaks — press Ctrl+* (or Cmd+* on Mac) and page breaks show as a dotted line labeled "Page Break". Click on it and press Delete.

In LibreOffice Writer, page breaks show as a gray line when you hover over them. Click on the line and press Delete. If you have many page breaks and want to remove them all at once, use Find & Replace: open it with Ctrl+H, search for "^m" (the code for a manual break in LibreOffice), and replace with nothing.

Page breaks in different document types

Page breaks work the same way in .docx files (Microsoft Word format) and .odt files (LibreOffice format). Google Docs stores page breaks in its own format, but when you read a Google Doc as a Word file, the page breaks convert and stay in place. If you move a document between editors, the page breaks usually survive the switch.

Spreadsheets like Excel and Google Sheets also have page breaks, but they work differently — they control where the document breaks when you print it, not where pages appear on screen. The Insert menu in both programs has a Page Break option, but you are setting print boundaries rather than document structure.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is using page breaks to control spacing. If you want extra blank space between sections, do not insert multiple page breaks. Instead, adjust the paragraph spacing in your formatting options. Page breaks are for structure, not decoration.

Another mistake is inserting a page break and then pressing Enter several times to add space on the new page. This creates blank lines that will shift if you edit the document. If you need space at the top of a page, use paragraph spacing or a top margin setting instead.

Do not rely on page breaks to keep related content together. If you have a heading that must stay with the paragraph below it, use a "keep with next" formatting option instead — this tells the editor to move both to the next page together if they would otherwise split. This is in the paragraph formatting menu in most editors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see where my page breaks are without turning on special formatting marks?

In Google Docs, page breaks are always visible as blue lines. In Microsoft Word and LibreOffice Writer, you need to turn on formatting marks to see them clearly. Word: press Ctrl+*. LibreOffice: press Ctrl+F10. Once on, you will see all hidden formatting, including page breaks.

What happens to page breaks when I share a document with someone else?

Page breaks stay in place when you share a Google Doc or send a Word file. The other person sees the same page structure you created. If they edit the document and add or remove text, the page breaks stay locked at their original positions unless someone manually deletes them.

Can I insert a page break that only appears when I print, not on screen?

In Microsoft Word, you can insert a "section break" instead of a page break — this controls page formatting without forcing a visible break on screen. Go to Insert, Breaks, and choose Section Break. Google Docs and LibreOffice Writer do not have this option; their page breaks are always visible.

How do I move a page break to a different location?

Delete the old page break and insert a new one at the new location. Click on the page break line, press Delete, then position your cursor where you want the break to be and insert it again. There is no "move" command — you remove and recreate.