The fastest way to remove a blank or unwanted page

To delete a page in Word, place your cursor anywhere on that page, then press Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+8 (Mac) to show formatting marks. Look for the page break symbol — it looks like a bent line with "Page Break" written next to it. Click directly on that symbol and press Delete. If there is no page break symbol, the page is full of blank space created by extra paragraph marks or spacing, and you can straightforward select all the blank content and delete it.

Most unwanted pages exist because of one of three reasons: an accidental page break inserted by Word, extra blank paragraphs at the end of a document, or spacing settings that push content onto a new page. Knowing which one you have saves time, because the fix is different for each.

Key Takeaways

  • Show formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+8 (Mac) to see whether your blank page is caused by a page break or by empty paragraphs.
  • A page break symbol looks like a bent line with "Page Break" written next to it — click it and press Delete to remove it.
  • If you see only paragraph marks (¶) on a blank page, select them all and delete them to collapse the page.
  • Spacing set to "Add space between paragraphs of the same style" can push content to a new page even when the page looks empty.

Finding what is actually on the blank page

Before you delete anything, you need to see what is taking up space. Word hides formatting marks by default, so a page that looks empty might contain page breaks, extra paragraph marks, or spacing instructions that are invisible until you turn them on.

Open your document and press Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Cmd+Shift+8 on Mac. when ready you will see symbols appear throughout your document. A paragraph mark looks like a backwards P (¶). A page break looks like a bent line with the words "Page Break" next to it. A line break looks like a bent arrow. These symbols do not print — they are just showing you what is actually in your document.

Scroll to the page you want to delete and look at what symbols appear on it. If the page contains only paragraph marks and nothing else, the page is blank space created by empty paragraphs. If you see a "Page Break" symbol, Word inserted a manual page break there. If you see a line break symbol, that is a soft return, not a page break.

Deleting a page that has a page break

A page break is an instruction that tells Word "start a new page here." It is useful when you want to force a chapter to begin on a fresh page, but it can also be inserted accidentally when you press Ctrl+Enter or when you use certain formatting features.

With formatting marks visible, find the page break symbol on the page you want to delete. Click directly on the symbol itself — not on the text near it, but on the bent line icon. The entire symbol will highlight. Press Delete or Backspace. The page break disappears, and the content that was on the next page moves up to fill the space.

If you cannot find a page break symbol on a blank page, the page is not caused by a manual break. Move to the next section below.

Deleting a page filled with empty paragraphs

When you press Enter multiple times or when spacing settings push content down, Word fills the page with paragraph marks. Each paragraph mark takes up space, and enough of them will push content to a new page.

With formatting marks still visible, click at the very beginning of the blank page. Hold Shift and click at the very end of the blank page to select everything on it. You will see the paragraph marks highlight. Press Delete. All the empty paragraphs disappear, and the page collapses.

If the page still exists after you delete the paragraph marks, the blank space is being created by spacing settings rather than by content. Move to the next section.

Fixing spacing that creates unwanted pages

Word has a setting called "Add space between paragraphs of the same style" that automatically adds blank space after each paragraph. If this setting is too large, it can push a paragraph onto a new page even though the page looks empty.

Select the paragraph that is sitting alone on the unwanted page. Go to the Home tab and look for the Paragraph button — it is usually in the middle of the ribbon and looks like lines with a small arrow. Click the small arrow next to it to open the Paragraph dialog. Under Spacing, look at the "After" field. If it shows a large number like 12pt or 18pt, reduce it to 0pt or 6pt. Click OK. The paragraph will move up to the previous page.

If you want to fix this for your entire document at once, select all text with Ctrl+A, then open the Paragraph dialog the same way and reduce the "After" spacing. This prevents Word from creating extra blank pages throughout your document.

Removing a page at the end of your document

Documents often end with a blank page because of extra paragraph marks at the very end. This is common when you copy text from another source or when you press Enter after your last sentence.

Press Ctrl+End to jump to the absolute end of your document. With formatting marks visible, you will see paragraph marks. Select all of them by holding Shift and pressing Ctrl+Home, then release and click at the end again — or straightforward select them manually by clicking and dragging. Delete them. If your document still has a blank final page, repeat this process.

A better long-term fix is to place your cursor at the very end of your actual content (the last word you want in the document) and then press Ctrl+Shift+End to select everything after that point. Delete it. This removes all trailing blank space at once.

Turning formatting marks back off

Once you have deleted the unwanted page, you can hide the formatting marks again by pressing Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+8 (Mac) a second time. The symbols disappear, and your document looks normal again. Many people leave formatting marks on permanently because they make it easier to spot problems before they happen.

If you find yourself deleting unwanted pages frequently, leaving formatting marks visible saves time. You will catch accidental page breaks and extra paragraphs when ready instead of discovering them later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my document keep adding a blank page at the end?

Word often adds a blank final page when you have extra paragraph marks after your last sentence, or when spacing settings are too large. Press Ctrl+End to jump to the end, show formatting marks, and delete any paragraph marks after your actual content. If a page still appears, check the paragraph spacing in your Paragraph dialog.

I deleted the page break but the page is still there. What do I do?

The blank page is being created by something other than a page break — usually empty paragraphs or spacing. Show formatting marks again and look for paragraph marks on the blank page. Select them all and delete them. If the page still exists, open the Paragraph dialog and reduce the "After" spacing value.

Can I delete a page without losing the text on it?

Yes. Select the text you want to keep and cut it (Ctrl+X). Delete the page. Click where you want the text to go and paste it (Ctrl+V). The text moves to a new location and the unwanted page disappears.

What if I accidentally delete something I need?

Press Ctrl+Z when ready to undo the deletion. Word keeps a history of your recent changes, so you can undo multiple steps if needed. If you closed the document, reopen it without saving to return to the last saved version.

Does deleting a page affect page numbering?

Yes. If your document has page numbers, they will automatically renumber when you delete a page. Page 5 becomes page 4, and so on. Word handles this automatically — you do not need to do anything.