The fastest way to remove a page from Word
To delete a page in Microsoft Word, select all the content on that page and press Delete. The simplest method is to click at the start of the page you want to remove, then hold Shift and click at the end of that page to highlight everything on it, then press Delete or Backspace.
If the page is mostly blank — often the case when a page break sits between sections — you can place your cursor anywhere on that page and press Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+Option+8 (Mac) to show formatting marks. Look for a line that says "Page Break" and click directly on it, then press Delete. This removes the break itself, which collapses the blank page into the previous one.
Word sometimes creates extra blank pages at the end of a document when there are trailing paragraph marks or spaces. Scroll to the very end of your document, select any blank space, and delete it. You may need to do this several times if multiple blank lines exist.
Key Takeaways
- Select all content on the page you want to remove by clicking at the start, holding Shift, and clicking at the end, then press Delete.
- Blank pages caused by page breaks can be removed by showing formatting marks (Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows, Cmd+Option+8 on Mac) and deleting the page break line itself.
- Extra blank pages at the end of a document usually come from trailing paragraph marks or spaces that need to be manually deleted.
- If a page contains a table that extends to the bottom, deleting the table will remove the page; deleting only the table content leaves the page structure behind.
When a page break is causing the blank page
Page breaks are invisible formatting marks that force Word to start a new page. They are often inserted intentionally — for example, to start a new chapter on a fresh page — but sometimes they create unwanted blank pages. To see where they are, turn on formatting marks by pressing Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+Option+8 (Mac). A page break appears as a line across the page labeled "Page Break".
Click directly on the page break line to select it, then press Delete. The page break disappears and the content below it moves up to fill the space. If you do not see a page break but the page is still blank, the problem is usually trailing paragraph marks instead — these look like small pilcrow symbols (¶) and can be deleted the same way.
Be careful not to delete a page break if you intentionally placed it there to separate sections. If you are unsure whether a break is needed, undo the deletion (Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z) and check your document structure first.
Removing pages that contain text or tables
If the page you want to delete contains actual content — text, images, or a table — you must select that content first. Click at the very beginning of the page and drag to the end, or use Shift+Click to select the range. Once everything on the page is highlighted in blue, press Delete or Backspace to remove it.
Tables behave differently than regular text. If a table extends all the way to the bottom of a page, deleting only the text inside the table cells will not remove the page. You must delete the entire table structure. Right-click on the table, select "Delete Table" from the menu, and the page will collapse. If you only want to remove some rows from the table, right-click the row and choose "Delete Rows" instead.
After deleting content, Word automatically reflows the remaining text. If this creates an awkward page break or leaves a page mostly empty, you may need to adjust spacing or font size to pull content up from the next page. Check the page layout by scrolling through the document to see the result.
Dealing with pages that won't delete
Sometimes a page refuses to delete no matter what you select. This usually happens when Word's formatting is preventing the deletion. The most common cause is a table that fills the entire page — Word will not let you delete a page that contains an active table without deleting the table itself. Right-click the table border and select "Delete Table".
Another cause is a section break. Section breaks are different from page breaks and control formatting for different parts of your document. If you see a line labeled "Section Break (Next Page)" in your formatting marks, clicking and deleting it will remove the page. However, this also removes any formatting specific to that section, so check that your document still looks correct afterward.
If a blank page still appears after you have tried these steps, save your document, close it completely, and reopen it. Sometimes Word's display does not update correctly, and closing and reopening forces it to recalculate the page layout. If the page persists, try selecting all content (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), copying it, creating a new document, and pasting it there — this strips away hidden formatting that may be causing the problem.
Using Find and Replace to remove multiple blank pages
If your document has many blank pages caused by extra paragraph marks or spaces, using Find and Replace is faster than deleting them one by one. Press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Cmd+H (Mac) to open the Find and Replace dialog.
In the "Find" field, type ^p^p (this represents two paragraph marks in a row). Leave the "Replace" field empty. Click "Replace All" to remove all instances of double paragraph marks at once. This collapses extra blank lines throughout your document. You may need to run this several times if there are many consecutive blank lines.
Be cautious with Find and Replace — it changes your entire document at once. If the result is not what you wanted, press Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z when ready to undo. Test the replacement on a copy of your document first if you are unsure.
Preventing unwanted pages in the future
Most extra pages appear because of accidental page breaks or trailing spaces. To avoid creating them, be aware of when you are inserting page breaks. In Word, you insert a page break by pressing Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Cmd+Enter (Mac). If you did not intentionally press this combination, you may have done it by accident — check your formatting marks to see if unexpected breaks exist.
When you reach the end of your document, do not press Enter multiple times to create space. This adds paragraph marks that can push content onto extra pages. Instead, adjust spacing in the paragraph settings or use page breaks only when you actually need a new page.
If you work with templates or documents created by others, they may contain hidden formatting that creates blank pages. Showing formatting marks (Ctrl+Shift+8 or Cmd+Option+8) lets you see what is actually in your document and remove unnecessary breaks or spaces before they become a problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a blank page appear at the end of my document?
Word often adds a blank page at the very end when there are extra paragraph marks or spaces after your last sentence. Scroll to the end of your document, click after the last character, and press Delete repeatedly until the blank page is gone. You can also show formatting marks to see exactly where the extra space is.
Can I delete a page without deleting the content on it?
No — a page is just the space where content sits. If you delete the content, the page disappears. If you want to keep the content but move it to a different page, cut it (Ctrl+X or Cmd+X) and paste it elsewhere in your document instead of deleting it.
What is the difference between a page break and a section break?
A page break straightforward starts a new page and carries all formatting forward. A section break starts a new page and allows you to change formatting (margins, headers, columns) for that section only. Both appear in formatting marks. Deleting either one will remove the page, but deleting a section break also removes the formatting changes tied to that section.
My document has a table that spans multiple pages. How do I delete just one page of it?
You cannot delete a single page of a table without deleting the table itself or removing rows from it. Right-click on the rows you want to remove and select "Delete Rows". If you want to delete an entire table that spans multiple pages, right-click the table border and select "Delete Table".
Will deleting a page affect my document's formatting?
Deleting content or page breaks may cause text to reflow and change where page breaks naturally occur. Check your document after deletion to make sure spacing and alignment still look correct. If a page break was intentional (for example, to start a new chapter), deleting it will remove that separation.