The blank page is usually a page break, not empty space

A blank page in Word almost always exists because of a page break — a deliberate marker that tells Word to start a new page — rather than because of extra blank lines or paragraphs. Word treats page breaks as objects you can select and delete, but they are invisible by default, which is why the page looks empty even though something is there.

The fastest way to find and remove it is to make page breaks visible. Once you can see what is causing the blank page, you can delete it directly. This takes about 30 seconds and works whether the break was inserted intentionally or created accidentally by formatting.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn on formatting marks in Word to see page breaks as visible symbols, which makes finding the blank page much faster.
  • Page breaks appear as a line with the words "Page Break" inside it; select that line and press Delete to remove it.
  • If you see only blank paragraphs instead of a page break symbol, select and delete those paragraphs one at a time.
  • Blank pages at the end of a document often come from a page break left behind after deleting content, and removing the break removes the page.
  • Tables at the end of a document sometimes force an extra blank page; delete the paragraph mark after the table to remove it.

Show formatting marks so you can see the page break

Open your Word document and look at the top menu. Click the Home tab if it is not already selected. On the right side of the ribbon, you will see a button that looks like a paragraph symbol (¶). Click it. This turns on formatting marks — invisible characters like spaces, tabs, and page breaks become visible on screen.

Once formatting marks are on, scroll to the blank page. You will now see either a line that says "Page Break" or a series of paragraph marks (¶). The page break symbol looks like a horizontal line with "Page Break" written inside it. If you see that, click on it once to select it, then press the Delete key. The blank page will disappear.

If formatting marks are already on and you do not see a page break symbol, the blank page is caused by extra paragraph marks instead. Click at the top of the blank page and press Delete repeatedly until the page is gone. Each press removes one paragraph mark.

Delete a page break in a table or at the end of the document

If the blank page appears after a table, the problem is usually a paragraph mark that Word automatically places after every table. Click right after the table (in the blank space below it) and press Delete. This removes the paragraph mark and the blank page together.

At the end of a document, a blank page often means you deleted content but left the page break behind. Scroll to the very end of your document, turn on formatting marks if they are not already on, and look for a page break symbol or extra paragraph marks. Select and delete them the same way — click the symbol and press Delete, or click before the paragraph marks and press Delete multiple times.

Keep formatting marks on or turn them off after

You can leave formatting marks on permanently if you find them helpful — many writers do, because they show exactly where spaces, tabs, and line breaks are. If the symbols distract you, turn them off by clicking the paragraph button (¶) again. The page breaks are still there; they are just invisible again.

If a blank page keeps reappearing after you delete it, check whether a style or template setting is forcing page breaks. This is rare in basic documents, but if you are working with a template from your workplace or school, ask whether page breaks are built into the formatting. Some templates insert them automatically before certain headings.

Why Word creates blank pages you did not ask for

Word inserts a page break when you press Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter on Mac), or when you use the Insert menu and choose Page Break. It also creates page breaks automatically if you set a style to "start on a new page" — this is common for chapter headings or section breaks in longer documents.

Blank pages also appear when you copy and paste content from another document, because the formatting and page breaks come along with the text. If you paste frequently and end up with unwanted blank pages, try using Paste Special instead: right-click where you want to paste, choose Paste Special, and select "Unformatted Text." This pastes only the words, not the formatting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the blank page come back after I delete it?

The page break is probably part of a style or template setting. Check whether a heading or section title has a "page break before" rule applied to it. Right-click the heading, choose Paragraph, and look for a Breaks tab or Line and Page Breaks option. Uncheck "Page break before" if it is selected.

Can I delete a page break without turning on formatting marks?

Yes, but it is harder. Click at the very beginning of the blank page and press Backspace repeatedly. Word will delete the page break eventually, but you will not see exactly what you are deleting. Turning on formatting marks first takes five seconds and shows you exactly what to remove.

What if I have multiple blank pages in a row?

Turn on formatting marks and look for multiple page break symbols or long runs of paragraph marks. Select all of them at once by clicking before the first one and dragging to after the last one, then press Delete. If they are scattered, delete them one at a time.

Does deleting a page break affect the rest of my document?

Deleting a page break only removes that break. The text before and after it will flow together onto the same page or pages. If you need the page break for formatting reasons, do not delete it. If it was created by accident, removing it has no side effects.