Find and delete page breaks in three steps
Word inserts page breaks in two ways: you can create them yourself by pressing Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter on Mac), or Word creates them automatically when text fills a page. If you see a blank page in the middle of your document or text jumping to an unexpected place, an unwanted page break is usually the cause. The fastest way to remove it is to show the hidden formatting marks, find the break, and delete it.
Start by turning on the formatting marks view. In Word on Windows, press Ctrl+* (the asterisk key on your main keyboard, not the numpad). On Mac, press Cmd+⌘+8. You will now see dots between words, paragraph symbols (¶) at the end of each line, and a line labeled "Page Break" if one exists in your document. The page break appears as a dotted line that runs across the page with the words "Page Break" written on it.
Click directly on the page break line to select it, then press Delete. The break disappears and the text above and below it flows together. If you have multiple unwanted breaks, repeat this step for each one. Once you have removed them all, press Ctrl+* again (or Cmd+⌘+8 on Mac) to hide the formatting marks and return to normal view.
Key Takeaways
- Word shows page breaks as dotted lines with "Page Break" written on them when you turn on formatting marks with Ctrl+* (Windows) or Cmd+⌘+8 (Mac).
- Manual page breaks you created yourself are the easiest to remove — click the break line and press Delete.
- Automatic page breaks created by Word because text filled a page usually cannot be deleted directly; instead, reduce the text or adjust margins to prevent them.
- If a page break reappears after you delete it, a table, image, or paragraph setting is forcing it — check those elements first.
The difference between manual and automatic page breaks
Word creates page breaks in two distinct ways, and only one type can be deleted. A manual page break is one you inserted yourself by pressing Ctrl+Enter. This break stays exactly where you put it and can be removed by selecting it and pressing Delete. Manual breaks are useful when you want a new chapter or section to start on a fresh page, but they become a problem when you edit the document later and the break no longer belongs where it is.
An automatic page break occurs when Word runs out of room on a page and pushes the remaining text to the next page. You cannot delete an automatic break the way you delete a manual one — if you try, Word straightforward creates a new automatic break in the same place because the text still does not fit. To remove an automatic page break, you must change what is causing it: delete some text, reduce the font size, shrink the margins, or adjust the spacing between paragraphs.
To tell which type you have, turn on formatting marks. A manual page break shows a dotted line with "Page Break" written on it. An automatic break does not appear as a visible line; instead, the text straightforward continues on the next page. If you see the dotted line, you can delete it. If you do not see a line but text is starting a new page anyway, Word is breaking automatically and you need to adjust the content or formatting instead.
How to stop Word from creating unwanted automatic page breaks
If you have removed all the manual page breaks but blank pages or unexpected page breaks still appear, Word is creating them automatically because of how your content is formatted. The most common cause is a table, image, or paragraph that is too large to fit on the current page, so Word moves it to the next page entirely. Another cause is a paragraph setting that forces a page break before a specific paragraph — this is useful for chapter headings but problematic if applied by accident.
To check for paragraph settings, select the paragraph where the unwanted break occurs (or the paragraph that appears at the top of the new page). Right-click and choose Paragraph. Click the Indents & Spacing tab, then look for a section called Line and Page Breaks. If you see a checkbox next to "Page break before" that is checked, uncheck it. This setting forces a new page before that paragraph every time, which is why the break keeps reappearing.
If the break is caused by a table or image that is too large, try reducing the size of the object or moving it to its own page intentionally with a manual break. If the break is caused by text that straightforward does not fit, delete some content, reduce margins, or decrease the font size. Once you have addressed the underlying cause, the automatic break will disappear and you will not need to delete it manually.
Using Find & Replace to remove multiple page breaks at once
If your document has many manual page breaks scattered throughout, deleting them one by one is slow. Word's Find & Replace feature can remove them all in seconds. Press Ctrl+H to open the Find & Replace dialog. In the "Find what" field, you need to enter the code for a page break, which is ^m (a caret symbol followed by the letter m). Leave the "Replace with" field empty. Click "Replace All" and Word will remove every manual page break in the document at once.
This method works only for manual page breaks, not automatic ones. If you use Find & Replace and some breaks remain, those are automatic breaks caused by formatting or content size, and you will need to address them using the methods described in the previous section. After you run Find & Replace, turn off formatting marks (Ctrl+*) to see the final result and verify that the breaks are gone.
Be cautious when using Replace All, because it removes every instance without asking you to confirm each one. If you want to review each break before deleting it, click "Find Next" instead, then click "Replace" one at a time. This is slower but safer if you are unsure whether every break should be removed.
Why page breaks reappear after you delete them
Sometimes you delete a page break, save the document, close it, and when you open it again the break has returned. This happens because the break is not actually the problem — something else in your document is forcing the page break to exist. Word is recreating it automatically to accommodate a table, image, or paragraph setting that requires a new page.
The most likely culprit is a table that is too tall to fit on the page with the text above it. Word will push the entire table to the next page, creating a break in the process. If you delete the break, Word recreates it because the table still does not fit. The solution is to either reduce the table's height, split the table across pages, or accept the break as necessary. Another common cause is a paragraph with "Keep with next" enabled, which forces a paragraph and the next paragraph to stay together on the same page. If they do not fit together on the current page, Word creates a break to move them both to the next page.
To find the real cause, look at what appears at the top of the page where the unwanted break occurs. If it is a table, try reducing its size or splitting it. If it is a paragraph, right-click it, choose Paragraph, go to Line and Page Breaks, and uncheck "Keep with next" or "Page break before". Once you fix the underlying issue, the break will stop reappearing.
Preventing accidental page breaks when editing
The easiest way to deal with unwanted page breaks is to avoid creating them by accident in the first place. Many people insert page breaks without realizing it by pressing Ctrl+Enter when they mean to press Enter. If you find yourself with unexpected breaks, check your typing habits. When you want to start a new paragraph, press Enter once. When you want to start a new page, press Ctrl+Enter — but only if you are certain that is what you need.
If you work in a document with other people, someone else may have inserted page breaks that you do not see. Keep formatting marks turned on while editing (Ctrl+*) so you can spot breaks when ready and decide whether they belong. This is especially important in long documents like reports or theses, where page breaks are common but straightforward to lose track of.
Another prevention strategy is to use Word's built-in styles for chapter headings or section breaks instead of manual page breaks. Styles can be set to include a page break automatically, which keeps your formatting consistent and makes it easier to adjust later if needed. If you need a page break before every heading, explore a style that includes one rather than inserting breaks manually throughout the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the ^m code mean in Find & Replace?
The ^m code tells Word to search for manual page breaks specifically. The caret (^) is a special character that signals a code is coming, and m stands for manual page break. Other codes exist for different elements — ^p for paragraph marks, ^t for tabs — but ^m is the one you need to find and remove page breaks in bulk.
Can I delete a page break if it is in the middle of a table?
A page break cannot occur in the middle of a table in Word — tables do not contain page breaks. If a table spans multiple pages, Word is breaking the table itself, not inserting a break within it. If you see a page break near a table, it is before or after the table, not inside it. Delete it the same way you would delete any other break.
Why does my document have a blank page at the end?
A blank page at the end usually means there is a manual page break or extra paragraph marks at the bottom of the document. Turn on formatting marks and scroll to the very end. If you see a "Page Break" line or multiple ¶ symbols, select and delete them. Sometimes Word adds an extra paragraph mark automatically when you save; if the blank page returns, it is likely an automatic break caused by the document's final formatting.
Will deleting page breaks change my document's formatting?
Deleting a manual page break will not change formatting — it straightforward removes the break itself. Text above and below the break will flow together normally. However, if you delete a page break that was there for a reason (like keeping a heading on its own page), the document's appearance will change because the content will rearrange. Always check that you want the break removed before deleting it.
How do I insert a page break in the right place if I keep deleting them by accident?
Position your cursor at the exact spot where you want the new page to start, then press Ctrl+Enter. The page break will appear as a dotted line with "Page Break" written on it when formatting marks are on. If you want to remove it later, you can click the line and press Delete. If you find yourself inserting and deleting breaks frequently, consider using styles instead — they are more stable and easier to adjust across a whole document.