The fastest way: Ctrl+Enter on Windows, Cmd+Return on Mac

To insert a blank page anywhere in your document, place your cursor where you want the new page to start, then press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Cmd+Return (Mac). Word creates a page break when ready and moves everything below it to the new page. This works whether you are in the middle of a paragraph, at the end of a line, or between sections.

The keyboard shortcut is faster than using the menu, and it does the same thing: it tells Word to end the current page and start a new one. You do not need to delete content or rearrange anything — Word handles the shift automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Cmd+Return (Mac) inserts a page break and moves all text below your cursor to a new page.
  • Page breaks are invisible formatting marks that you can see and delete if you turn on formatting marks in the View menu.
  • If you insert a page break in the middle of a paragraph, the paragraph continues on the new page — the break does not delete text.
  • Inserting a blank page is different from adding a new page at the end of your document, which happens automatically as you type.

Using the Insert menu instead of the keyboard shortcut

If you prefer the menu, go to the Insert tab at the top of Word, then click Page Break. On Mac, the tab is called Insert as well, and the button appears in the same location. The result is identical to the keyboard shortcut — Word creates a break and pushes everything below to the next page.

The menu route takes more clicks, but it is useful if you forget the keyboard shortcut or if you are teaching someone else and want to show them where the feature lives. Both methods create the same type of break.

What happens to text when you insert a page in the middle of a paragraph

If your cursor is in the middle of a sentence when you insert a page break, Word splits the sentence across two pages. The part before the break stays on the first page, and the part after the break moves to the second page. The text itself does not disappear — it straightforward continues on the new page.

This is why it matters where you place your cursor. If you want to keep a paragraph together on one page, position your cursor at the end of the paragraph (after the period) before inserting the break. If you want to start a new section on a fresh page, place your cursor at the beginning of the section heading.

Seeing and removing page breaks you have inserted

Page breaks are invisible by default, but you can see them if you turn on formatting marks. In Word, click the Home tab, then look for the symbol (called the pilcrow) in the toolbar. Click it to show all formatting marks, including page breaks. A page break appears as a dotted line across the page with the words "Page Break" written in the middle.

To delete a page break, click on it to select it, then press Delete or Backspace. The page break disappears, and the text from the second page moves back up to fill the space on the first page. If you have multiple page breaks, turning on formatting marks makes it straightforward to find and remove the ones you do not need.

The difference between a page break and pressing Enter repeatedly

Pressing Enter many times will eventually push text to a new page, but it creates a messy document. Each Enter keystroke adds a blank line, and if you edit the document later, those blank lines may end up in the middle of a page instead of at the bottom. A page break is cleaner because it is a single formatting instruction that Word respects no matter how much you edit.

If you inherit a document with many blank lines instead of page breaks, you can select and delete those lines, then insert proper page breaks instead. This makes the document easier to edit later without accidentally leaving orphaned blank lines behind.

When to use page breaks versus section breaks

A page break straightforward starts a new page with the same formatting as the page before it. A section break starts a new page and also lets you change formatting — different margins, headers, footers, or column layouts — for that section only. If you only need a new page with no formatting changes, use a page break. If you need to change how the page looks, use a section break instead.

Section breaks are found in the same Insert menu, under "Breaks" (Windows) or in the Insert tab (Mac). For most documents, page breaks are what you need. Section breaks are useful for longer documents like reports or theses where different chapters need different layouts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I insert a page break at the very beginning of a document?

Yes. Click at the very start of your document (before the first word) and press Ctrl+Enter or Cmd+Return. Word creates a blank first page and pushes your content to page two. This is useful if you need a title page or cover page before your main text.

What if I insert a page break but the new page is blank and I do not want it there?

Turn on formatting marks to see the page break, click on it, and press Delete. The break disappears and the text moves back. If you see extra blank lines instead of a page break symbol, those are Enter keystrokes — select and delete them one by one or all at once.

Does inserting a page break change the file size of my document?

Page breaks add a tiny amount of data, but the difference is negligible. A page break is a single formatting instruction, not a large object. You can insert dozens of page breaks without noticeably affecting file size.

Can I insert a page break in a table or text box?

Page breaks work differently inside tables and text boxes. In a table, a page break may not behave as expected because the table itself is a single object. For tables that span multiple pages, Word handles the break automatically. If you need more control, consider breaking the table into separate tables on separate pages instead.