Why blank pages appear and how to find them
A blank page in Word usually comes from one of three things: a page break you inserted by accident, extra paragraph marks at the end of a document, or a table that pushed content onto a new page. The blank page is real — it takes up space in your file and shows up when you print — but it is almost always removable in under a minute once you know where to look.
The first step is to make invisible formatting visible. Go to the Home tab, then click the ¶ symbol (called the pilcrow) in the toolbar. This shows you paragraph marks, page breaks, and spaces that Word normally hides. A page break looks like a dotted line with the words "Page Break" inside it. Extra paragraph marks show up as small ¶ symbols stacked on top of each other.
Once you can see what is causing the blank page, you can delete it. The method depends on what you find — and that is covered in the sections below.
Key Takeaways
- Turn on formatting marks by clicking the ¶ symbol on the Home tab so you can see what is creating the blank page.
- A page break (shown as a dotted line) can be deleted by clicking on it and pressing Delete or Backspace.
- Extra paragraph marks at the end of a document can be removed one at a time by clicking before them and pressing Delete.
- If a table is pushing content to a new page, reduce the table size or move it to its own page rather than deleting it.
- Turn formatting marks back off when you are done by clicking the ¶ symbol again.
Removing a manual page break
If you see a dotted line that says "Page Break" running across the page, you inserted it deliberately at some point — usually by pressing Ctrl+Enter. This is the easiest blank page to remove.
Click directly on the dotted line to select it, then press Delete or Backspace. The page break disappears and the content below moves up to fill the space. If the blank page is still there after you delete the page break, check whether there are extra paragraph marks below it (see the next section).
Deleting extra paragraph marks
Paragraph marks are invisible line breaks that Word creates every time you press Enter. If someone pressed Enter multiple times at the end of a document, or between sections, those extra marks can push content onto a new page and leave a blank page behind.
With formatting marks turned on, you will see these as stacked ¶ symbols. Click right before the first extra ¶ symbol and press Delete repeatedly until the blank page is gone. Do this one mark at a time so you can see the effect — stop as soon as the blank page disappears. If you delete too many, you can press Ctrl+Z to undo.
This method works for blank pages at the end of a document. If the blank page is in the middle, the extra paragraph marks are probably there for a reason (to create space between sections), so check with whoever created the document before removing them.
When a table is the cause
Tables sometimes push content onto a new page even when there is room above. This happens because Word treats a table as a single object and will not split it across pages unless you tell it to.
If a table is at the bottom of a page and is pushing a single line of text onto a blank page below, you have two options. The first is to make the table smaller — reduce the number of rows, shrink the column widths, or use a smaller font inside the table. The second is to move the table to its own page by putting your cursor before the table and pressing Ctrl+Enter to insert a page break above it.
Do not delete the table itself unless you are certain it is not needed. If the table is important but is causing layout problems, moving it is usually the better choice.
Blank pages caused by section breaks
A section break is different from a page break. Section breaks let you change margins, headers, or column layout partway through a document. Sometimes a section break is set to start on a new page, which creates a blank page if the previous section ends partway down.
With formatting marks on, a section break looks like a dotted line that says "Section Break (Next Page)" or similar. To remove it, click on the line and press Delete. If you need the section break but not the blank page, right-click on it and choose Edit Section, then change the setting from "New Page" to "Continuous".
Checking for hidden content
Occasionally a blank page contains text or objects that are formatted in white (invisible against a white background) or are positioned off the visible area. This is rare but worth checking if a blank page refuses to go away.
Click in the middle of the blank page and press Ctrl+A to select all content on that page. If anything is selected, it means there is hidden content. You can then delete it or change its formatting to make it visible again. If nothing is selected, the page is truly empty and the problem is a formatting mark or break that you may have missed.
Turning formatting marks back off
Once the blank page is gone, you can hide the formatting marks again. Click the ¶ symbol on the Home tab to toggle it off. Your document will look normal again, but the formatting marks are still there — they just are not visible. This is fine and does not affect printing or sharing the document.
Leaving formatting marks on all the time is also harmless if you find them useful. Many people who work with Word regularly keep them visible so they can spot accidental extra spaces or line breaks before they become problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Word keep creating a blank page when I type?
This usually means you have a page break or extra paragraph marks in your document that are pushing new text onto a new page. Turn on formatting marks and look for dotted lines or stacked ¶ symbols. Delete the page break or extra marks and the problem should stop.
Can I delete a blank page without affecting the rest of my document?
Yes, as long as you delete only the formatting mark or page break causing it. If you select and delete a large block of text by accident, press Ctrl+Z when ready to undo. Deleting a single page break or paragraph mark will not affect any other content.
What if the blank page is in the middle of my document?
Check whether it is caused by a page break, section break, or table. If it is a page break you inserted, delete it. If it is a section break or table, you may want to keep it but adjust its settings instead of removing it entirely.
Does removing a blank page change how my document prints?
Yes — removing the blank page means it will not print. If you need the blank page for a specific reason (like starting a new chapter on an odd-numbered page), keep it. Otherwise, removing it reduces the page count and saves paper if you print the document.
Why does my blank page come back after I delete it?
This usually means there is more than one formatting mark or page break causing it. Turn on formatting marks again and look for additional page breaks or paragraph marks below where you deleted the first one. Delete those as well.