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how to delete an empty page in word

To delete an empty page in Word, place your cursor on that page and remove the hidden formatting that’s creating it, usually extra paragraph marks, page breaks, or a tiny end-paragraph at the end of the document.

How to Delete an Empty Page in Word (Quick Scoop)

1. Fastest fix for most cases

If it’s just a random blank page:

  1. Click anywhere on the empty page.
  1. Press Backspace (if you’re at the start of the page, press Delete instead) until the page disappears.

If this doesn’t work, something hidden (like paragraph marks or a page break) is probably causing the page.

2. Show hidden formatting (the real culprit)

Most “mystery” blank pages are caused by invisible characters.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + 8 on Windows (or ⌘ + 8 on Mac) to show paragraph marks and other hidden symbols.
  1. On the blank page, look for:
    • Paragraph marks (¶) spread across the page
    • A line labeled “Page Break” or “Section Break”

Now you can see exactly what’s keeping that empty page alive.

3. Delete extra paragraph marks

If you see a bunch of ¶ marks on the blank page:

  1. Drag to select those paragraph marks on the empty page.
  1. Press Delete (or Backspace) until the page vanishes.

If removing them messes up spacing, undo (Ctrl + Z) and try shrinking the last paragraph instead (next section).

4. Shrink the last paragraph (classic last-page bug)

Word always keeps one non-deleteable end-paragraph, and sometimes it spills onto a new page, creating a “stubborn” blank last page.

To force it back up:

  1. Turn on paragraph marks (Ctrl + Shift + 8 / ⌘ + 8).
  1. On the blank last page, click the single ¶ mark you see.
  2. Open the font size box, type 01, and press Enter.
  1. The end-paragraph shrinks and fits on the previous page, making the empty page disappear.
  1. Turn off paragraph marks with Ctrl + Shift + 8 again.

This trick is especially useful when your document looks perfect except for one extra page at the end.

5. Remove a manual page break

If you see “Page Break” on the blank page:

  1. Click just before the “Page Break” line.
  1. Press Delete until that break disappears.
  2. Check your pages to confirm the empty one is gone.

Manual page breaks are often added by pressing Ctrl + Enter or through Layout settings.

6. Check for section breaks and layout issues

Sometimes the empty page is created by a section break or layout settings:

  • With paragraph marks visible, look for “Section Break (Next Page)” or similar text on or before the blank page.
  • If you delete a section break, Word can change headers, footers, or page numbering, so:
    • Consider adjusting section settings instead of deleting if your document has complex formatting.

If your blank page seems tied to page size or margins:

  • Go to Layout → Margins and make sure margins aren’t so large that they push content to a new page.
  • In Layout → Size, confirm you’re using the intended paper size so content doesn’t overflow.

7. Use Go To (quick navigation trick)

For long documents where scrolling is annoying:

  1. Click anywhere in the document.
  2. Press Ctrl + G (or F5) to open “Go To”.
  1. In “Enter page number”, type \page and press Enter.
  1. Click Close; the current page’s content is selected.
  2. Press Delete to remove that entire page (only if you’re sure it’s the unwanted blank one).

This is handy if your “empty” page has invisible content you want to wipe in one shot.

8. Mini forum-style take

“Why won’t this last page die?! I’ve deleted everything on it!” Most people in Word forums eventually learn the same trick: turn on ¶, shrink or delete the end-paragraph, and remove any rogue page/section breaks lurking around.

It’s a surprisingly common “trending” mini-problem because newer versions of Word still behave the same way with that final non-deleteable paragraph.

Quick TL;DR

  • Turn on paragraph marks with Ctrl + Shift + 8 / ⌘ + 8.
  • Delete extra ¶ marks or page breaks on the blank page.
  • If it’s the last page, select the final ¶ and set its font size to 01.

Once you’ve done that, your empty page in Word should finally disappear. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.