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how to delete blank page in word

Here’s how to delete a blank page in Word, plus a few tricks for when it refuses to go away.

How to Delete a Blank Page in Word

1. Easiest quick methods

Method A – Use Backspace/Delete

Use this when the blank page is truly empty or just full of extra line breaks.

  1. Go to the blank page at the end (or in the middle) of your document.
  2. Place your cursor at the very top of that blank page.
  3. Press Backspace (if your cursor is at the start of the next page) or Delete (if your cursor is at the end of the previous page).
  4. Keep pressing until the page disappears.

This works if the page is caused by extra Enter presses or a simple manual page break.

2. Show hidden formatting (the “¶” button trick)

If the page doesn’t go away, it’s usually created by hidden formatting: empty paragraphs, page breaks, or section breaks.

  1. On the Home tab, click the ¶ Show/Hide icon, or press Ctrl + Shift + 8 (Windows) or ⌘ + 8 (Mac).
  1. On the blank page, look for:
    • Paragraph marks (¶) on otherwise empty lines.
    • “Page Break” lines.
    • “Section Break (Next Page)” or similar.
  2. Do the following:
    • If you see several ¶ marks: select them and press Delete or Backspace.
 * If you see a **Page Break** line: click just before it and press **Delete** to remove it.

 * If you see a **Section Break** and don’t need that section: select it carefully and delete it, then check headers/footers have not changed unexpectedly.
  1. Click again (or press Ctrl + Shift + 8 / ⌘ + 8) to hide the marks.

This is the “X-ray mode” of Word and usually reveals exactly what’s causing the stubborn blank page.

3. The classic “1 pt paragraph” fix for last blank page

Sometimes Word forces a non‑deletable end paragraph onto a new page (especially at the very end of the document). Word doesn’t let you delete that final paragraph, but you can shrink it.

  1. Go to the final blank page.
  2. Turn on Show/Hide ¶ (again: Ctrl + Shift + 8 / ⌘ + 8).
  1. Click the lone paragraph mark (¶) on that blank page to select it.
  2. On the Home tab, in Font size , type 01 and press Enter.
  1. That tiny 1‑point paragraph will now fit on the previous page, and the blank page disappears.
  2. Hide formatting marks again if you like.

This is the “official” Microsoft Support trick for blank pages at the end of a document.

4. Use the Navigation Pane to jump to blank pages

For long documents, the Navigation Pane makes it easy to spot and remove blank pages.

  1. Go to the View tab.
  2. Check Navigation Pane. A sidebar will appear.
  3. Click the Pages tab in that sidebar. Word shows mini-previews (thumbnails) of every page.
  1. Click the blank page thumbnail to jump directly to it.
  2. Use Backspace/Delete or the formatting tricks above to remove it.

This is handy when you have several blank pages scattered through a long report or thesis.

5. When tables, images, or layout cause a “phantom” blank page

Sometimes the page isn’t truly blank—Word has pushed content to a new page because of layout settings. Common causes and fixes:

  • Table running to the very bottom of the page
    • A table that extends to the bottom can force the final end-paragraph onto a new page.
    • Try:
      • Slightly reduce table row height or font size,
      • Reduce bottom margin (Layout → Margins),
      • Allow the table to split across pages if needed.
  • Large images or objects
    • If an image or text box sits too low, it can push the end paragraph out.
    • Resize the image, adjust its layout, or move it slightly up.
  • Margins or page size issues
    • Very large margins or the wrong paper size can cause content overflow.
    • Go to Layout → Margins and Layout → Size and make sure they’re correct.

Once you shrink or reposition the content, the extra blank page usually vanishes.

6. Last resort: Print/export without the blank page

If the blank page is stubborn and you just need to print or export , you can tell Word to ignore it:

  • In the Print dialog, under Pages , specify only the pages you want (for example, 1-4 if page 5 is the blank one).
  • Then print or create your PDF. The blank page won’t be included.

This doesn’t “fix” the document, but it’s a practical workaround when you’re in a hurry.

Mini example: Typical “end of document” blank page

Imagine a 5‑page report where page 5 is empty, but nothing you press seems to delete it:

  • You turn on ¶ Show/Hide and see a single ¶ at the top of page 5.
  • You select it, set Font size = 01 , and press Enter.
  • The end paragraph jumps up to page 4, and page 5 disappears—problem solved, formatting intact.

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TL;DR:

  • Try Backspace/Delete first.
  • If that fails, turn on ¶ Show/Hide , remove empty paragraphs, page breaks, or section breaks.
  • For a stubborn last page, shrink the final paragraph to 1 pt.
  • Use the Navigation Pane in long docs, and adjust tables/margins if content is overflowing.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.