How to delete a Page in Word on Mac and Windows

Microsoft Word makes deleting a page containing text, graphics, or other content extremely easy for young writers who might want to “forget” their first few manuscript pages into the next great American novel. This is How to delete a page in Word.

How to Delete a Blank Page in a Word Document

Have you ever felt like your Word document is playing hide and seek with phantom pages? Don’t worry, we have an easy way to help you identify and remove blank pages:

For Windows:

1. Click or tap anywhere within your Microsoft Word document.

2. Press Ctrl+Shift+8 to display paragraph marks (¶).

3. Scroll to the blank page you want to delete.

4. Look for extra paragraph marks (¶) or page breaks.

5. Select the paragraph marks or page breaks and press the Delete key until the blank page is removed.

For Mac:

1. Click or tap anywhere within your Microsoft Word document.

2. Press Command+8 to display paragraph marks (¶).

3. Scroll to the blank page you want to delete.

4. Look for extra paragraph marks (¶) or page breaks.

5. Select the paragraph marks or page breaks and press the Delete key until the blank page is removed.

How to delete Paragraph End Mark in Word Doc

Word includes a final paragraph that cannot be deleted to maintain the structure and formatting of the document. Think of it as Word’s way of making sure everything stays in line, like a diligent librarian who won’t let your pages go astray.

However, this last paragraph is sometimes pushed to a new blank page at the end of a document. To delete this unwanted blank page, you need to match the last paragraph to the previous page by following these steps:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+8 (⌘+8 on Mac) to show page paragraph marks first.

2. Then, select the section mark on the page you want to delete.

3. Inside the font size box, type 01, and then press Enter (Return on a Mac).

4. Now, the blank page should be gone. Now press Ctrl+Shift+8 (⌘+8 on Mac) to hide your paragraph marks.

How to Delete a Page in Word Without Affecting Anything Else

If you need to delete a specific page in Word but are having trouble finding it, use the following steps for both Mac and Windows users:

How to Delete a Specific Page in Word Without Disrupting Other Content

If you need to delete a specific page in Word but are having trouble finding it, follow these steps for both Mac and Windows users.

1. Open the navigation pane. Go to the View tab and check the Navigation Pane box. This will open a sidebar on the left showing the structure of your document.

2. Find the page. In the navigation pane, click Pages to see thumbnails of all the pages in your document. Scroll through the thumbnails to find the page you want to delete.

3. Select the content of the page. Click on the target page thumbnail to navigate directly to it. Click at the beginning of the page, hold down the Shift key and click at the end of the page content to highlight everything.

4. Delete the content. Press the Delete key (or Backspace key on Windows if your cursor is at the end of the content). If this action leaves a blank page, proceed to the next step.

5. Reveal hidden formatting marks. Click the ¶ symbol in the Home tab to show hidden formatting marks. Look for extra paragraph marks (¶) or page breaks that may be causing the blank page and delete them.

6. Check for section breaks. If a blank page is left, it could be due to a section break. Go to the Layout tab, select Breaks and identify the type of breaks present. Carefully remove any paragraph breaks by placing your cursor in front of them and pressing the Delete key (Backspace key on Windows). Be careful, as this can affect the formatting of the paragraph before and after the break.

7. Adjust the layout if necessary. After you delete the page, make sure that the remaining content is formatted correctly. Adjust any layout changes that may have occurred during the deletion process.

Troubleshooting and Managing Page Breaks in Microsoft Word

If you find that page breaks are causing blank pages or other unwanted problems, here’s how to fix them.

1. Identify the page breaks. Click the ¶ symbol in the Home tab to reveal hidden formatting marks. Page breaks will appear as dotted lines labeled “Page Break” or “Section Break.”

2. Remove unnecessary page breaks. Scroll through your document to remove any unnecessary page breaks. Click before the break and press Delete (or the Backspace key on Windows) to remove it.

3. Adjust page break placement. If you need to break the page by moving it to a different location, place your cursor before the page break, cut it (Cmd+X on Mac, Ctrl+X on Windows) and paste it (Cmd+V on Mac, Ctrl +V on Windows) when needed.

4. Use automatic selection. Sometimes, a manual page break can be replaced with an automatic option. Go to the Layout tab, click on “Breaks” and select the appropriate break for your needs, for example “Next Page” for a new section.

5. Check for compatibility issues. Make sure your document is compatible with the version of Word you are using. Sometimes, documents created in older versions of Word may have formatting problems with page breaks.

This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, and fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.

Original article: How to delete a Page in Word on Mac and Windows

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