The fastest way to delete a page in Word
To delete a page in Microsoft Word, select all the content on that page and press Delete. The method depends on what's on the page — whether it's text, a page break, or blank space left over from formatting.
If the page contains regular text, click at the start of the page, hold Shift, and click at the end. Then press Delete. If the page exists only because of a page break or extra spacing, find and delete the page break itself rather than the content around it. Word will collapse the remaining text onto the previous page automatically.
The most common reason a page won't delete is that it contains a page break you didn't create intentionally — often inserted by a table, image, or section break. Showing formatting marks makes these visible so you can target them directly.
Key Takeaways
- Select the content on the page you want to remove and press Delete, or find and delete the page break causing the blank page.
- Turn on formatting marks (Ctrl+* on Windows, Cmd+* on Mac) to see page breaks, tabs, and spaces that might be hiding the real problem.
- A blank page at the end of a document is usually caused by an extra paragraph mark — position your cursor there and press Backspace.
- If a table or image is pushing content to a new page, delete the object itself or adjust its size and wrapping settings instead of trying to delete the page.
How to show formatting marks and find hidden page breaks
Formatting marks are invisible characters that control spacing, tabs, and page breaks. Word hides them by default, which is why a page sometimes seems impossible to delete — you're looking at blank space but not seeing what's actually causing it.
On Windows, press Ctrl+* (Ctrl and Shift+8). On Mac, press Cmd+* (Cmd and Shift+8). You'll see dots for spaces, arrows for tabs, and a bent-arrow symbol for paragraph marks. Page breaks appear as a line across the page labeled "Page Break" or "Section Break".
Once you can see these marks, deleting becomes straightforward. If you see a page break symbol, click on it and press Delete. If you see extra paragraph marks (the bent arrows), click before them and press Backspace to remove them. This is especially useful when you have a blank page at the end of your document — it's almost always caused by one or more extra paragraph marks that you can now see and remove.
Deleting a page that contains a table or image
Tables and images often cause unexpected page breaks because Word treats them as single objects. If a table or large image is the only thing on a page, selecting and deleting the table or image will remove the page.
Click on the table or image to select it (you'll see selection handles around it), then press Delete. The page will collapse. If you want to keep the object but move it to a different page, cut it instead (Ctrl+X or Cmd+X), navigate to where you want it, and paste it there.
If the table or image is pushing content to a new page but you want to keep it, try reducing its size or changing how text wraps around it. Right-click the object, choose "Wrap Text", and select "Square" or "Tight" instead of "In Line with Text". This often pulls the following content back onto the same page.
Removing blank pages caused by section breaks
Section breaks are different from page breaks. They control formatting like margins, headers, or column layout for part of your document. A blank page between sections usually means the section break itself is taking up space.
Turn on formatting marks to see the section break (it will say "Section Break" or show a double line). Click on it and press Delete. If you need the section break for formatting reasons but not the blank page, try changing the break type. Right-click the section break, choose "Edit Section", and change it from "New Page" to "Continuous".
Be careful when deleting section breaks — it will also delete the formatting associated with that section and apply the previous section's formatting to the content that follows.
Deleting the last page of your document
The last page of a Word document is often blank because of extra paragraph marks at the end. Position your cursor at the very end of the document (press Ctrl+End on Windows or Cmd+End on Mac) and look at what's there.
If you see blank space, press Backspace repeatedly until the page is gone. Each press removes one paragraph mark. If the last page contains content you want to keep, make sure you're not accidentally deleting it — scroll up to see where the content actually ends.
If the last page won't delete even after removing all visible paragraph marks, check for a table at the end of the document. Word always adds a paragraph mark after a table, and that mark can push content to a new page. Delete the table if you don't need it, or move it earlier in the document.
When a page won't delete no matter what you try
If you've tried selecting and deleting content, removed page breaks, and turned off formatting marks but the page still won't go away, the problem is usually a table, image, or text box at the end of the document that Word won't let you fully remove.
Try selecting the entire page (click at the start, hold Shift, and click at the end) and pressing Delete. If that doesn't work, try cutting the content instead of deleting it (Ctrl+X), which sometimes works when Delete doesn't. You can always paste it back if you change your mind.
Another option is to reduce the font size or margins on that page to pull the content up, or to move some content from the previous page down to make room. If the page is truly stuck, you can also try copying all the content you want to keep, creating a new document, and pasting it there — this leaves behind any stubborn formatting that's causing the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my document have a blank page in the middle?
A blank page in the middle is usually caused by a page break, section break, or a large image or table that's pushing content down. Turn on formatting marks to see what's actually there, then delete the break or object causing it. If it's a table or image you want to keep, try resizing it or changing its text wrapping instead.
How do I delete a page without losing the content on it?
Cut the content instead of deleting it. Select all the text on the page, press Ctrl+X (or Cmd+X on Mac), then navigate to where you want it and paste it with Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V). This moves the content to a new location instead of removing it.
Can I undo a page deletion?
Yes. Press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) immediately after deleting to undo. If you've made other changes since then, you can still undo — keep pressing Ctrl+Z to step backward through your recent actions until you reach the deletion.
What's the difference between a page break and a section break?
A page break simply moves content to a new page. A section break does that and also changes formatting settings like margins, headers, or columns for the section that follows. Deleting a section break removes both the page break and the formatting change, so be careful if you need the formatting to stay.
Why does Word keep adding blank pages when I paste content?
Pasted content sometimes brings formatting with it, including page breaks or extra spacing. After pasting, use Paste Special (Ctrl+Shift+V on Windows, Cmd+Shift+V on Mac) and choose "Unformatted Text" to paste without the extra formatting. Then reapply the formatting you actually want.