Blank pages in a document can make an unprofessional impression on editors or potential employers. Microsoft Word is known to create blank pages in a document, so you should make sure to delete them whenever possible.
Our goal is to help others avoid the frustration associated with blank pages. Since Microsoft Word is a popular document creator, we’ve put together the following guide to help you delete those unwanted pages should they crop up in this particular word processor. Should you also need to delete a page in Word that has text and graphics, our guide includes instructions for that as well.
How to delete a page in Word with content
Deleting a page with text and graphics is different from deleting a completely blank page. So first, let’s walk through the steps to delete a page in Word that’s filled with content.
Step 1: The first step in deleting a page is to select it. Either scroll to the page or use the Go to function (Ctrl + G on Windows, Option + Command + G on MacOS).
When you’ve found the page, select any spot on it.
Step 2: Next, select all content on the page. It might sound like you’ve already done this step, but this is so that Word knows that you want to delete the whole page, not just some of the content on it.
Open the Go to function (Ctrl + G, or Option + Command + G if you’re on a Mac) and type “page” in the Enter page number box. Then, select Go to (or press Enter or Return on your keyboard) followed by Close.
Alternatively, you can use your cursor to drag through the content on the page to select it all.
Step 3: Finally, delete the page. Microsoft Word doesn’t have a dedicated page deletion tool, but now that we’ve selected the page’s content, we can delete it easily.
Double-check that you’ve selected the entirety of the page and press the Delete key.
How to delete a blank page in Word
Most text editors, Word included, have a habit of creating blank pages at the end of your document for seemingly no reason. Deleting those before you fire it off to your boss or the printer is usually a good idea.
Step 1: To find the blank page(s), open up the Navigation pane. You can do so by selecting the View tab and making sure that the Navigation pane box is ticked.
When the sidebar on the left opens, select Pages to show all the pages in your document.
Step 2: Scroll through the list to find the blank page(s) you want to delete. Pick one and double-click it to jump straight to it.
Step 3: Hold Ctrl + Shift + 8 on Windows or Command + 8 on Mac to make the paragraph marks visible.
Step 4: Select the paragraph mark on the blank page, go to the Home tab, and enter “1” in the Font size box. Press Enter to lock in the size.
The paragraph attached to the paragraph mark should then fit on the previous page, removing the blank page.
Step 5: After you’ve made all necessary changes, you can hide the paragraph marks again by holding Ctrl + Shift + 8 on Windows or Command + 8 on a Mac.
Now that you know how to delete a page in Word, take a look at how to remove a page break or how to double-space in Word.
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