3 Ways to Delete a Blank Page in Word

So, you'd like to remove a blank page in Word. Usually, pressing the delete/backspace key on your keyboard enough times should work just fine. However, sometimes it may not be so simple.

How to Remove a Blank Page in Word

The easiest way to remove a blank page in Microsoft Word is simply using the delete/backspace key. However, your cursor placement before deleting is key.

1. Start by placing the cursor at the bottom of the blank page in Word. If there is any space at the top of the following page, you may need to place the cursor at the start of that blank line to remove any extra blank space.
   

2. Press the delete/backspace key on the keyboard until you've deleted every blank line and the entire blank page is gone. You may need to adjust any remaining blank lines, so the start of the next page begins at the very top.
   

3. Another approach to delete a blank page in Word is by placing the cursor at the top of the blank page, holding down the Shift key, and pressing the down arrow on the keyboard until the entire blank page is selected. Once you've done that, you can press the delete/backspace key (just once) to delete the whole blank page.
   

How Do I Delete a Page in Word That Won't Delete?

If you've attempted the process above, but the blank page didn't delete, there could be several reasons. Blank pages may not always show up in particular layout views, or some formatting issues in Word can generate blank pages even when none shows up in the page layout view.

1. If you can't delete the blank page in normal view, try deleting it in the Navigation pane. Select the View menu, and enable Navigation Pane in the Show section of the ribbon.
   

2. In the Navigation pane on the left, select the blank page from the list of pages. Once it's highlighted, press the delete/backspace key, and the blank page should disappear.
   

3. Another issue that can cause a blank page you can't delete is when you or another user inserted a page break into the page. You can clear this by ensuring a page break starts a new page, which will let you delete the blank page. To update this section setting, select the Layout menu and select Margins in the ribbon. Then, select Custom Margins.
   

4. Select the Layouts tab. In the Section start dropdown, select New page. Select OK. It should make the blank page display in a new section so you can delete it.
   

5. An embedded page break is another way users can create a blank page. Check to see if there's a page break by looking for visible formatting marks. Select File, Options, and Display in the left pane. Enable the checkbox to the left of Show all formatting marks. Select OK.
   

6. Scroll through your document and look through the formatting marks. Look for the Page Break formatting mark, hopefully, around the blank page you want to delete. Just highlight the formatting mark and press the delete/backspace key to delete the blank page.
   

Tables and Blank Pages in Word

A table inserted at the end of a page can also create a blank page in Word. Tables automatically have a paragraph at the end, creating a blank page at the end of your document.

1. You may be able to remove this blank page by placing the cursor at the beginning of the blank page and pressing the delete/backspace key. If this doesn't work, move on to the next fix.
   

2. Enable formatting marks using the same process as the section above. Highlight the paragraph marker below the table, right-click, and select Paragraph. Make sure Indentation and Spacing sizes are all set to 0pt.
   

3. If that didn't work, right-click the paragraph mark and change the font size of the paragraph to the smallest setting.
   

4. Try making the paragraph hidden. Highlight the paragraph mark, select the callout arrow in the Font section of the Home menu, and enable the checkbox to the left of the Hidden option under Effects.
   

5. If all else fails, try deleting any of the paragraph marks above the table to bring the table far enough up in the previous page, so the blank page below disappears.