If youre using Microsoft Word, you dont want blank pages appearing in the middle of your document, or extra pages at the end.
These extra pages could be caused by tables, hitting the ENTER key too many times, unnecessary section breaks, unintentional page breaks, extra paragraph markers, and more.
You don’t want your Word document to look unprofessional because of this quirk, so in this article Ill show you how to delete blank and extra pages in Word.
I will be using Microsoft Office 2016 in this tutorial, but you can follow along with any version, as pretty much the same thing applies to all versions.
Despite our best formatting efforts, blank pages can sometimes sneak their way into our Word documents These orphaned pages between content sections just clutter things up unnecessarily.
Luckily, Word provides a quick and easy way to locate and remove those pesky blanks. In this guide, we’ll walk through the simple steps to tidy up your document by deleting any unnecessary empty pages.
Here’s what we’ll cover
- Why blank pages appear in Word docs
- How to find blank pages
- Deleting a single blank page
- Removing multiple blank pages
- Alternate methods for finding blanks
- Tips for preventing blank pages going forward
After following these tips, you’ll be able to promptly prune any blank pages that pop up, leaving just the content you want and none of the empty space. Let’s jump in!
Common Causes of Blank Pages in Word
Before learning how to delete them, it helps to understand the common culprits that create blank pages in the first place:
- Section breaks formatting blank pages between sections
- Manual page breaks forcing content spacing
- Deleted content leaving white space
- Odd page margins bumping content to the next page
- Font/paragraph formatting affecting text distribution
Knowing what causes the blanks allows you to prevent them in your future documents too.
Locating Those Sneaky Blank Pages
To delete a blank page, you first need to find it. Here is the quick way:
- Click or tap within the page you want to delete.
- Press Ctrl+G to open the “Go To” dialog box.
- Type the page number and hit Enter.
This navigates you right to the empty page so you can remove it.
Deleting a Single Blank Page
Once you’ve found your stray blank using the Go To method, deleting it takes just seconds:
- Verify a blank page is selected.
- Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
- The empty page disappears!
The remaining content will flow together, removing the gap left behind.
Eliminating Multiple Blank Pages at Once
If you have several random blank pages sprinkled throughout your document, don’t worry – you can remove them in batches:
- Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document.
- Hold down Shift and click to deselect content sections.
- Hit Delete to remove all remaining blank pages.
This leaves only the content you want while ditching any orphaned whitespaces between sections in one fell swoop.
Alternate Ways to Find Elusive Blank Pages
The Go To method is the fastest way to identify specific blank pages. But you have a few other options as well:
- Scroll through the document manually looking for gaps.
- Use the page thumbnail view in the Navigation pane.
- Run a find search for “^p^p” to select extra paragraph breaks.
Test out different methods to find the approach that works best for your needs.
Prevent Blank Pages from Occurring
Now that you know how to easily delete them, here are some tips to avoid having blank pages sneak in during document creation:
- Use page break formatting cautiously and only when necessary.
- Be consistent and intentional with section breaks.
- Adjust page margins wisely.
- Delete old content properly to avoid leaving whitespace.
- Clean up extra paragraph or line breaks.
With some proactive formatting habits, you can minimize accidental blank pages right from the start.
Deleting blank pages instantly cleans up your Word documents and creates a more streamlined, professional look. Use the quick Go To method outlined here to locate and remove any orphaned whitespace.
In no time, you’ll have a polished document ready to share or print without any unnecessary blank pages bogging it down. Let us know if you have any other Word formatting tips and tricks!
How to Delete a Blank Page in the Middle of a Word Document
If you are working with a large word document and you are about to present it or print it, it’s a good idea to check for blank pages and an extra final page.
To do this, press CTRL + SHIFT + 8, or go to the Home tab and click the paragraph icon. 
This key combination displays paragraph markers (¶) at the end of every paragraph and each blank line – basically, whenever you hit the ENTER key, and at the beginning of the extra blank page.
To remove these extra pages, highlight the paragraph markers with your mouse or trackpad and hit the DELETE button. If one of the markers remains there, remove it with the BACKSPACE key. 
If you have the patience, you can also remove the blank page(s) by going to the blank pages and hitting the BACKSPACE key until the paragraph markers disappear.
How to Delete a Blank Page You Can’t Delete in Word (Updated)
How do I delete a blank page?
Step 1: To delete an extra blank page that might get added at the end of your document, click the View tab: Step 2: Go to the Navigation Pane. This will display a sidebar containing 3 tabs – Headings, Pages, and Results. Click on Pages to display all the pages of the document in the sidebar. Step 3: The active page will be automatically selected.
How do I delete a page in word?
Click or tap anywhere in the page you want to delete, press Ctrl+G. In the Enter page number box, type page. Press Enter on your keyboard, and then select Close. Verify that a page of content is selected, and then press Delete on your keyboard. To remove blank pages in the middle or at the end of your document, see Delete a blank page.
Why is there a blank page in my Word document?
Go to the blank page in your document. If a strange blank page appears in the middle of your Word document, it’s likely due to an unintentional page break or extra paragraph markers that you can’t see. Press Ctrl +⇧ Shift + 8 on Windows or ⌘ Cmd + 8 on Mac.
How do I remove a page break from a Word document?
To do so: Click the Home tab at the top of Word. Right-click the paragraph marker ¶ that has the corresponding black bullet point. Select Paragraph… on the menu. Remove the check next to “Page break before” (if there is one) and click OK. Highlight the ¶ marks and/or Page Break lines with your mouse.
