Extra blank pages in Microsoft Word are often the result of extra paragraphs or page breaks. If you tried (and failed) to remove a blank page by clicking the bottom right corner of it and pressing the ← Backspace key until it disappears, you can solve this problem by removing all hidden formatting markers. Learn how to display and delete paragraph markers and page breaks, as well as what to do when you find one that cannot be deleted.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Removing Extra Paragraphs and Page Breaks
Step 1. Open the document in Word
In many cases, blank pages in a Word document are the result of extra paragraphs or page breaks. To find the cause of the problem, you need to turn on formatting markers in Word.
Step 2. Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+8 keys (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd+8 (Mac).
You will now see paragraph markers (¶) at the beginning of each blank line and at the end of existing paragraphs. You may also see lines labeled "Page break".
Step 3. Go to the blank page
When you see the "¶" symbol or the "Page break" message on the blank page, you will need to delete it.
Step 4. Highlight the "¶" marker or page break with the mouse
When seeing both (or more than one of each), highlight them at once.
Step 5. Press the Delete key
This should remove "¶" markers and page breaks. You may need to press the Delete key a few more times to remove the entire page.
If there's a paragraph marker that you can't remove, it's usually at the end of a table. To remove it, see the next method
Step 6. Turn off paragraph markers
Now you can hide these bookmarks again. Click the "¶" icon or press one of the following shortcuts:
- Windows: Ctrl+⇧ Shift+8
- Mac: ⌘ Cmd+8
Method 2 of 2: Removing a Blank Page at the End of a Table
Step 1. Open the document in Word
Non-erasable blank pages can occur in documents that end with a table. Table position requires Word to store document formatting data in a blank paragraph directly below it. You cannot delete this paragraph, but you can shorten it to remove the blank page.
Try this method if you are using a Word template (such as resume, charts, flyers) as they often contain tables
Step 2. Navigate to the "Table Tools" tab
If you don't see this tab at the top of the screen, click somewhere in the text just above the blank page and it should appear.
Step 3. Click on "Layout" in the "Table Tools" tab
Table settings will appear in the top bar.
Step 4. Select "Show Gridlines"
You should now see lines around the text that appear just before the blank page.
Step 5. Enable paragraph markers
This will display multiple paragraph markers (¶) on the page. See how to enable it:
- Windows: Ctrl+⇧ Shift+8
- Mac: ⌘ Cmd+8
Step 6. Select the "¶" symbol just below the table
If you see more than one, use the mouse to select them.
Step 7. Navigate to the "Home" tab
Now that the paragraph marker is selected, it's time to change your font size.
Step 8. Click once inside the font size box
The box contains a number (eg 12), and right above it is the font name (such as Times New Roman).
Step 9. Press the key
Step 1. and then ↵ Enter.
This will result in the reduction of the hidden paragraph, so it won't need an entire blank page. The blank page should disappear immediately.
Step 10. Turn off paragraph markers
Now you can hide these bookmarks again. Click the "¶" icon or press one of the following shortcuts:
- Windows: Ctrl+⇧ Shift+8
- Mac: ⌘ Cmd+8