You did it. You wrote a book and sent it in for publishing. But, as you sip champagne, you get an email from your editor asking why you have five blank pages scattered through your draft.
Here are some remedies on how to delete a page in Word to avoid unintentional blank pages in your projects.
Table of Content
The Fixes
Note: Screenshots are from Microsoft Word 2021. Some fixes may not apply or have slightly different steps for other Word versions.
Backspace
Step 1: Place your cursor on the page you want to delete about three lines before you reach the top of the page.
Step 2: Hit your Backspace key until the page disappears.
Keep your cursor about three lines from the top of the page.
Hit the Backspace key until the current page disappears.
The Navigation Pane
Step 1: Visit and click the View tab at the top of Word.
Step 2: Where it says Show, check the “Navigation Pane.”
Go to the View tab at the top of Microsoft Word. Check Navigation Pane.
Step 3: You should see Navigation with the pages.
Step 4: Click the page you want to delete. A blue border indicates the selected page.
Click the page you want to delete in the Navigation Pane. The page should have a blue border when you select it.
Step 5: Hit your Backspace key until the page disappears.
Hit the Backspace button until the selected page disappears.
For MacOS
Step 1: Hit the View tab and check the Navigation pane box.
Step 2: Choose Pages to review all pages in the document.
Step 3: Click the page you want to delete.
Step 4: Press Delete on the keyboard.
Find and Replace
Step 1: Press Ctrl+G for the Find and Replace box.
Pressing Ctrl+G displays the Find and Replace box.
Step 2: Enter the page number you want to delete in the Enter page number field.
Enter the page number you want to delete in the Enter page number field. Hit the Go To button and confirm you’re on the right page. Close Find and Replace.
Step 3: Hit the Go To button.
Step 4: Make sure your cursor appears on the right page. Then Close the Find and Replace box.
Step 5: Hit the Backspace key until the page disappears.
Hit the Backspace key until the page disappears.
For MacOS
Step 1: Click anywhere on the page you want to delete and hit Option+⌘+G.
Step 2: Type /page number in the Enter page number field.
Step 3: Press Enter and close.
Step 4: Double-check that a page of content is selected and press Delete on the keyboard.
Paragraph Breaks
Step 1: Click the Paragraph or Pilcrow (¶) symbol at the top of the Home pane.
Click the Paragraph (¶) symbol at the top of the Home tab.
Step 2: You should see the ¶ symbol and Page Break across your document.
The ¶ symbol appears across your document.
Step 3: Place your cursor in front of the symbol. Hit the Backspace key and delete each one.
Place your cursor before the ¶ symbol and hit Backspace.
Step 4: When you delete all of the paragraph symbols on the selected page, the page disappears.
When you delete all ¶ symbols, you erase the specific page.
For MacOS
Step 1: Hit ⌘ + 8 to show Pilcrows (¶)
Step 2: Select the Pilcrow.
Step 3: Type 01 in the Font size box and press Enter. The extra page should have vanished.
Step 4: Press ⌘ + 8 to hide the Pilcrows.
You can also adjust the margins if the paragraph still doesn’t fit the page.
Step 1: Hit Layout tab > Margins > Custom Margins and set the bottom margin to a smaller number, like 0.2 inches or something.
The Wrap Up
Answering how to delete a page in Word shouldn’t be difficult. We hope these four easy fixes help you trim unwanted pages from your vital documents, whether persuading, entertaining or informing others with your words.
Have more helpful Word tips to contribute? Let us know in the comments!