Few things throw off a clean document layout quite like a stray blank page—and Word makes them surprisingly easy to accumulate. Whether you’ve hit Enter one too many times or a section break got the better of you, the fix is usually faster than you think. Microsoft Support documents five methods that work across Windows, Mac, and the online version, covering everything from keyboard shortcuts to font-size tricks for stubborn end-paragraph markers. Here’s how to delete a page in Word, step by step.

4 related posts

Official Source: Microsoft Support · Windows Shortcut: Ctrl+G then \page · Mac Shortcut: Option+Cmd+G then \page · Common Issue: Blank pages from hidden paragraph marks

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • The \page command selects an entire page at once (iLovePDF)
  • Paragraph marks (¶) hide in plain sight and push pages to the next line (Microsoft Support)
  • Word’s end-paragraph mark is non-deletable and can land on its own blank page (Microsoft Support)
2What’s unclear
  • Exact behavior in legacy Word versions (2003 and earlier) differs undocumented
  • Page deletion in Word for iPad/Android lacks official step-by-step guidance
3Timeline signal
  • Navigation pane and paragraph mark toggling are available in current Word versions
  • Microsoft continues updating its page-deletion documentation for Mac and online
4What’s next
  • Microsoft Word online now supports page break deletion via browser
  • Word Mobile (iOS/Android) allows content selection and deletion with touch gestures

Five approaches cover the full spectrum of page types, from empty final pages to content-dense middle sections.

Method Shortcut Best for
Go To + Delete (Windows) Ctrl+G, type \page Any page, including blank
Go To + Delete (Mac) Option+Cmd+G, type \page Any page, including blank
Show paragraph marks Ctrl+Shift+8 (Win) / Cmd+8 (Mac) Blank pages from hidden markers
Navigation pane View tab Visual page selection
Font size to 1pt Home tab Stubborn end-paragraph blank pages

How do I remove a blank page in Word?

Most blank pages in Word are the result of hidden formatting that won’t show up unless you ask it to. The two biggest culprits are paragraph marks (the Pilcrow ¶ symbol) and manual page breaks—both of which Word treats as invisible by default.

Show hidden formatting marks

  • Windows: Press Ctrl+Shift+8 to toggle paragraph marks on and off (Microsoft Support)
  • Mac: Press Cmd+8 (⌘+8) to reveal formatting symbols including page breaks and section breaks (Microsoft Support)

Once formatting marks are visible, you can identify exactly what’s taking up space on that blank page.

Delete paragraph marks

If the blank page contains nothing but a paragraph mark, Word’s official guidance recommends selecting that mark and shrinking it to 1 point to force it onto the previous page. Select the paragraph mark, go to the Font Size box on the Home tab, type 01, and press Enter. The end-paragraph mark will compress to almost nothing, and the blank page should disappear (Microsoft Support).

Adjust line spacing

A page can also go blank if excessive Enter key presses have pushed content forward. Select the text before the blank page, right-click, choose Paragraph, and set Line Spacing to a smaller value or remove space after. This is one of the most common root causes, according to ClickHelp’s technical writing guide (ClickHelp).

Why this matters

Microsoft Support notes that hidden paragraph marks account for the majority of phantom blank pages. Once you can see them with Ctrl+Shift+8 or Cmd+8, the fix is usually under 30 seconds of work.

How do I delete a page in Word if it won’t delete?

Some pages resist standard deletion—usually because of a page break or section break, not actual content. When Backspace and Delete don’t work, you need a different approach.

Use the Go To command

The most reliable method for any stubborn page in Windows is the Go To command. Press Ctrl+G, type \page in the Enter page number field, and press Enter. Word selects the entire page, including any hidden breaks. Press Delete to remove it (iLovePDF).

Navigation pane method

The Navigation pane shows every page as a thumbnail. Click the View tab and check Navigation Pane, then click Pages. Click on the page you want to delete and press Delete on your keyboard (Adobe Acrobat).

Check for section breaks

Section breaks (Next Page, Odd Page, Even Page) can push content onto the next page even when the previous section appears empty. Show formatting marks, then place your cursor directly before the section break and press Delete (New Horizons).

The catch

New Horizons warns that deleting a section break can alter your document’s formatting—headers, footers, margins, and columns may reset to the next section’s settings. Always show formatting marks before removing section breaks to see what you’re working with.

Bottom line: Ctrl+G with \page works on virtually any page Word can display. Navigation pane gives you a visual fallback when you can’t quite tell what’s taking up space.

How to delete a page in Word on Mac?

Mac Word shares most of the same functionality as Windows but uses different keyboard shortcuts. Here’s what works on macOS.

Go To dialog

Press Option+Cmd+G (⌥+⌘+G) to open the Go To Page dialog in Word for Mac. Type \page and press Enter. Word selects the entire page. Close the dialog and press Delete (iLovePDF).

Show invisibles

Press Cmd+8 (⌘+8) to toggle the Pilcrow (¶) symbol and reveal paragraph marks and page breaks. Once visible, select the formatting mark you want to delete and press Delete on your keyboard (Microsoft Support).

Keyboard shortcuts for Mac

  • Show formatting marks: ⌘+8
  • Open Go To: ⌥+⌘+G
  • Navigate pages: Use View > Navigation Pane > Pages
  • Delete selected page: ⌘+Delete when in Navigation pane view (Microsoft Support for Mac)

Word for Mac’s official documentation covers both blank page removal and page deletion in full detail (Microsoft Support for Mac). The process mirrors Windows, but the shortcut differences trip up many users who switch between platforms.

How to delete page in Word shortcut key?

Keyboard shortcuts let you delete pages without touching the mouse, which is faster once you know the sequence. Here are the most useful ones.

Quick delete shortcuts

  • Ctrl+G then type \page (Windows) — selects the entire page for deletion
  • Option+Cmd+G then type \page (Mac) — same function on Apple keyboards
  • F5 — opens the Go To dialog in Windows (alternative to Ctrl+G)

For blank pages

When a page is genuinely blank, position your cursor at the very end of the previous page and press Backspace repeatedly. If this doesn’t work, the page likely has hidden formatting marks—enable them with Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+8 (Mac) to find what’s keeping the page alive.

Advanced navigation

Shift+Click lets you select a specific portion of a page for deletion, while click-and-drag selects larger regions. For intricate pages with section breaks, enable Show/Hide ¶ first so you see exactly what you’re about to delete (ClickHelp).

If you make a mistake, Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac) immediately reverses the deletion (ClickHelp).

The upshot

ClickHelp explains that the \page command in Go To is the closest thing Word has to a dedicated “select page” shortcut. Mastering it eliminates most manual click-and-drag selection for page deletion.

How to delete a page in Word online?

Word for the web has a more limited interface than the desktop version, but you can still remove pages—particularly if the blank page contains only formatting marks.

Word for web steps

In the browser version, click the ¶ button on the Home tab to show paragraph marks and page breaks. Select any visible formatting mark, then press Delete on your keyboard. If the page contains actual content, select that content directly and press Delete (Microsoft Support).

Mobile app method

The Word mobile app (iOS and Android) doesn’t have the Go To command, but you can still remove pages. Tap and hold to select text or formatting marks, then drag the handles to include the entire page’s content. Tap Delete to remove it. For blank pages caused by page breaks, enable the formatting toolbar to see paragraph marks.

Handle page breaks

Manual page breaks appear as a line with the text “Page Break” in online Word. Click directly before the break and press Delete to remove it. Section breaks are harder to manage in the browser version—if your document uses them, consider switching to the desktop app for full control.

Bottom line: Word Online handles page deletion through content selection rather than Go To commands. The browser version lacks the \page shortcut, so visible formatting marks become even more important for identifying what’s keeping a blank page alive.

“Word includes a non-deleteable end-paragraph that sometimes gets pushed out to a new, blank page at the end of a document.”

— Microsoft Support, Official documentation

“Blank pages are usually caused by hidden paragraph markers—these can be removed”

— iLovePDF, Technical documentation

Related reading: How to Disable Notifications Guide · How to Draw a Person Step-by-Step

Additional sources

youtube.com, discussions.apple.com, youtube.com, youtube.com, youtube.com, support.microsoft.com

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Frequently asked questions

How do I remove a single page in Word?

Use the Go To command: press Ctrl+G (Windows) or Option+Cmd+G (Mac), type \page, press Enter, then press Delete. This selects the entire page regardless of what content—if any—it contains.

What’s the quickest way to delete a page?

The \page shortcut via Go To is the fastest method. It works on any page type—blank, content-heavy, or page-break-created—without requiring you to manually select content or scroll to find the right formatting mark.

How do I delete an extra page in Word?

Extra blank pages typically come from paragraph marks or section breaks at the document’s end. Enable formatting marks (Ctrl+Shift+8 or Cmd+8), locate the offending mark, select it, and press Delete. For stubborn end-paragraph marks, set the font size to 01 point.

How do I delete a page in Word on a laptop?

Laptop keyboards work the same as desktops for Word shortcuts. Use Ctrl+G + \page (Windows laptops) or Option+Cmd+G + \page (MacBook). The Navigation pane method (View > Navigation Pane > Pages) is especially handy on smaller screens where visual thumbnails help you find the right page quickly.

How do I delete a page in Word with a page break?

Press Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+8 (Mac) to show the page break as a visible line. Click directly before or after the break and press Delete. If deleting the break creates unexpected formatting changes, you may have deleted a section break—use Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z to undo and investigate before proceeding.

How do I delete a blank page that won’t disappear?

For blank pages caused by the end-paragraph mark: select that mark, change its font size to 01 point in the Font Size box on the Home tab, and press Enter. The mark compresses and pulls back onto the previous page. If this doesn’t work, check for section breaks (View > Show/Hide) and delete those as well.

How do I delete a page in Word on mobile?

Open the Word mobile app, tap the ¶ button to show formatting marks, tap and hold to select the blank content or page break, then tap Delete. The mobile app lacks the Go To \page command, so visible marks are your primary tool for identifying what’s causing the blank page.

For anyone working in Word regularly, the \page trick via Go To alone justifies the few minutes it takes to learn it. Page deletion stops being a time sink once you can see what you’re dealing with—and once you know that a font size of 01 point can fix the end-paragraph problem that otherwise refuses to budge.