Deleting a page in Microsoft Word can be confusing, especially when it’s a stubborn blank page that won’t go away. Below are clear, step-by-step methods that work in Word for Windows, Word for Mac, and Word Online.

# 1. Quickly Delete a Page with Content

Use this when the page you want to remove has text, images, tables, or other content.

# Method A: Select and Delete

  1. Go to the page you want to delete.
  2. Press Ctrl + G (Windows) or Option + Command + G (Mac) to open Find and Replace with the Go To tab selected.
  3. In the Enter page number box, type: 
    \page
  4. Click Go To, then Close.
  5. Word selects all the content on that page. Press Delete (or Backspace).

If some elements remain (like a table or section break), see the sections below on tables and section breaks.

# 2. Delete a Blank Page at the End of the Document

A random blank page at the very end often comes from an extra paragraph mark or a page break.

# Method A: Show Hidden Formatting Marks

  1. On the Home tab, click (Show/Hide ¶) in the Paragraph group.
    • In Word Online, go to Home > Paragraph group > ¶.
  2. Scroll to the blank page at the end.
  3. Look for:
    • Extra paragraph marks (), or
    • A Page Break or Section Break (Next Page) line.
  4. Place your cursor before those marks and press Delete until the blank page disappears.

# 3. Remove a Blank Page Caused by a Manual Page Break

A manual page break forces content to the next page.

  1. Turn on Show/Hide ¶ on the Home tab.
  2. Find the line that says Page Break on or before the unwanted page.
  3. Click at the start of that line.
  4. Press Delete (if that doesn’t work, press Backspace once from the line below).

The content will move up and the extra page should vanish.

# 4. Delete a Page with a Large Table That Won’t Fit

Word requires a paragraph mark after a table. If that paragraph mark doesn’t fit on the same page, it can create a blank page after a table.

  1. Turn on Show/Hide ¶.
  2. Go to the page after your table.
  3. Look for the single paragraph mark (¶) below the table.
  4. Do one of these:
    • Reduce font size of that paragraph:
      • Select the , set the font size to 1 pt.
    • Set zero spacing:
      • Right-click the → Paragraph… → set Before and After spacing to 0 pt, and Line spacing to Single.
  5. If the paragraph now fits on the previous page, the extra blank page will disappear.

Don’t delete this final paragraph mark if the table is at the very end of the document; Word always needs at least one paragraph mark after a table. Just shrink it.

# 5. Delete Pages Caused by Section Breaks

Section breaks (like Next Page, Odd Page, or Even Page) can force content to start on a new page and create blank pages.

  1. Turn on Show/Hide ¶ from the Home tab.
  2. Look for lines labeled:
    • Section Break (Next Page)
    • Section Break (Odd Page)
    • Section Break (Even Page)
  3. Click directly before that section break line.
  4. Press Delete.

If that causes layout changes (headers, footers, or columns):

  • Instead of deleting the break, try changing it:
    1. Place the cursor before the section break.
    2. Go to Layout > Page Setup group > Breaks.
    3. Change Next Page to Continuous.
    4. This removes the forced new page but keeps the section formatting.

# 6. Delete a Specific Page by Number

If you know which page number to remove:

  1. Press Ctrl + G (Windows) or Option + Command + G (Mac).
  2. In the Enter page number box, type the page number (e.g., 5).
  3. Click Go To, then Close.
  4. Press Ctrl + Shift + 8 (or click ) to show paragraph marks, so you see what you’re deleting.
  5. Select everything on that page manually (drag from the first character to the last).
  6. Press Delete.

This is especially useful in long documents like reports or eBooks.

# 7. Delete a Blank Page in Word Online

In Word Online:

  1. Click anywhere on the blank page.
  2. Press Ctrl + A twice:
    • First Ctrl + A selects the content in the current “story” (e.g., main text).
    • Second Ctrl + A often expands the selection to all visible content on that page.
  3. Press Delete.
  4. If the page remains, use Show paragraph marks:
    • Go to Home > ¶ and remove extra paragraph marks or page breaks as described above.

# 8. Troubleshooting: Page Still Won’t Delete?

If the page refuses to disappear, check for:

  1. Hidden text or objects

    • Turn on Show/Hide ¶ to reveal hidden elements.
    • Click in the blank area to see if images, text boxes, or content controls are selected.

  2. Header or Footer content pushing text

    • Double-click the header or footer area.
    • Reduce its height or remove large objects.
    • Close Header and Footer to see if the blank page disappears.

  3. Different First Page or Different Odd/Even Pages

    • Go to Layout > Margins > Custom Margins > Layout tab.
    • If using Different first page or Different odd and even, check that no unnecessary content is sitting in the header/footer of that extra page.

  4. Page Size or Margin Issues

    • Go to Layout > Size and make sure you’re using a standard size (e.g., A4 or Letter).
    • Go to Layout > Margins and ensure margins aren’t forcing content onto a new page.

# 9. Keyboard Shortcuts Summary (Windows & Mac)

Windows:

  • Show/Hide formatting: Ctrl + Shift + 8
  • Go To page: Ctrl + G
  • Select all: Ctrl + A
  • Delete: Delete or Backspace

Mac:

  • Show/Hide formatting: Command + 8
  • Go To page: Option + Command + G
  • Select all: Command + A
  • Delete: Delete or fn + Delete (on some keyboards)

# 10. Useful Official Resources

For more details and visuals, you can also check:

These guides cover the latest versions of Word on Windows, Mac, and the web.

By using the steps above—especially Show/Hide ¶, removing page/section breaks, and cleaning up extra paragraph marks—you can reliably delete any extra page in Microsoft Word, whether it’s blank or full of content.