For students, professionals and material creators around the world, Microsoft Word is the most popular Word Processing App. It has many useful features, but sometimes the most direct function, such as deleting a page, can be misleading, especially if it is a blank or unwanted page, or when you are consistently encountered with draft issues.
This article will help you understand how to delete a page in Word regardless of whether you are a Windows user or a Mac user. Along with deleting unwanted pages, this article will also explain how to address formatting issues and how to keep a document professional and organised.
Deleting a Blank Page in Word
Blank pages tend to show up at the end of a document or between sections. To delete one:
Allow formatting marks by clicking the "¶" icon (in the Home tab). This makes invisible characters such as spaces, paragraph marks, and breaks visible. Click on the empty page and look for a paragraph mark or page break. If you find it, click on it and delete it by pressing Delete or Backspace. In most instances, this will automatically delete the blank page. If not, recheck for section breaks or stray lines that might be off the screen.
Deleting a Page with Content
To delete a page containing content, position your cursor at the top of the page. Click and drag down to select all the text, images, or tables on the page. When the content is marked, hit Delete.
Ensure there isn't any content spilling onto the following page. In the event that there is, the page may not be completely gone, but the content will be deleted. You can likewise scroll through pages quickly using the Navigation Pane (in the View tab) in order to find the specific one, you want to delete.
Deleting Page Breaks and Section Breaks
Page and section breaks are frequently the cause of rogue pages. These breaks can be placed on purpose for layout reasons, but can create empty pages if not carefully controlled. To delete them, first turn on formatting marks by pressing the ¶ symbol.
Scroll to the position of the break, named as "Page Break" or "Section Break", click it, and press Delete. Be aware that removing the section break may also change the formatting of the adjacent text, e.g., headers, footers, or margins.
Deleting the Last Blank Page
Word also inserts an extra blank last page at the end of a document because of remaining formatting or large objects like tables.
In case this happens, go to the bottom of your paper and type Backspace a few times. If this doesn't help, select any leftover paragraph marks or line breaks and remove them. For tables that run to the edge of the page, decrease the table size just a little or modify page margins. This usually avoids the necessity for Word to put in an additional page. Another trick is to reduce the font size of the last paragraph mark to 1 pt and set the spacing to zero. This may remove the need for a new page entirely.
How to Delete a Page in Word on Mac
If you are working on a Mac, deleting a page in Word follows the same principles. Press Command + 8 to display hidden formatting. Scroll down to the page you wish to delete. Select any paragraph marks, page breaks, or text, and then press Delete. The document will naturally adjust itself to eliminate the empty or undesired page.
Preventing Unwanted Pages in Word
After you have written your document, you should make sure the same issue doesn't happen again. Here are some best practices:
Don't hit the Enter key multiple times to increase space between paragraphs; use the Layout or Paragraph menu to control paragraph spacing. Limit your use of section and page breaks. If you are copying and pasting text from another document into yours, be certain to check for hidden formatting marks and delete them if necessary.
Following these few basic guidelines will help you manage your document so that it appears tidy and professional.
Conclusion
Knowing how to delete a page in Word is a very essential skill for anyone who does a lot of documentation. Regardless of whether you are deleting a blank page, you are trying to remove content, or troubleshooting a formatting issue on a document, the methods explained here ensure that you can easily control the formatting of your document. Word is an incredibly robust software application, and knowing how to use it as intended will help manage how you work with documents. The next time you encounter an unwanted page, you will be well-equipped to deal with it.
