The Invisible Formatting Issue
A very common and frustrating issue in Google Docs occurs when the platform automatically generates an entirely blank page at the very end of your document. This usually happens when the invisible formatting marks—specifically paragraph returns or page breaks—spill over the bottom margin of your final intended page. If you attempt to print the document or export it as a PDF, that blank page will be included, ruining the professional presentation of your work and wasting printer paper.
Removing the Hidden Spacing
Because Google Docs does not have a “Show/Hide Invisibles” button like Microsoft Word, you cannot easily see the hidden carriage returns that are causing the new page to generate. You must manually hunt down and delete the invisible formatting pushing the document boundaries.
Open your Google Doc and scroll down to the very end of your visible text on the final intended page. Click your mouse cursor immediately after the absolute last character (even after the final period). Now, press and hold the Delete key (not the Backspace key) on your keyboard. This will pull any invisible paragraph returns from the blank page below up into your current page and delete them. If you are on a Mac, you may need to press Fn + Delete. Keep pressing the key until the blank page suddenly snaps out of existence. To prevent this from happening in the future, ensure you use the “Insert > Break > Page break” tool when moving to a new section, rather than hitting the Enter key repeatedly.