How to Remove a Blank Page in Microsoft Word

One of the most universally frustrating experiences in Microsoft Word is trying to delete a stubborn blank page sitting at the very end of your document. You can mash the Backspace key fifty times, but the blank page refuses to disappear. When you try to print your essay, the printer spits out an extra sheet of empty paper, wasting your ink and time.

Blank pages do not actually exist in Word. The software only renders a new page when a specific piece of invisible formatting code forces the text to shift downward. To delete the page, you must reveal the hidden code and destroy it.

Step 1: Reveal the Hidden Formatting Symbols

Because the formatting code is invisible to the naked eye, you cannot highlight it with your mouse to delete it. You must turn on the diagnostic view.

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word.
2. Look at the Ribbon at the top of the screen and ensure you are on the Home tab.
3. Look for the “Paragraph” section in the middle of the ribbon.
4. Click the Show/Hide Paragraph button. (It looks like a backwards letter “P” or a music note, formally known as a pilcrow: ¶).

The moment you click this button, your entire document will fill with bizarre blue or black symbols. Every time you pressed the Spacebar, a tiny dot will appear. Every time you pressed Enter, a backwards “P” will appear. Do not panic; these symbols will not print on the physical paper. They are just a diagnostic overlay.

Step 2: Hunt Down the Culprit

Now that you can see the invisible code, scroll down to the stubborn blank page. You will likely see one of two things causing the problem:

Scenario A: The “Page Break” Code

If you or someone else accidentally pressed Ctrl + Enter while typing, Word inserted a hard command instructing the printer to immediately jump to the next piece of paper, regardless of how much empty space was left on the current page.

1. Look at the very top of the blank page (or the bottom of the page right above it).
2. You will see a horizontal dashed line with the words —–Page Break—– written in the center.
3. Use your mouse to highlight that specific line of text.
4. Press the Delete key on your keyboard.

The Page Break code will vanish, and the blank page will instantly disappear.

Scenario B: The Avalanche of Empty Paragraphs

If you rested your hand on the Enter key for too long, you created an avalanche of empty paragraphs that pushed the cursor all the way down onto a fresh piece of paper.

1. Look at the blank page. It will be completely filled with a vertical column of backwards “P” symbols (¶).
2. Use your mouse to highlight every single one of those symbols on the blank page.
3. Press the Delete key.

As you delete the empty paragraphs, the cursor will jump backward until the blank page ceases to exist.

The Final Boss: The Un-deletable Table Margin

If your document ends with a massive chart or table, Word has a hardcoded rule that requires at least one empty paragraph to exist immediately after the table. If the table goes all the way to the absolute bottom edge of the paper, that required empty paragraph is forced onto the next page, creating a blank sheet that cannot be deleted.

You cannot delete the paragraph symbol, but you can shrink it until it fits on the first page.

1. Turn on the Show/Hide Paragraph symbols (¶).
2. Highlight the single paragraph symbol sitting on the blank page.
3. Go to the Home tab on the Ribbon.
4. Click the Font Size drop-down box (which usually says 11 or 12).
5. Type the number 1 and press Enter.

The paragraph symbol will shrink to microscopic size, allowing it to easily squeeze onto the bottom margin of the first page, permanently eliminating the blank second page.