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There are several ways to delete pages from a Microsoft Word document. Whether you're using Word 2003, Word 2016, or Word Online through Office 365, the process for getting rid of unwanted pages is the same.
This article applies to all versions of Microsoft Word including Word for Mac.
3 Ways to Remove Pages From a Word Document
If you have blank pages at the end of a document, use the Backspace key on the keyboard. This works if you’ve accidentally left your finger on the space bar and moved the mouse cursor forward several lines, or perhaps, an entire page.
Remove the header from the second page. Scroll down to the second page, then delete the header text from the top of the second page. This will also remove the header from the top of any page other than the first page in the document. Jun 12, 2018 - You can remove or make changes to headers or footers on any page in Microsoft Word. This is handy if, for example, you want to hide the.
To delete excess pages with the Backspace key:
- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the End key (if your keyboard has one) to go to the end of your document.
- Press and hold the Backspace key.
- Once the cursor has reached the desired end of the document, release the key.
Mac keyboards do not have a Backspace key. Instead, the Delete key serves the same purpose as the Backscape key on Windows devices.
The Delete key on your keyboard works similarly to the Backspace key. To use the Delete key:
- Position the cursor at the end of the text that appears before the blank page begins.
- Press and hold the Delete key on the keyboard until the unwanted page disappears.
On Mac keyboards, the Delete key removes text/pages to the left of the cursor like the Windows Backspace key.
Use the Show/Hide symbol to see exactly what’s on the page you want to remove. For example, you might find a manual page break. People often insert these to break up long documents. There’s a page break at the end of every chapter of a book, for example.
Beyond unintentional page breaks, there’s also the possibility that extra (blank) paragraphs have been added by Microsoft Word. Sometimes this happens after you’ve inserted a table or picture. Whatever the cause, using the Show/Hide option will let you see exactly what’s happening on the page so that you can select it and delete it.
To use the Show/Hide button in Word 2016:
- Select the Home tab.
- Select the Show/Hide button. It is located in the Paragraph section and looks like a backward-facing P.
- Look at the area in and around the blank page. Use your mouse to highlight blank or unwanted areas.
- Press Delete on the keyboard.
- Click the Show/Hide button again to turn off this feature.
The Show/Hide button is available in other versions of Microsoft Word, but the easiest way to toggle this feature is to use the key combination Ctrl + Shift + 8. This shortcut works in all iterations including Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2010, Word 2013, Word 2016, and Word Online for Office 365.
If you are collaborating on a document, you should turn on Track Changes before making major changes. Track Changes allows collaborators to easily see contributions you've made to the document.
Before you begin, determine whether you’re working in a word-processing or page layout document. Documents are either one or the other, and you add and manage pages differently for each.
In word-processing documents, pages are added automatically as your typing reaches the end of a page, but you can also add page breaks to create new pages. In page layout documents, you add pages manually as you need them.
Add a page in a word-processing document
By adding two page breaks in succession, you can create a blank page.
- Tap in text to place the insertion point where you want to add the first page break.
- Tap in the shortcut bar above the keyboard, then tap Page Break.The insertion point moves to the top of the next page.
- Add a second page break using the same steps.The insertion point moves to the top of the next page, leaving a blank page between the two page breaks.
Add a page in a page layout document
- Swipe right from the left edge of the screen to show page thumbnail view.
- Tap the thumbnail for the page you want the new page to follow, then tap at the bottom of page thumbnail view.If there is more than one master page for the template, choose the one you want; otherwise, a blank page is automatically added.
- To hide page thumbnail view, swipe left across the thumbnails.
Duplicate a page
You can duplicate a single page in page layout documents. In word-processing documents, you duplicate a section, then delete any pages you don’t want to keep.
- Swipe right from the left side of the screen to show page thumbnail view.
- In page thumbnail view, tap the page you want to copy, tap again, then tap Duplicate.The duplicate page or section is added below the original.
- Do any of the following:
- Remove unwanted pages in a section: Close page thumbnail view, then select and delete all the text and objects on the pages you want to remove. As a page is cleared, it’s removed. To remove a blank page, tap at the beginning of the next page (to place the insertion point before the first text or graphic), then tap on the keyboard. Sometimes a blank page has formatting elements you can’t see, like paragraph breaks. If you delete these elements, the page is deleted.
- Move a page or section: Touch and hold a page thumbnail until it appears to lift (sections collapse into stacks), then drag it to where you want it. Tap Done to return to page thumbnail view.
- To hide page thumbnail view, swipe left across the thumbnails.
Delete a page
- In a page layout document: Swipe right from the left side of the screen to show page thumbnail view. Tap the thumbnail for the page you want to remove, tap the thumbnail again, then tap Delete. To hide page thumbnails, swipe left across the thumbnails.
- In a word-processing document: Select all the text and objects on the page, then tap Delete. If the page you want to delete is blank, tap at the beginning of the next page (to place the insertion point before the first text or graphic), then tap on the keyboard. Sometimes a blank page has formatting elements you can’t see, like paragraph breaks. If you delete these elements, the page is deleted.
If you accidentally delete a page and want it back, tap Undo or in the toolbar.
Rearrange pages in a page layout document
- Swipe right from the left side of the screen to show page thumbnail view.
- Touch and hold the thumbnail of the page you want to move, then drag it to where you want it.To hide page thumbnails, swipe left across the thumbnails.
Rearrange pages in a word-processing document
Because text flows from one page to another in word-processing documents, you can’t rearrange the pages in a section. You can, however, cut content from one page and paste it to another.
Here is an example of one way to cut text and objects and paste them to a different location in the document:
- Tap where you want your content to appear.
- Tap in the shortcut bar above the keyboard, then tap Page Break; repeat the steps a second time.
- Select the text and objects you want to move, then tap Cut.The content is removed from your document, and a copy of it is saved to your device’s clipboard. If you made a mistake, tap at the top of the screen to undo the action.
- Tap in the blank page, tap again, then tap Paste.If you didn’t move everything at once, keep cutting and pasting until all the content is where you want it.
- To remove the first page break, place the insertion point before the text you moved, then tap on your keyboard.If this causes your text to run into the preceding text, tap Return on your keyboard to move it down to the next line.
- To remove the second page break, place the insertion point immediately before the text that follows the content you moved, then tap Delete on your keyboard.
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