A blank page in Word is caused by something you can’t see: extra empty paragraphs, a page break, a section break, or the paragraph Word always keeps after a table. Show the hidden marks and delete what’s causing it.
Step 1: Show formatting marks
Press Ctrl + Shift + 8, or click ¶ on the Home tab. Paragraph marks (¶), page breaks and section breaks become visible.
Step 2: Delete what you see
| On the blank page | Fix |
|---|---|
| Several ¶ marks | Select them and press Delete |
| Page Break | Click just before it and press Delete |
| Section Break (Next Page) | Change it to Continuous, or delete it (the section’s layout may change) |
| One ¶ after a table | See the next section |
Blank page after a table at the end
Word always needs a paragraph after a table. If the table fills the page, that paragraph moves to a new blank page and can’t be deleted. Shrink it instead:
- Select the ¶ mark on the blank page.
- Type 1 in the font size box and press Enter.
- Go to Layout and set spacing Before and After to 0.
If the page is still there, select the ¶, press Ctrl + D, and tick Hidden.
Delete a page with content
Click on the page, press Ctrl + G, type \page, press Enter and close. The whole page is selected; press Delete.
FAQ
The blank page only appears in the PDF.
The last paragraph spills over when printing. Shrink it as shown above, then save the PDF again.