How to Delete a Page in Word for Your Thesis/Dissertation? [For Students]

Writing today involves more than just putting words on a document; it requires management across various digital intricacies that can suddenly throw you off course. As a writer who spends hours working with document processors, I've learned how to solve those unexpected digital problems, like unwanted blank pages that appear without warning.

If you're a student dealing with those pesky blank pages just when you're about to submit an important assignment or thesis, it can be incredibly frustrating. In this article, I'll demonstrate to you how to get rid of those unwanted pages and keep your work neat and presentable.

Common Problems About Deleting a Page in Word

Blank pages can be a real headache. They sometimes appear out of nowhere, and other times, trying to delete them messes up your formatting. These are among the most common issues when it comes to deleting pages in Word, enough to make you want to tear your hair out.

1.Deleting a Blank Page Caused by a Table

If you're working on a thesis dissertation, you're likely to include tables to present and organize data. However, when using Microsoft Word, you might find an extra page appearing unexpectedly, and your table could be the reason behind it. This occurs because tables in Word end with a paragraph mark. If the table is at the bottom of a page and there's no room for the paragraph mark, Word automatically adds a new page. This can be frustrating when you're aiming for a polished, professional document. The good news is that you can resolve this issue with a few simple steps to keep your thesis looking its best.

2.Deleting Blank Pages in the Middle of a Document

Stray paragraph marks, page breaks, and section breaks are just a few reasons why extra pages appear in a document. This can be especially problematic when these unwanted pages appear in the middle of a long document, such as a thesis or a report. Deleting these extra pages can eventually be a massive pain in the back, especially when you need to maintain a consistent layout throughout the document.

How to Delete an Extra Page Caused by a Table

A simple backspace is clearly not going to help you as you try to remove the annoying extra page. But believe it or not these methods and steps on how to remove and delete blank page in Word, is actually pretty simple:

Reduce Paragraph Mark Font Size to Remove Blank Page After Table

A somewhat simple method to remove a blank page in Word caused by a table is by altering the font size, so let's explore this method:

Step 1: First, open the document in Microsoft Word where the extra page was added due to a table.

Step 2: Now, let's activate the paragraph marks by going to the “Home” tab and then clicking on the “Paragraph Marks” icon to show paragraph marks in your document.

Step 3: You will see a single paragraph mark on the blank page, select it using your mouse.

Step 4: Now, in the “Home” tab, reduce the font size in the “Font” section. You might want to reduce the font to as little as '1' to remove the blank page.

This method is viable and can be considered as a quick fix to remove blank pages caused by tables in Word documents.

Apply the Hidden Text Attribute

If you're wondering how to remove a blank page in Word, one approach involves hiding the unwanted page rather than completely deleting it. This method doesn't actually remove the page but makes it invisible when printing or sharing the document. It's a quick workaround, but keep in mind that the blank page still exists in the document structure. Here's how you can hide the blank page:

Step 1: First, let's open the document in Word, and then click on the "Paragraph Marks" icon in the "Home" tab.

Step 2: Next, let's select the paragraph mark on the blank page using the cursor and then right-click to open the Context menu.

Step 3: Now, click on the "Font" option to open the Font dialog.

Step 4: In the Font Dialog, go to the "Effects" section and then tick the "Hidden" checkbox, and then press "OK" to exit.

Step 5: After that, hide paragraph marks by clicking on the "Paragraph Mark" icon in the Home tab.

Step 6: Now you will see that the blank page has been hidden in the document.

Step 7: However, if the blank page is still not hidden, head over to the "File" menu in the top left.

Step 8: Now click on the "Options" button in the left side panel.

Step 9: In the Options dialog, go to the "Display" tab on the left panel and then make sure the "Hidden" checkbox is unchecked. Click "OK" to exit the Options dialog.

This method is effective because by default, hidden content cannot be viewed and is not printed as well. However, they do occupy some extra space in the hard drive or cloud.

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How to Delete a Blank Page Amid Your Work in Word

Losing formatting while trying to remove a blank page from your document can be insanely frustrating, and it feels like hours of effort have gone to waste.To help you tackle this problem without losing all your hard work, I've outlined the steps below on how to delete a blank page in Word. These instructions are designed to be simple and easy that work across various platforms, including mobile, Windows, and Mac. For the demonstration, I'll use WPS Office, a free software that's fully compatible with Word documents and even allows you to convert files to PDF without affecting the format.

Using Navigation pane

Using the navigation pane provides a more comprehensive view of your entire document, allowing you to see all the pages at once. Let's take a look at how to delete pages in Word using the navigation pane.

Step 1: In Microsoft Word, go to the View Tab and check the "Navigation Pane" checkbox in the Show section.

Step 2: The navigation pane dialog box will appear on the left side of the screen. Click on the "Pages" tab to see an overview of the pages in your document.

Step 3: Now simply scroll through the navigation pane, select the Blank pages, and press the "Backspace" or "Delete" key on your keyboard to delete the blank page from your document.

It was as simple as that. I can tell you were about to lose your cool because, as a writer, I've been there too, spending countless hours getting frustrated over something that seems trivial but isn't—like deleting a page. But once you know how, it's really simple. Knowing how to operate on a navigation pane is especially important when you're working on a thesis, where there are so many pages, and having a clear overview of your content is crucial.

The navigation pane can be a lifesaver, not just for deleting unwanted pages but also for quickly checking if everything is in order. It lets you easily skim through your document, ensuring you haven't missed anything or have extra pages hiding in plain sight.

How to Delete a Page with Text in Word

If you find an unwanted blank page in the middle of your thesis, you can remove it by following these methods to delete a page with text in Word:

1.Removing page break

Page breaks are simple shortcuts provided by Microsoft Word to insert a new page into the document. Without them, you'd need to press Enter repeatedly to begin a new page. However, these page breaks can sometimes go unnoticed and result in blank pages in a document, which may look undesirable in a thesis or dissertation. Here are the steps to remove the blank pages caused by page breaks in a document.

Step 1: In Microsoft Word, go to the Home tab and click on the "Paragraph Marks" icon in the Paragraph section.

Step 2: Once the paragraph marks are enabled, scroll down to the blank page in your document. You will see "Page Break" written in your document.

Step 3: Either select it with your cursor or place the cursor right after the page break and press "Backspace" to remove the empty page from your document.

2.Use the Shortcut Ctrl+G and Navigation Pane

Now, let's suppose there are some empty pages in the document, and there are no page breaks or section breaks. Instead, a new page was created by pressing the "Enter" key on the keyboard several times. If there is such a blank page in your document, there is a simple method to quickly find the blank pages, select all the text on the blank page, and then delete it from the document. Let's look at the step-by-step process of deleting pages in Word:

Step 1: So, let's open our thesis in Microsoft Word, and at the bottom left on the status bar, click on the "Page" option to open the navigation pane.

Step 2: Now, in the Navigation pane, identify the blank pages in your thesis and click on them to select the page.

Step 3: Next, press the shortcut key "CTRL + G" to open the "Go To" feature in Microsoft Word.

Step 4: In the "Go to what" pane, click on "Page" and then in the "Enter page number" field, enter "\page".

Step 5: Now, click on the "Go To" button, and you will notice the entire page has been selected in the background.

Step 6: Simply "Close" the "Go To" dialog by pressing the "Esc" key on your keyboard, and then press the "Backspace" key to remove the blank page.

Students working on a thesis can breathe a sigh of relief with these methods. Removing blank pages in Word is simple and straightforward, making it easier to maintain a clean and organized document. Not only will these methods help you get rid of unwanted pages, but they'll also give you a better overview of your entire thesis, allowing you to focus on the content without worrying about formatting issues.

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Converting Your Thesis/Dissertation to PDF Without Losing Format

It's definitely not rare to experience formatting issues when you convert your thesis to PDF at the last minute, especially when you're preparing for submission. This is a peak frustration moment, as you thought you were all set, but now your document looks like a messed up pile of jumbled words. To avoid this stress, I'll guide you on how to effectively convert to PDF using WPS PDF to ensure that your formatting stays intact. By following these simple steps, you'll get a perfect PDF version of your thesis without the hassle and worry.

Step 1: First, open the Word document using WPS Office, then navigate to the Menu located at the top left corner of the page.

Step 2: Within the menu, choose "Save as" and then opt for "Other formats" from the menu that appears.

Step 3: Within the Save as options, switch the file type to "PDF" in the "File Type" field, and then click on "Save" to save your document as a PDF.

FAQs about Deleting a Page in Word

Q1. How do I Delete an extra page in Word for Mac?

Here are the methods for deleting a page in Microsoft Word on macOS, based on whether the page is at the end or in the middle of the document:

1. Delete Blank Page at the End:

Step 1: Place your cursor at the start of the blank page.

Step 2: Press the Delete key.

Step 3: The entire page, including text and formatting, will be removed.

2. Delete a Specific Page in the Middle: To delete a specific page within your document, use the Navigation Pane:

Step 1: Navigate to the "View" tab within Microsoft Word.

Step 2: Select the Navigation Pane; a sidebar will display on the left.

Step 3: Within the Navigation Pane, you'll find thumbnail previews of each page.

Step 4: Look for the page you want to delete.

Step 5: Right-click on the thumbnail of that page.

Step 6: Choose "Delete" from the context menu. The selected page will be deleted.

Q2. How do I Delete an extra page in Word after a section break?

To delete an extra page in Word after a section break, follow these steps:

Step 1: Within Microsoft Word, navigate to the Home tab and select the "Paragraph Marks" icon located in the Paragraph section.

Step 2: After enabling paragraph marks, scroll through your document until you reach the blank page. You'll notice the presence of "Section Break" written in the document.

Step 3: Use your cursor to select the section break or position the cursor immediately after it, then press the "Backspace" key to eliminate the empty page from your document.

Q3. How do you Delete a page break in Word that won't Delete?

Here is a straightforward guide on how to delete a page break in Word:

Step 1: Go to the "Home" tab.

Step 2: Click "Show/Hide" to reveal non-printing characters like paragraph markers, section breaks, and page breaks.

Step 3: Double-click on the page break you want to delete to select it.

Step 4: Press the "Delete" key on your keyboard to remove the selected page break.

Wrapping Up: Removing Extra Pages in Word

This guide may seem overwhelming, especially with so many methods to choose from, but it has the solution to whatever problem you face regarding an extra page in Word that you need to remove. With these tips, you should be able to get back to submitting your paper with full confidence. If you're a student working on an important assignment, WPS Office is the perfect choice, thanks to its AI-backed capabilities and direct export to PDF, which keeps your formatting intact. Download WPS Office today for a seamless experience and to streamline your student life!