How to Delete a Blank Page in Google Docs: A Step-by-Step Guide

To delete a blank page in Google Docs, choose View → Show non-printing characters, click at the start of the blank page, and press Backspace on Windows or Delete on a Mac once. Check what disappeared before repeating. If no extra paragraph or page break is causing the page, inspect paragraph spacing, page settings, and any table or image near the bottom of the preceding page.

Google Docs creates pages as your content flows through the document. There is no separate “Delete page” button. Removing the cause lets the following content move up, so check the surrounding text after each change.

In this guide: Find the cause · Blank pages · Page breaks · Spacing · Resumes and tables · Mobile · FAQs

Before you start

These desktop steps use Google Docs in a web browser with editing access. If the toolbar says Viewing, ask the owner for edit access or work in your own copy if copying is permitted. If the toolbar says Suggesting, deletions may be recorded as suggestions; switch to Editing only if you have permission to change the document directly. For an important document, choose File → Make a copy first.

Use Pages mode when you need to inspect printed pages. You can check it under File → Page setup. In Pages mode, enable View → Show print layout to see page boundaries. Showing print layout and switching between Pages and Pageless are different settings.

Find what is creating the unwanted page

1. Open the document and scroll to the unwanted page.
2. Choose View → Show non-printing characters.
3. Look for blue paragraph marks, a labeled page or section break, or content pushed onto the next page.

These blue marks are editing aids; they do not print. Google’s guide to non-printing characters explains the marks that Docs can display.

• The page contains unwanted text or pictures: delete only that content.
• The page contains empty paragraph marks: remove the empty paragraphs.
• You see a Page break label: remove that break.
• There is a large gap without an extra break: check paragraph formatting and objects.

Remove a blank page at the end or in the middle

1. With non-printing characters visible, click at the beginning of the blank page.
2. Press Backspace on Windows or Delete on a Mac once.
3. Check what disappeared. Backspace deletes before the cursor; the Windows Delete key deletes after it. Repeat only while you are removing unwanted empty paragraphs or a break.

For a blank page in the middle, you can also place the cursor before the first character on the page after it and delete backward. Stop as soon as the text moves up. Repeatedly holding the key can remove text you intended to keep.

If the page is still there, inspect the end of the preceding page. An empty paragraph, forced break, or large paragraph spacing can make a page look blank even though the layout still needs it.

Delete a manual page break

1. Choose View → Show non-printing characters and find the blue Page break label.
2. Place the cursor immediately after the break, at the beginning of the following page.
3. Press Backspace on Windows or Delete on a Mac.
4. Check that the following text moved up and the unwanted page disappeared.

In our desktop test, deleting backward from the blank page after a manual break reduced a two-page example to one page. Google also documents this method in its page and section break instructions.

If a paragraph still starts on a new page without a manual break, click in that paragraph and open Format → Line & paragraph spacing. If Add page break before is checked, select it to turn it off. Recheck the layout afterward.

What if the label says Section break?

A section break can separate different page settings. Removing it may change nearby formatting, so make a copy first. A next-page section break starts another page; a continuous section break can change settings without starting a new page. If deleting backward does not remove it, place the cursor immediately before the break and try forward Delete on Windows; on a Mac, use Fn+Delete. Check the margins, orientation, headers, and footers on both sides afterward. Undo the change if the result is wrong.

Fix paragraph spacing that pushes content onto another page

1. Click in the paragraph immediately before the unwanted page. If the problem affects several paragraphs, select those paragraphs.
2. Choose Format → Line & paragraph spacing → Custom spacing.
3. Check the Before and After paragraph spacing values. If unnecessary spacing is causing the gap, reduce it; you can try 0 for an unwanted gap.
4. Select Apply, then inspect the page count and paragraph spacing.

Keep the formatting required by your teacher, employer, or template. Reducing line spacing or font size can fit more content on a page, but it also changes the appearance and readability. For more detail, see our Google Docs line spacing guide.

Also inspect Keep with next and Keep lines together in the same spacing menu. These settings can move a paragraph or a group of paragraphs onto the next page. Turn off a setting only when you do not need that behavior. Google explains these options in its paragraph formatting documentation.

Check margins, tables, and images

If you want to keep all the content but use fewer pages, open File → Page setup → Pages and inspect the margins. A large bottom margin leaves less room for text. Reduce it only if the document’s requirements allow it, choose OK, and check the entire document. Our guide to changing Google Docs margins covers the setting.

A table or image near the bottom of a page may also leave too little room for the next paragraph. Look for an empty paragraph after the object, unnecessary text inside table cells, or an oversized image. Remove empty content and resize an object only as needed. Do not delete a useful table simply to remove a page.

If the object itself is unwanted, select it carefully before deleting. For a whole table, follow our table deletion instructions. Check the text after the table when you finish.

Remove an extra page from a resume or table-based template

A resume can use a table with invisible borders to align its sections. Deleting that table could remove the resume itself. Work in a copy and inspect the layout first.

1. Click inside the suspected table. If table controls appear, select its cells and use the toolbar’s Border color and Border width controls to give the borders a temporary visible color and width.
2. Look for a row extending onto the extra page. Remove only unwanted empty paragraphs inside cells. Check the paragraph spacing within that row too.
3. Right-click inside the table and choose Table options. Older guides call this Table properties. Under Cell, inspect padding; unnecessary padding leaves less space for the content.
4. Under Row, review Allow row to overflow across pages. Allowing a row to split may reduce a large gap, but it can also split a resume section. Choose the behavior that preserves your intended layout. This option requires Pages mode.
5. Restore the original border appearance, then check the whole resume. Keep the font readable and follow any required margins or page limit.

You can also resize a row by dragging its gridline when the pointer becomes a two-sided arrow. A row still needs room for its text and padding; making it shorter cannot remove content safely. These table controls are described in Google’s table editing documentation.

Before sending the resume, choose File → Download → PDF Document (.pdf) and open the downloaded file. Check every page, including the final one, because the exported layout is what the recipient will see. If the PDF still contains an extra page, fix the source document and export again.

Inspect an oversized header or footer

If a header or footer has unnecessary empty paragraphs, remove only those paragraphs and check the page count again. Keep required names, page numbers, and other useful information.

To inspect its margins in Pages mode, click in the header or footer and choose Format → Headers & footers → More options. Check Apply to before changing a section or the whole document. Reduce an unnecessary margin, select Apply, and inspect the surrounding pages. Google’s header, footer, and page numbering instructions explain these settings.

Delete a page that contains text or images

1. Click immediately before the first character you want to remove.
2. Drag through the unwanted content, stopping before the text you want to keep on the following page. Check the highlighted selection before deleting.
3. Press Backspace on Windows or the standard Delete key on a Mac.
4. If an empty page remains, use the blank page steps below.

The remaining content should move upward. Avoid Ctrl+A or Command+A for this task: those shortcuts select the whole document, rather than just the page you are viewing. If you need the removed material later, copy it into another document before deleting it.

Delete an unwanted page in the mobile app

1. Open the document in the Google Docs app and tap the pencil to edit.
2. Open the three-dot menu and enable Print layout if you need to see page boundaries.
3. Select unwanted text and delete it, or place the cursor at the beginning of the blank page and use the keyboard’s backspace key carefully.
4. For a manual page break, place the cursor immediately below the break and delete backward.

Touch selection can be awkward around page boundaries. If you cannot identify the cause, open the document on a computer to inspect non-printing characters and paragraph settings. Google provides separate iPhone and iPad page break instructions; the exact controls can differ by platform.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove a page without deleting its content?

Yes, if an unnecessary break or spacing is creating it. The content then flows onto the remaining pages. If the document genuinely needs that much room, you must move content elsewhere or change permitted layout settings to reduce the page count.

Does Pageless mode delete blank pages?

Pageless displays the document continuously without page boundaries. It changes the view and layout rather than removing unwanted content. Choose File → Page setup → Pageless → OK if a continuous document suits your work. For printing or required page formatting, stay in Pages mode. See Google’s Pages and Pageless explanation.

How do I undo an accidental deletion?

Use Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on a Mac immediately. For an earlier saved change, inspect File → Version history → See version history. Review the version before restoring it, especially in a shared document where other people have made edits.

Can I skip the blank page when printing?

You can choose a page range in the print dialog to omit an unwanted page from that printout. This does not fix the source document, so use it as a temporary workaround and check the preview before printing.

Do I need to check page numbers after deleting a page?

Yes. Review automatic page numbering, especially if different sections have their own starting numbers. Check any page numbers or references you typed manually too: ordinary typed text does not update to reflect the new layout.

Can I delete several unwanted pages at once?

For consecutive pages containing unwanted content, select from the beginning of the first unwanted passage through the end of the last one. Inspect the entire selection before pressing Backspace or Delete. For separate blank pages, fix each cause individually so you do not remove the material between them.

Why did the blank page return?

Check whether you added another empty paragraph, pasted a break, or changed spacing, margins, or object sizes. Make one change at a time and inspect the result. Once the layout is correct, turn off non-printing characters through the View menu if you prefer a clean editing view.

Finish by checking the surrounding text, page numbers, and exported or printed page count. Once the document looks right, hide non-printing characters from the View menu if you prefer.