You may encounter blank pages in a document when using Google Docs. You may have accidentally hit Ctrl + Enter while typing or copied something from somewhere with vastly different formatting. The appearance of documents with unwanted blank pages can be unprofessional in either case.
It’s easy to delete these blank pages in Google Docs. It is possible to perform this action in a few different ways, however. A couple of useful tips about Google Docs are included here, as well as how to delete pages.
Table of Contents
Method #1: Hitting Delete
You’ve tried hitting Backspace, but it didn’t work. You were merely taken back to the previous page. MS Word and Google Docs work the same way. You probably haven’t tried hitting Delete yet. It is in this case that the delete button will quickly remove the unwanted blank page. Here’s how.
- Place your cursor at the end of the previous page and click Delete.
- Try highlighting the blank page and hitting the Delete button again if the above method doesn’t work.
Most of the time, the above solution will work, so you should always try it first before exploring other options. There are times, however, when the blank page remains.
Method #2: Check Custom Spacing
It is possible for Google Docs to create a new page at the end of a document if it is instructed to insert space after a paragraph automatically. Try these steps to determine if the custom spacing is to blame.
- Within the toolbar, select Format > Line & paragraph spacing > Custom spacing.
- Then, under Paragraph spacing, set the After value to 0 and click Apply.
Method #3: Adjust Page Breaks
There aren’t too many page breaks, but they do happen. It’s true that you may not remember going all the way to Insert and adding a page break, but that isn’t the only way.
Ctrl + Enter is the shortcut for inserting a page break. You might accidentally insert a page break if your pinky (or any other finger) hovers over the Ctrl key. You can quickly delete the new page break under these circumstances, but if it’s in the middle of the text, you won’t be able to delete it or use Backspace.
Method #4: Change the Margins
In case your margin settings are too large, Google Docs will insert a blank page at the bottom. The following steps can be taken to see if an unwanted page is the result of a large margin:
- Select Page setup from File.
- Make the margins smaller in the Page setup window.
Tips to Prevent Blank Pages in Google Docs
The above methods show how to delete an unwanted page in Google Docs, but there are other ways to prevent it. To help you format your Google documents better, here are some tips.
Tip #1: Use Section Breaks
A document cannot be called “well-formatted” without section breaks. You will be able to organize your work much better with these. Follow these steps to add a section break:
- On the toolbar, click Insert, then Break.
- You can select the type of break you need from the Break menu.
- New pages are created by page breaks.
- The section break (next page) adds a new section to the following page.
- On the same page, a section break (continuous) starts a new section.
Tip #2: Clear Formatting
With Clear formatting, you can reset the text and layout preferences in your document to their default settings. You can use the Clear formatting option by following these steps:
- Click Format and then click Clear formatting or press Ctrl + \.
You can adjust the appearance, formatting characteristics, and layout of your document after resetting the formatting above.
Deleting a Blank Page in Google Docs on an Android Device
Android and Google Docs are the de facto standard for many people, since both are maintained by Google. Here’s a quick demonstration of how to accomplish it, even though the steps are very similar.
- By clicking on its widget, you can open the Google Docs app.
- You can now delete the blank page by opening your file and tapping the Edit icon.
- Tap on the three vertical dots overflow menu next.
- You will be able to remove blank pages by tapping Print style.
Here’s how to delete a blank file.
- Go to Google Docs and open it.
- On the side of the file, you want to delete, click More or the three vertical dots.
- Remove it by tapping the Remove button next.
Google Sheets and Slides can also be deleted using these steps.
Deleting a Blank Page in Google Docs on a Chromebook
Here’s how to delete blank pages in Google Docs on your Chromebook. Here’s a brief rundown of how to do it, similar to the steps above.
- Go to the Google Docs app and open it.
- Select the blank page you wish to delete and hit Backspace or Delete. Hover your cursor near the top of the page until you see the Remove option appear, then click it.
That’s right, it’s that simple.
Blank Pages Deleted
Google Docs appears as a simple web-based app, but it offers many formatting options that can also break your pages’ organization and spacing. Blank pages alter a well-organized document and make it difficult to read.
When you have proper Google Docs formatting knowledge, you can identify why you see unwanted blank pages and apply the formatting tips above to fix it.