How to remove blank page in Google Docs

When using Google Docs, from time to time you will come across blank pages in your document. Perhaps you accidentally pressed  Ctrl + Enter  while typing, or you copied something from a location with completely different formatting. Either way, documents with unwanted blank pages can look unprofessional.

Luckily, getting rid of those blank pages in Google Docs is easy. However, there are several ways to accomplish this action. Here’s how to delete pages in Google Docs, as well as a couple of helpful tips for the app as a whole.

Method # 1: Clicking on Delete

So you’ve tried hitting  Backspace  , but it didn’t work. It just took you back to the previous page. Yes, this is how Google Docs and MS Word work. However, you probably haven’t tried clicking  Delete  . In this case, the delete button will quickly get rid of the unnecessary blank page. Here’s how to do it.

1. Place your cursor at the end of the previous page and click
2. If the above action doesn’t work, try highlighting a blank page and hit the Deletebutton again   .

In most cases, the above solution will help, so you should always use this method first before exploring other options. However, sometimes a blank page is left.

Method # 2: check the custom spacing

If Google Docs is instructed to automatically insert a space after a paragraph, it could result in a new page appearing at the end of the document. To see if a non-standard spacing is to blame, try the following:

1. Go to the  Format sectionin the toolbar, then hover your mouse over  Line Spacing.
2. A menu pops up. Click Custom Spacingand try changing the value after the paragraph to zero.

Method # 3: adjust page breaks

Page breaks don’t happen very often, but they do. Of course, you might not remember going completely to  Insert  and then adding a page break, but that’s not the only way.

The shortcut for inserting a page break is  Ctrl + Enter. If your pinky (or any other finger) is above the  Ctrl key  , you might accidentally insert a page break. In these circumstances, you can quickly remove the new page break, but you cannot remove it or use  Backspace  if it is in the middle of the text.

Method # 4: change fields

If your margin settings are too large, Google Docs tries to insert a space at the bottom, but ends up adding a blank page. To check if an unwanted page appears due to a large margin, do the following:

1. Go to  Fileand select Page
2. In the Page Setup window, adjust the margins to make them smaller.

Method # 5: try some extra tips

The above methods show what you can do to remove an unwanted page in Google Docs, but there are several ways to prevent this in the first place. With that in mind, here are some tips to help you format your Google Docs better.

Tip # 1: use section breaks

You cannot call a document “well-formatted” unless you use section breaks. This will add more organization to your work. To add a section break, try the following:

1. Go to  Insertin the toolbar and click
2. In the Breakmenu  ,  you can choose the type of break you need. A page break  creates a new page,  a section break (continuous)  starts a new section on the same page, and  a section break (next page)  switches to the next page to add a new section.

Tip # 2: clean up formatting

Clear Formatting  is a simple tool that lets you switch any text and layout settings in your document to their default settings. To use the Clear Formatting option   , follow these steps:

1. Select the Formattab   on the Google Docs toolbar and click  Clear Formatting.

After resetting the above formatting for the selected section or the entire document, you can customize the appearance, formatting characteristics, and layout.

Deleting a blank page in Google Docs on an Android device

For many, using Android and Google Docs is the de facto standard, after all, they are both supported by Google. While the process is very similar to the steps mentioned above, here’s a quick demo of how to complete it.

1. Open the Google Docs app by clicking on its widget.
2. Now open the file with the blank page you want to delete and tap the Editicon   , it looks like a pencil.
3. Then click on the menu with three vertical dots.
4. Then click  Print Style, blank pages will be removed.

If you want to delete an empty file, here’s how to do it.

1. Open Google Docs.
2. Now click  Moreor the three vertical dots to the side of the file you want to delete.
3. Then click ”  Remove”to remove it.

These steps also work for deleting files in Google Sheets and Slides.

Delete blank page in Google Docs on Chromebook

If you’d like to use Google Docs Blank Page Removal on your Chromebook, look no further. Similar to the steps mentioned above, here is a quick rundown on how to do it.

1. Open the Google Docs app.
2. Now select the blank page you want to delete and press  Backspaceor  Delete  . If the blank page is at the end of the paper, hover your cursor over the top of the page until you see the Delete option appear   , click on it.

In conclusion, Google Docs looks like a simple application, but it offers many formatting options that can also disrupt the organization and spacing of your pages. Unwanted blank pages alter a well-organized document and make it difficult to read.

With the proper knowledge of Google Docs formatting, you should be able to figure out why you are seeing unwanted blank pages and apply the formatting tips above to clean them up.