Fix – MS Word – Remove Next Page Section Breaks – Get Rid of the Blank Page

Problem: Word has an extra page at the end that you can’t delete, and when you turn on the Show/Hide codes function a “Section Break (Next Page)” appears after your text.  In fact, every time you delete the Next Page Section Break, text moves to the last page.

Solution: Click after the section break (i.e. on the last page).  Go to File -> Page Setup … in the menu (in XP – in Later Versions, go to page setup). Click on the layout tab in the pop-up window.  Change the Section Start from “New Page” to “Continuous” using the drop down arrow.  Hit the OK button.  Phew!  See the Graphic to the Right

What happened: I have no idea.  But this allows you to change a section break’s behavior.  It appears that Word is insistent on always moving back any Next Page Section breaks if deleted.   However, if you change the behavior of the current break, its OK.

Hope that Helps.

–Ben

Sources: See Suzanne S. Barnhill’s comment on Wugnet