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Format pages, work with sections and numbering, and prepare documents for sharing or printing.
Search this topicShow paragraph marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac. If the final required paragraph sits alone on the extra page, select its paragraph mark and set its font size to 1 point. Check the preceding page before adjusting margins, which can affect the whole document.
Turn on paragraph marks so manual page breaks become visible. Select the unwanted page break and delete it, then inspect the surrounding text. An automatically created page boundary is different: deleting text around it will not remove a manual break because no such break exists there.
Odd Page and Even Page section breaks can deliberately skip a page to start the next section on the required side. Next Page also starts a new page. If you only need formatting to change, consider a Continuous break. Deleting a section break can alter nearby formatting.
Enter editing mode, then remove any empty paragraphs or manually inserted page break responsible for the blank page. If the cause is a section break, open the document in desktop Word to change it. Deleting the file from OneDrive is unrelated to removing a page inside it.
Click inside the table, then use its table layout controls to choose Delete and Delete Table. Selecting cell text and pressing Delete may clear the contents while leaving the table structure behind. Confirm that the rows and borders disappear, then check the surrounding paragraphs for leftover space.
Insert a Next Page section break before the new starting point. Open that section's header or footer and turn off Link to Previous. Choose the page-number formatting controls and set Start at to 1. Headers and footers have separate links, so unlink the one containing your number.
Separate the introduction and main text with a section break. Unlink the relevant header or footer in the second section. Format the introduction's page numbers as Roman numerals, then format the body as regular numbers and choose its starting value. Review both sections after closing the header editor.
Double-click the header or footer and place the cursor where the number belongs. On Windows, use Insert's page-numbering controls and choose Current Position. Pick a style, then adjust the number's font if necessary. Make sure an existing logo or other header object is not covering it.
Choose Insert, then Page Numbers, and select a header or footer position. Enable Include Page Count to show both the current page and the document total. Switch to Reading View to inspect the result. The total follows the document length, so you should not type it manually.
Use a Continuous section break before the text that needs different formatting. Place the cursor after the break and apply the new column layout. Add another section break where the change should end. If earlier text changes instead, undo and check which side of the break contains your cursor.
Use a section break when a portion of the document needs its own formatting, such as orientation, columns, headers, or numbering. A Next Page section begins on a new page; Continuous begins on the same page. Choose the break according to the formatting boundary you actually need.
Open the paragraph settings from Home and use Indents and Spacing to choose the line spacing you want. Select Set as Default, then choose whether the change applies only to this document or to documents based on the Normal template. Check paragraph spacing separately from the spacing between lines.
Select the bulleted paragraphs and open the paragraph settings. Adjust the Before and After spacing values; these control gaps around each paragraph. Change line spacing if wrapped lines within a bullet are also too far apart. Do not remove paragraph breaks unless you intend to merge separate bullet items.
Select the paragraphs, then open the paragraph formatting dialog. Under Special, choose Hanging and set the indentation depth in By. On Mac, the dialog is available through Format, Paragraph. The first line stays at the margin while following lines move inward; you do not need repeated spaces or tabs.
Mail merge combines one main document with a recipient list. You place merge fields where names, addresses, or other details belong, and Word creates a personalized version for each record. Prepare a consistent spreadsheet or contact list first, then choose the document type, connect the list, and insert its fields.
Word for the web preserves mail-merge settings in an existing document, but cannot run the merge or edit those settings. Open the file in desktop Word to complete that work. Keep the original recipient data available too, since the template alone does not replace its connected mailing list.
In desktop Word, start an Envelopes mail merge from Mailings and choose the envelope size. Select your recipient list, then insert the address fields where the delivery address belongs. Preview several recipients before Finish & Merge. Test the printer's envelope feed direction before printing the full batch.
A ZIP code stored as a number in Excel can lose its initial zero. Prepare the postal-code column as text before using it for a Word merge, and verify the actual values still include all digits. Correct already shortened codes from the original data, then preview recipients before printing.
In desktop Word for Windows, right-click the heading and open Paragraph. On Line and Page Breaks, enable Keep with next. Word can then move the heading with the following paragraph when pagination changes. Avoid adding empty lines to force its position, since later edits can move those too.
Right-click the paragraph in desktop Word for Windows, open Paragraph, and select Line and Page Breaks. Turn on Keep lines together. This affects the paragraph’s own lines; use the separate option for keeping it with the following paragraph when that is what the layout needs.
Open the paragraph’s settings in desktop Word for Windows and choose Line and Page Breaks. Enable Widow/Orphan control. This prevents lonely first or last lines at a page boundary without requiring the entire paragraph to fit on one page. Check the result in the document’s page layout.
Place the cursor where the reference belongs in the main text, then choose References and Insert Footnote. Type the explanation in the note area Word creates at the bottom of the page. Double-click the note’s reference mark to return to the corresponding position in the document.
Use References and Insert Endnote at the point where you want its reference mark. Word creates the linked note at the document’s end, rather than a page-bottom footnote. Enter the note there and use the reference mark to navigate back while continuing your main text.
In desktop Word, open Insert, then Table, and choose Insert Table to enter the row and column counts directly. The small hover grid is only a quick option for simpler tables. Once inserted, click inside the table to access its dedicated layout and design controls.
Source checks for these answers: September 21, 2026 – September 22, 2026. Product instructions and local requirements can vary.