How to delete a page or multiple pages in Google Docs

Google Docs offers many tools for improving your documents to letter perfection. As you type, your document splits into pages and saves automatically. But if you want to escape the boundaries of page breaks, you can switch to Google Docs’ pageless setup. Mistakes are inevitable and may cost you a page or two. Sometimes, you want to remove content you no longer need.

Unlike Microsoft Word, where you can use a keyboard command to delete a page, Docs doesn’t provide this option. You’ll either highlight the entire page and press the backspace key or adjust the margins and line spacing. We show you how to delete pages in Docs on your favorite Android phone or PC.

How do you delete a page in Docs?

The fastest way to delete one or multiple pages in Docs is to highlight the text and press the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard. If the page doesn’t contain text and you can’t delete it, there may be a page break. Page breaks are lines you insert into a document to end a page without filling it with text and start a new page.

You can also delete a page in Docs by adjusting the line spacing and margins. Line spacing determines how much room there is before and after a line of text. You can’t erase it with the Backspace button, and you’d need to adjust it from the Format menu. On the other hand, the margin determines how much room is between blocks of text and the edges or sides of the document.

You can perform the above procedures on the mobile and web versions of Docs. However, it’s best when you stick to the web version, as it has all the features you need for proper editing. The mobile app has limited capabilities.

How to delete pages in Google Docs via highlighting text

Highlighting text in Docs allows you to copy and paste them somewhere, cut, or delete them with your keyboard. Since Docs is a cloud-based application, deleting content is not the end. You can always open the document’s version history and recover it. If Docs is in pageless mode, you won’t see line breaks, making it confusing to tell where pages start or end. You need to switch to the pages view to see them clearly. Follow these next steps to perform the procedure on both setups:

Delete pages in Google Docs on computers

1. If Docs is in pageless mode, go to File > Page setup.

2. Select Pages to display page breaks in your document. Then tap OK.

3. Move the mouse cursor in front of the first word on the page.

4. Double-click and drag your mouse to the last word on the page. Extend the highlight to the last word on the next page to delete multiple pages

5. Press Backspace or Delete on your keyboard.

Delete pages in Google Docs on the mobile app for Android or iOS

1. Open a document in the Google Docs app.
2. Tap the pen icon to enter editing mode.
3. Tap the three-dots icon.

4. Select Page setup.
5. Tap the toggle switch to change to the pages view.

6. Return to your document, and tap the three-dots icon.
7. Tap Print layout to view your document in the pages mode.

8. Long-press and hold the first word on the page.
9. Drag the tiny circle that appears to the last word on the page.

10. Press the x button on your keyboard to delete the page.

How to delete pages in Google Docs by shrinking your margins

By default, Docs makes one-inch margins on each side of your document. The higher the inch, the smaller the amount of text in a line. Since there’s too much margin space, the text shifts into new pages, increasing the page count. Change your margin to save space and make your document appear neater. This feature only works when Docs uses the pages mode and is only available when you access Docs from a computer.

How to delete pages in Google Docs with page breaks

If you insert a page break into Docs in Pages view, it creates a blank sheet. You can’t place page breaks in pageless view, but if you add the break in pages view and switch to pageless, you’ll see a section text with dotted lines demarcating your document. On the mobile app, the text appears as a page break with dotted lines.

Delete page breaks in Google Docs on computers

1. In pages view, move the mouse cursor behind the first word on the page after the break, and click. If the next page is blank, click it.

2. Press Backspace or Delete, and the page break goes away.

Delete page breaks in Docs on the Android and iOS mobile apps

1. Tap the spot beside or under the page break.
2. Tap the x button on your keyboard to wipe the page break in both pages and pageless view.

How to delete pages in Docs by changing line spacing

Custom spacing in Docs enables you to increase or reduce the gap between text lines or paragraphs. This way, the text appears closer together or farther apart, depending on the settings you choose. If the spacing before and after text lines or paragraphs is small, the document will have a tighter or compressed appearance and eliminate extra pages if possible.

Adjust custom spacing in Docs on computers

1. Go to Tools > Line & paragraph spacing > Custom spacing.

2. Type your preferred number under Line spacing and Paragraph spacing.

3. Click Apply to effect the changes.

Adjust custom spacing in Docs on the mobile app

1. Tap the paragraph you want to adjust. You can also highlight an entire page or document.
2. Tap the Format icon.
3. Tap Paragraph.
4. Next to line spacing, use the arrows to increase or reduce the paragraph spaces.

Basic editing habits can save your life

Removing page breaks, adjusting line spacing, and highlighting text can reduce page numbers. But sometimes, the simplest things can make the biggest difference. Your document may appear bulky, but it’s only fluff. Editing them will reduce your word count and pages. Use Grammarly in Docs to get better writing suggestions and corrections. It also helps if you make an outline before you type. An outline gives your document structure and makes it easier to decide what goes into the document and what is left out.