Google Docs is super popular because it’s easy to use, has handy built-in tools, and the best part? It won’t cost you a dime. With Google Workspace, you can edit your documents on your phone, computer, or even a budget-friendly Chromebook.
When you’re working in Google Docs, it’s pretty cool how it just adds new pages as you type away. But hey, we all make mistakes, and you might accidentally end up with a page you didn’t want. Don’t worry though, in this guide, we’ll show you how to get rid of those pesky blank pages in Google Docs.
Deleting a page in Google Docs?
To quickly zap away a page or a bunch of them in Docs, just select the text and hit that trusty Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard. But if the page is stubbornly sticking around, it might be due to a sneaky page break. Page breaks are those little lines you put in your doc to signal “that’s it for this page” without having to write more stuff, and it makes a new page start.
If you want to make a page vanish in Docs, you can mess with the space between lines and the margins. Line spacing controls how much empty space you’ve got above and below each line of text, and you can’t just Backspace it away. Nope, you’ll have to tinker with it in the Format menu. Now, margins? They’re all about the gap between your text blocks and the sides of your document.
You can do these tricks on both the mobile and web versions of Docs. But here’s the deal: if you want the full shebang of editing powers, it’s smarter to stick with the web version. The mobile app is kinda limited in what it can do.
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Deleting Google Docs pages by highlighting text
When you highlight stuff in Docs, you can do all sorts of cool things like copy, paste, cut, or just hit that delete key. And the neat part about Docs being all cloud-based is that even if you delete something, it’s not gone forever. You can hop into the version history and bring it back to life.
Now, when Docs goes all “Pageless mode,” it plays hide and seek with your line breaks, which can be a bit tricky. But don’t worry, to spot those page boundaries clearly, you’ll want to switch over to the Pages view. So, here’s the plan for both setups:
- If Docs is rocking the Pageless mode, head over to File > Page setup.
- Opt for the Pages option to reveal those sneaky page breaks. Then hit OK.
- Take your mouse pointer to the beginning of the first word on the page.
- Double-click and drag your mouse all the way to the end of the page. If you want to nuke multiple pages, just keep that highlight going onto the next ones.
- Now, it’s time for the grand finale: press Backspace or Delete on your trusty keyboard.
How to delete Google Docs page on mobile app
- Launch the Google Docs app and open your document.
- Activate editing mode by tapping the pen icon.
- Locate and tap the three-dots icon.
- Choose “Page setup” from the options.
- Switch to the Pages view by tapping the toggle switch.
- Head back to your document and once again tap the three-dots icon.
- Select “Print layout” to switch to Pages mode.
- Perform a long press on the first word of the page.
- Drag the small circle that appears to the last word on the page.
- To make the page disappear, hit the ‘x’ button on your keyboard.
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Deleting Google Docs pages by changing line spacing
Messing with the spacing in Docs lets you play around with how close or far apart your text lines and paragraphs look. You can make them cozy up or spread out, depending on what you like. If you keep the spacing before and after lines or paragraphs small, it gives your doc a snug and compact vibe, and it might even help trim down those extra pages.
- Navigate to Tools > Line & paragraph spacing > Custom spacing.
- Enter the number you prefer for Line spacing and Paragraph spacing.
- Hit Apply to make those changes take effect.
How to adjust custom spacing on mobile
- Select the paragraph you wish to modify, or you can highlight an entire page or the entire document.
- Tap the Format icon.
- Choose the Paragraph option.
- Adjust the paragraph spacing by using the arrows next to the line spacing.