Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Entering a Page Break from the Keyboard.

Entering a Page Break from the Keyboard

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 20, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


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Page breaks are Word's method of signaling that the following text should begin at the top of a new page. You probably know that you can insert a page break by choosing Break from the Page menu. However, this involves removing your hands from the keyboard and using the mouse, which can disrupt the pace at which you are typing.

The quickest way to enter a page break using the keyboard is to simply press Ctrl+Enter. Word dutifully adds the page break and you can continue typing away.

If you later want to remove the page break, place the insertion point directly before the break and press the Delete key. Page breaks can be deleted just like regular characters.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1459) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Entering a Page Break from the Keyboard.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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What is eight minus 3?

2019-06-20 07:57:31

Rose Walker

In Word for Mac, the shortcut is control+shift+enter.


2016-11-29 02:03:17

Dueep Jyot Singh

Mr. Kobari, yes, I understand. What a big bore that blank page is. Especially when control enter is supposed to be a time-saving keyboard shortcut.
Now I need to write a lot of text, with lots of page breaks. I got really fed up with your problem and found an expert solution.
Just type something on the keyboard. Take your mouse to the beginning of the line. Now press control enter. You are going to go straight to a new page, without any empty page in between, in print mode, and then you can delete that text, or continue typing as you wish!
Hope this tip helps.


2015-08-07 22:49:37

Bari Kobari

It is very annoying that Ctrl+Enter doesn't just enter a page break. It adds an Enter and a page break and if you are at the last line of the page it jumps to the top of the next page then enters page break there, leaving a blank page behind.


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