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


3

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Getting Rid of "Comment" in Comments

When you add a comment to a document, Word presents that comment in a very specific way. If you want to change the way in ...

Discover More

Erroneous Out of Space Messages

While they are less common these days than they used to be, you still might see an error that indicates Word is out of ...

Discover More

Adding Rows without Changing a Cell Reference

Insert a row at the top of a range of cells, and the effects within your formulas may not match your expectations. This ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Inserting Foreign Characters

It is not unusual to need to insert foreign characters (often called diacritical marks) as part of your typing. Word ...

Discover More

Default Click and Type Paragraph Style

When you use the Click and Type feature, Word uses applies the Normal style to the paragraph created. You can specify a ...

Discover More

Changing Many Link Locations

Word makes it easy to establish links between documents. If you need to change the locations for a lot of links at once, ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 6 - 0?

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.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.