Formatting Issues

How to Remove a Blank Portrait Page After a Landscape Section in Word

Tauseeq Magsi Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to delete an unwanted blank portrait page that appears immediately following a landscape section (which contains a table) at the end of a Word document.

How to Remove a Blank Portrait Page After a Landscape Section in Word

Product: Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting a document with mixed orientations, specifically trying to remove a final blank page after inserting a landscape table.
Observed behavior: An undeletable blank portrait page is generated after a landscape table's section break, and standard workarounds like shrinking the paragraph mark font size fail to remove it.

Before you start

Before attempting to fix the layout, click the Show/Hide ¶ button on the Home tab so you can clearly see hidden paragraph marks and section breaks.

Solution 1Recommended

Change Final Section Orientation and Delete the Break

This is the most effective method to fix layout inheritance issues caused by Word's mandatory paragraph mark after a table.

Word strictly requires a paragraph mark after every table. When a table is in a landscape section but the document's final section break reverts to portrait, that mandatory paragraph mark is forced onto a new portrait page.

By changing the blank page's orientation to match the table and removing the break, the layout conflict is resolved without altering your table's landscape format.

Select the blank page

Scroll to the bottom of your document and click anywhere inside the unwanted blank portrait page.

Change page orientation

Navigate to the Page Layout (or Layout) tab on the ribbon, click 'Orientation', and change it from Portrait to Landscape.

Locate the section break

Look for the 'Section Break (Next Page)' marker that separates your table from the now-landscape blank page.

Delete the section break

Highlight the section break marker and press the Delete key on your keyboard. The blank page will disappear, and your table will safely remain in landscape mode.

Change Final Section Orientation and Delete the Break

Why not just delete the break first?: If you delete the section break before changing the orientation, the landscape section (your table) will instantly inherit the portrait formatting of the blank page below it, ruining your table's layout.

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Remove Stubborn Blank Pages Seamlessly in WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers a highly intuitive interface for handling complex document layouts, including mixed landscape and portrait orientations. You can easily visualize formatting marks and remove stubborn blank pages without losing your document's formatting.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing the stubborn blank page.
2. Reveal formatting marks: Click the 'Show/Hide Editing Marks' icon on the Home tab to reveal all section breaks.
3. Adjust orientation: Place your cursor on the blank page, go to the Page Layout tab, and set the Orientation to Landscape.
4. Remove the break: Select the unnecessary section break following your table and press Delete to remove the blank page.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) files and layoutsClear, one-click visualization of section breaks and paragraph marksIntuitive page layout and orientation controls for complex documentsLightweight, fast, and free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does shrinking the paragraph mark font size not work in this scenario?

Shrinking the font size to 1pt only works if the paragraph mark can physically fit on the same page as the table. Because the section break forces a new page orientation (portrait) immediately after the landscape table, the mark is automatically pushed to the next page regardless of how small you make it.

How do I view hidden section breaks in my document?

Go to the Home tab and click the 'Show/Hide ¶' button, or press Ctrl+Shift+8 on your keyboard. This will display all hidden formatting symbols, allowing you to see exactly where the section breaks are located.

Why does Word force a paragraph mark after a table?

Word requires a paragraph mark at the end of every document and immediately following any table to store underlying paragraph and structural formatting data. This mark cannot be deleted, which is why workarounds like hiding it or adjusting section orientations are necessary.

Document & File Issues