Quick answer: Word creates new pages automatically as you type. To insert an entire empty page at a chosen location, put the cursor there and select Insert > Blank Page. To move the following text to the top of the next page, choose Insert > Page Break instead.
Add an empty page between existing pages
- Click at the end of the text before the location where you want the new page. Check the insertion point carefully; it determines where Word inserts the page.
- Choose Insert > Blank Page.
- Type or paste the new material on the empty page. Use the Navigation Pane’s Pages view to confirm its position in a long document.
Blank Page reserves an entire page. If you only need the next paragraph to start on a new page, a page break is the simpler choice.
Start the next content on another page
Place the cursor before the content that should move. Choose Insert > Page Break, or press Ctrl+Enter in desktop Word for Windows. The text after the cursor moves to the next page; Word has not inserted a separate blank page. This is useful for starting a chapter without adding an empty sheet.
Add a page at the end
If you are continuing to write, click at the end and type; Word will create a new page when needed. To force a new page at that point, insert a page break. Avoid pressing Enter many times to push text down: those empty paragraphs can shift when you edit or print.
Add a new page after the last page
- Press Ctrl+End in Word for Windows (Command+End or Command+Fn+Right Arrow on a Mac keyboard) to jump to the end of the document.
- Press Ctrl+Enter, or choose Insert > Page Break. The cursor moves to the top of a new, empty page.
Add more than one page
Each Insert > Blank Page adds one empty page, and each Ctrl+Enter adds one page break. Repeat the command once for every page you need. If the document has a table of contents, right-click it and choose Update Field afterward so its page numbers stay correct.
Choose Blank Page or Page Break by the result you need
- Blank Page: use it when you need a full empty page for new material between existing pages. The following content moves beyond that page.
- Page Break: use it when the next paragraph or chapter must begin at the top of the next page. The following text moves forward, but Word does not reserve a separate empty page.
- Automatic page: keep typing if you simply need room for more text. Word adds the next page when the current one fills.
For example, to add a new page between chapters 2 and 3, click at the end of chapter 2 and choose Insert > Blank Page. Type the new material there and check that chapter 3 follows it. To start chapter 3 on a fresh page without inserting new material, click before its heading and insert a Page Break instead. Word for Mac offers both commands under Insert > Pages. On a Mac, Command+Return inserts a page break.
If the added page needs its own orientation, margins, or header, neither command is enough on its own. Click where that page should begin and choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page. Word starts a new section on the next page, so you can change its formatting without affecting the pages before it.
If an extra blank page appears
Turn on Home > Show/Hide ¶ and inspect the pages around your insertion point. Look for repeated empty paragraphs, a manual Page Break, or a Section Break. Delete an unintended empty paragraph or page break, then check the surrounding text again. Be more careful with a section break: removing it can change headers, margins, orientation, or numbering because the neighboring sections may merge. If the blank page occurs after a table, inspect the final paragraph mark after the table as well.
For a longer diagnosis, see how to remove a stubborn blank page in Word. Microsoft also documents page insertion in Word for Mac.
When you need different page formatting
A page break does not create a new section. If the added page needs different margins, orientation, headers, or numbering, use a section break and then set that section’s formatting. If you want a copy of an existing page, use the duplicate-page guide to select and copy its content.
Microsoft’s guides: insert a blank page and copy a page and add a page break.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com