Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Deleting a Range of Pages.

Deleting a Range of Pages

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 8, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021


Suppose you have a document of 50 pages and you want to delete pages 10 to 15. You may wonder if there is a way to delete that range with a single action.

Not with a single action, no. The reason is because Word technically knows nothing about pages. Page designations are very fluid, depending on all sorts of variables such as the amount of text in a document, what formatting is applied, and which printer driver is being used.

That being said, there is a relatively easy way to delete pages 10 to 15. Follow these steps:

  1. Press F5. Word displays the Go To tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. The Pages option should be selected, by default, at the left of the dialog box.
  2. Type 10 into the Enter a Page Number box and then press Enter. Word jumps to the beginning of page 10.
  3. If the Find and Replace dialog box doesn't go away on its own, press Esc.
  4. Press F8. This turns on Extend mode.
  5. Press F5. Word again displays the Go To tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.
  6. Type 16 into the Enter a Page Number box and then press Enter. Word jumps to the beginning of page 16, but selects everything from the last insertion point location because you are using Extend mode. This means that you now have everything on pages 10 through 15 selected.
  7. If the Find and Replace dialog box doesn't go away on its own, press Esc.
  8. Press the Delete key.

Even though this process is noted here as 8 steps, it really is quite quick to perform. I was able to perform them in less than 5 seconds, which is a pretty fast way to get rid of a group of pages.

Another way to approach the task is to use the Zoom control to set a very small zoom factor. If you set something like 10% or 20%, you should see a number of pages on the screen at the same time. You can then use the mouse to easily select the pages you want to delete and then delete them.

If you haven't caught on to the idea yet, in Word you need to select text (not pages) and then delete the text. Thus, another way to quickly select the text that comprises pages 10 through 15 is to jump to the beginning of page 10 and make sure the insertion point is there. Then, click on the "thumb button" on the vertical scroll bar at the right of the window and drag it until you see that it is on page 15. As you hold the Shift key, click at the point on the page where you want your text selection to end. You can then delete the selection.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12138) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Deleting a Range of Pages.

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

Removing Hyperlinks without a Macro

If you have a whole slew of hyperlinks in a worksheet and you want to get rid of them, it's easier than you think. This ...

Discover More

The EDATE Function

Want to figure a date a certain number of months in the future or past? The EDATE function may be just what you need for ...

Discover More

Searching for All

When you are working on a worksheet (particularly a large one), you may want to search for and possibly copy information ...

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 (ribbon)

Transposing Two Paragraphs

Need to swap two adjacent paragraphs? Your editing arsenal can include a command to do this if you use the macro in this tip.

Discover More

Quickly Selecting Text

Want a really quick way to select text? Just combine the Shift key with a simple mouse click.

Discover More

Finding Long Sentences

For certain types of writing, you may want to make sure that the sentences in your document do not exceed a certain ...

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?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu 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.