Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Entering a Page Break from the Keyboard.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 15, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365
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.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13340) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Entering a Page Break from the Keyboard.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
When working in Draft or Normal view, you may want to view the area just to the left of the document's left margin. ...
Discover MoreIf you have two characters in the wrong order, you might be interested in a shortcut you can use to switch their order. ...
Discover MoreNeed to move a few paragraphs around in your document? Word provides a couple of handy shortcuts that make it very easy ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2025-11-13 17:13:14
Malcolm Patterson
Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should do it. Yes, it's easy, but inserting a page break is a form of manual formatting--what typists had to do. It's formatting information commingled with the text. When text is added or deleted above the break--anywhere above the break--it will move, and it may not move to the place it's needed.
When you're working on a short note and you're not collaborating with other users, it does little harm. When you're working on a longer document or working as part of a team, save yourself some time.
In most cases, a page break is desired because the new paragraph should always start the page. For example, you may wish each chapter to start on a new page. In that case, assign the "Page break before" attribute to the paragraph style you're using for your chapter headings.
You may also want to force a page break for the caption of a table that's more than one page long. Such tables should normally begin at the top of a page. On the other hand, you don't want to make every table start at the top of a page. (Tables that don't take a full page may start anywhere, so long as the whole table is on one page.) So, you may need to assign the Page break before attribute to the caption that heads a particular (long) table but not to the Caption paragraph style. This is direct formatting, not manual formatting. It will move correctly when text is added or subtracted.
Direct formatting may need to be revisited in the final document (e.g., if the table gets shorter), but it does keep the paragraph formatting information where it belongs--in the hidden pilcrow at its end.
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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:
Comments