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.
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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.
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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:
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