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White space in Word document

Anonymous
2024-04-27T04:39:50+00:00

I am editing a Word document, and on one page there is a lot of white (almost half a page) before the bottom of the page. The text flows to the next page, but I cannot see why this white space persists. There is no page break. Any attempt to backspace to delete hidden characters simply deletes characters from the previous page.

Any advice appreciated.

I am using Word for Mac Version 16.84 (24040622) within Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-04-27T04:46:07+00:00

    Hello,

    The issue you're experiencing with the white space in your Word document could be due to a few different factors. It's possible that there is a hidden paragraph mark or a section break that is causing this unexpected behavior.

    To troubleshoot, you can try showing all non-printing characters by clicking on the ¶ symbol in the Home tab or using the shortcut Command + 8. If you find a section break, you can delete it. Another possibility is that there's a formatting issue with the paragraphs or the page setup. Checking the paragraph settings and ensuring that the 'Keep lines together' and 'Keep with next' options are not selected might resolve the issue.

    Additionally, inspecting the page layout settings for any unusual spacing or margins could provide a clue. If these steps don't help, consider checking for updates to ensure Word is running the latest version, as updates often include fixes for such issues.

    If the problem persists, Microsoft's support resources or community forums may offer further assistance.

    Best Regards,

    Junyu Satoh

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-04-27T05:48:38+00:00

    Hi Oceanswims!

    I am Shakiru, an independent advisor and a user like you, and I am glad to be helping you out today.

    In addition to Junyu Satoh said

    It’s possible that the vertical alignment is set to center or bottom instead of top. In the Layout tab, launch the Page Setup dialog box from File, and find the Layout tab. Set the vertical alignment to the Top

    Check SophieDugas's comment here on the procedure to do that at https://answers.microsoft.com/thread/f0d8a358-d8b0-4d10-a7be-48abec4a8e41

    Please let me know how it goes and if you need any other assistance and I will be more than happy to help further.

    Thank you

    Best Regards, Shakiru

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  3. Charles Kenyon 166.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-04-27T16:33:44+00:00
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  4. Anonymous
    2024-04-27T11:53:34+00:00

    Thank you, Shakiru. I followed the process you suggest and I find that the whole document is already set to Top on Vertical alignment.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-04-27T08:24:33+00:00

    Thanks for that advice, Junyu. I highlighted the non-printing characters, but there is absolutely nothing there that comes up that would cause the problem. There is no paragraph or page break. The text just flows on. My version of the app is up to date. And there is nothing in the paragraph formatting or in the page set up. There is no section break. Nothing.

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