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I'm trying to delete a large chunk of white space in a document and Word isn't letting me

Anonymous
2024-10-10T00:50:11+00:00

Trying to Justify the text and there's this big white space between these paragraphs. If I try to delete it, it just brings the 2 paragraphs together, creating larger white space above it. What to do? Cutting and repasting doesn't word. The issue is it won't even let me put the cursor there to delete it. ![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/e8df561b-215c-4926-b580-21742d522be3?platform=QnA"https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/fb200aa3-4ab4-43a1-9fc5-900fa10ceb19?platform=QnA" title="filestore.community.support.microsoft.com" rel="ugc nofollow">

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Charles Kenyon 167.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2024-10-10T17:58:30+00:00

You are welcome.

***

So there's another way to create a paragraph break besides using the return key?

No, not really.

The thing is, spacing between paragraphs should involve only one paragraph mark. That is, one press of the Enter key per paragraph.

Please take a look at the Shauna Kelly tutorial, especially 2.2 Why you should press Enter only once to end a paragraph.

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Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435.6K Reputation points
2024-10-10T02:15:30+00:00

Notice the ■ at the start of each paragraph which indicates that some form of paragraph formatting which deviates from the default has been applied – most likely Page Break Before. Go to Format> Paragraph - Line and Page Breaks to clear the check for that property.

BTW: The use of those properties is the preferred method of creating space between paragraphs rather than using the return key, preferably specified in a Paragraph Style. It provides much more precise control over the flow of the text and prevents awkward breaks in the document.

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  1. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435.6K Reputation points
    2024-10-10T18:57:04+00:00

    No, the point is that pressing return denotes the end of one paragraph & the start of the next. Pressing return a second time creates an empty paragraph. That's OK for a short letter or informal document but leads to complications in longer, more complex documents. Use of Space Before/After is the more professional approach which allows for specifying exactly how much space there should be.

    In addition to other benefits of using the provided features it save countless keystrokes, especially when included in the Paragraph Style because the specified amount of space is automatic each time you press return to end a paragraph.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-10-10T16:44:00+00:00

    Thank you so much. That worked.

    So there's another way to create a paragraph break besides using the return key?

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  3. Charles Kenyon 167.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-10-10T04:00:43+00:00

    See Improving the Bottom Line by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP.

    Although written from the perspective of a Windows user, the principles and formatting are the same. I second Bob's recommendation that you learn to use styles.

    The Importance of Styles in Microsoft Word

    Basic Concepts of Microsoft Word - from Shauna Kelly

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