how can I remove the blank page before a table that spans more than 1 page

Question

Having issues with tables, when I create and enter text into one it moves it down a page as if I have put in a page break. Also despite doing the repeat row and none on alignment I can't get my table headings to carry over.

Answer 1

@Caroline W

Do you still need assistance with this?

Table settings, such as row height, as well as text flow settings applied to whole table rows, may all contribute to the issue here. See also the screen shots provided by Demi-N.

A screen shot might make it easier for us to assist you.

If you can't get it sorted, consider sharing a representative sample document with the forum, so that we can have a closer look. Remove any sensitive information from the document, upload it to (say) OneDrive or Dropbox, and post a download link in this thread.

Answer 2

Hello @Caroline W,

Thank you for your message and for sharing the details of the issue. I understand how confusing this behavior can be, especially when the table does not stay in place as expected.

Since each Word document can be quite customized in terms of formatting, layout, and styles, it can be a bit difficult to determine the exact cause right away. The behavior you are seeing can sometimes depend on multiple factors working together in the background.

In the meantime, could you please try the following general checks on your document to see if any of the settings might be affecting the table placement:

1. Check paragraph settings affecting the table

Select the entire table by clicking the small crosshair icon (+) at the top-left corner.

Go to the Home tab, then in the Paragraph group, click the small dialog launcher arrow.

In the window that opens, switch to the Line and Page Breaks tab, uncheck the following options if they are enabled:

• “Keep with next”
• “Keep lines together”
• “Page break before”

Click OK and then try again to see if the table still gets pushed to the next page or if the blank page issue is gone.

2. Ensure table headers and rows behave correctly across pages

• Select only the first row (or header rows) of your table
• Right-click > Table Properties > go to the Row tab
• Check “Repeat as header row at the top of each page”

Then:

• Select the remaining data rows in your table
• Go again to Table Properties > Row tab
• Make sure “Allow row to break across pages” is checked

Once this is enabled, when the table moves onto the next page, the header row should automatically repeat at the top of the new page, similar to what is shown in the example image I provided. This helps keep the table structure clear and consistent across multiple pages.

These are general steps to help verify how the current setup is configured and whether any of these settings might be causing the issue.

If the behavior still persists after trying the above, could you please share a screenshot of your document or describe the exact steps you are taking? I can try to reproduce the scenario on my side and take a closer look.

Thank you very much for your patience and cooperation, I’ll be happy to continue assisting you.

Best regards,

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