Section Breaks in Microsoft Word: How to Remove, Add or Change Them

– Section Breaks in Microsoft Word –

Microsoft Word offers a multitude of tools that allow you to format the text you added to a document. But the text itself also contains several formatting options. This can vary from column stuff to other features like segment breaks.

A Word document section break helps you to divide the document into separate parts, which you can then format without affecting the rest of the document.

Changing the orientation for a single page of your document is a common use for this, thus leaving the rest of the document in the current direction.

But if you have previously created a section break that you no longer need, or if you are editing someone else’s document and wish to remove one of the section breaks they’ve added, then our guide below will show you how.

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How to Remove Section Breaks in a Word Document

Sections let you set specific page layout and formatting options (such as line numbering, columns, or headers and footers) for different parts of a document.

By using sections, for example, you can format the introduction of a report as a single column, and then format the body of the report as two columns. Word treats a document as a single section until you insert a section break.

Section formatted as a single column
Section break that controls the layout and formatting of the preceding section identified by 1
Section formatted as two columns
Section break that controls the layout and formatting of the preceding section identified by 3

Each section break controls the layout and formatting of the section previous to the break. For example, if you delete a section break, the text before the break acquires all the formatting of the section that follows the break.

In the illustration above, if you delete the first section break (2), the first section is formatted as two columns.

The last paragraph mark (¶) in the document controls the section layout and formatting of the last section in the document. If the document does not contain sections, the last paragraph mark controls the layout and formatting of the entire document.

Important: The following procedures assume that you are in the print layout view. If you are not in print layout view, on the View menu, click Print Layout.

First: How to Insert a section break

Click where you want a new section to begin.
Click Layout > Breaks, and then click the type of section break you want.

Note: If you want to add a page break, click Page.

Types of section breaks

Section break	Description
Next Page	Starts the new section on the following page.
Continuous	Starts the new section on the same page. This section break is particularly useful for documents that have columns. You can use it to change the number of columns without starting a new page.
Even Page	Starts the new section on the next even-numbered page. For example, if you insert an Even Page Break at the end of page 3, the next section will start on page 4.
Odd Page	Starts the new section on the next odd-numbered page. For example, if you insert an Odd Page Section Break at the end of page 3, the next section will start on page 5.

How to Delete a section break

If you added section breaks to your document, the easiest way to see where they begin and end is to show formatting marks.

Click the Home tab, and then click Show all nonprinting characters.
Click the section break to select it and then press DELETE. Section breaks look like this:

Note: When you delete a section break, Word combines the text before and after the break into one section. The new combined section will use the formatting from the second section (the one that followed the section break).

How to Change the kind of section break

Click in the section that you want to change.
On the Format menu, click Document, and then click the Layout tab.
In the Section start list, click the kind of section break that you want.

Method 1: Find All Section Breaks in the Document

First of all, press “Ctrl+ H” to open the “Find and Replace” box in Word.
Next, put the cursor inside the “Find what” text box.
Click the “More” button to get more options.
Then click “Special” and choose “Section Break” on its menu. Then you will see “^b” in the “Find what” text box. So an alternative way is to enter “^b” directly after step 2.
Lastly, leave the “Replace with” box blank and click “Replace All”. Click “OK” on the confirmation box.

Method 2: Run a Macro to Delete All Section Breaks in One Document

Here is the auto way for you to get rid of all unwanted section breaks.

To begin with, open the VBA editor in Word by hitting “Alt+ F11”.
Then create a new module by clicking “Normal”.
Next click “Insert” and select “Module”.
Now open the module with a double click.
In the coding space on the right side, paste the following codes:

Sub DeleteAllSectionsInOneDoc()
  With Selection
    .HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
    With Selection.Find
      .ClearFormatting
      .Replacement.ClearFormatting
      .Text = "^b"
      .Replacement.Text = ""
      .Forward = True
      .Wrap = wdFindContinue
      .Format = False
      .MatchCase = False
      .MatchWholeWord = False
      .MatchWildcards = False
      .MatchSoundsLike = False
      .MatchAllWordForms = False
    End With
    Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
  End With
End Sub

Finally, click “Run”.

You will find all section breaks nowhere in a second.

Method 3: Delete All Section Breaks in Multiple Documents

Similarly, we must run a macro if we want to do it in a quick and dirty way.

Before all, put all target documents in one folder.
Then install a macro with steps in method 2.
Run this macro instead:

Sub DeleteAllSectionBreaksInMultiDoc()
  Dim StrFolder As String
  Dim strFile As String
  Dim objDoc As Document
  Dim dlgFile As FileDialog
 
  Set dlgFile = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
 
  With dlgFile
    If .Show = -1 Then
      StrFolder = .SelectedItems(1) & "\"
    Else
      MsgBox "No folder is selected! Please select the target folder."
      Exit Sub
    End If
  End With
 
  strFile = Dir(StrFolder & "*.docx", vbNormal)
 
  While strFile <> ""
    Set objDoc = Documents.Open(FileName:=StrFolder & strFile)
 
    With Selection
      .HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
      With Selection.Find
        .ClearFormatting
        .Replacement.ClearFormatting
        .Text = "^b"
        .Replacement.Text = ""
        .Forward = True
        .Wrap = wdFindContinue
        .Format = False
        .MatchCase = False
        .MatchWholeWord = False
        .MatchWildcards = False
        .MatchSoundsLike = False
        .MatchAllWordForms = False
      End With
      Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
    End With
 
    objDoc.Save
    objDoc.Close
    strFile = Dir()
  Wend
End Sub

Next in the “Browse” window open, select the folder to which you save documents.
Last but not the least, click “OK”.

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Get Prepared for Data Loss

Normally, with good operation habits, good luck, and all blessings, you can achieve a lot in Word. But crashes can strike you anytime.

Thus it’s of vital importance to back up documents on a regular basis. With a backup in hand, you will be more confident before starting the docx fix.

There is never a time that isn’t right to help. If this information was useful to you, do well to share it with friends and loved ones. It’s your turn to help other people. You can share this article on your favorite social media handle.

Section Breaks in Microsoft Word How to Remove, Add or Change Them