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How to Remove Section Breaks in Word?

Microsoft Word is one of the excellent options for almost all your word processor requirements. When it comes to the high degree of formatting options offered, you would find that Microsoft is one of the excellent and perfect options for achieving the best possible standards. 

Microsoft Word does provide you access to a great formatting capability at three different levels – sections, paragraphs, and characters. 


What is a Section Break in Word?


A Section Break is a formatting feature on Microsoft Word. The section break is used for dividing a document into several sections. With the use of a section break, you will split up the document into several parts. 

Use of a Section Break format of a document in several parts – without even affecting other parts of the document. The prime purpose of the section break in a Word document lies in changing the orientation of a single page of a document, while all other pages remain unaffected. 

However, there are cases where you have created a section break in a document previously, and you do not need it anymore. You may also be editing someone else’s document. In such circumstances, you would want to delete a section break in a Word document.

Deleting a section break can be complicated and you would want to retain the formatting of the entire document. Let us check out how to delete a section break in word 2010 without losing formatting. The method should be applicable in every instance irrespective of the MS Word version you are on. 


How to Remove Section Breaks in Word?


Removing a section break in Word is easy enough, but you need to be careful with the steps you follow. This will ensure that the formatting of the rest of the document remains unaltered. 

You can either decide to remove a single section break or option for deleting multiple section breaks in one go. Depending on whether you want to remove a single section break or remove all section breaks in Word, you can opt for the relevant options in this tutorial – 

Method 1: How to Remove Single Section Break in Word 

If you are looking to check out the steps in how to remove section breaks in Word on Mac or any other platform, the steps here should be one of the simplest options for the purpose. 

  • Launch the document you want to remove the Section Break from. 
  • Choose the Home tab at the top of the window
  • Under the Paragraph section, locate and enable the Show/Hide button. 

  • Locate the section break on your page. You can simply scroll down the page and locate the section break you want to delete
  • Use your mouse to select the entire section break. If you are unaware of how to select a section break in Word, you can simply place the insertion point at the beginning of the section point. 
  • Press the Delete button. This will remove the section break completely.

Method 2: How to Remove all Section Breaks in Word?

You can simply make use of the Find and Replace option to find all the section breaks inside the document and then delete them in one go. 

You might have used the Find and Replace option for replacing certain content from the document. It can also work effectively in providing you access to an enhanced experience in deleting section breaks as well. The method will be helpful in removing all the section breaks in your document. 

Here are the steps that you can make use of in how to remove all section breaks in Word:

 

  • Go to the Home tab and then click the option for Replace. 
  • Type in ^b in the Find What box
  • Leave the Replace with box blank 
  • Click on the option Replace All.

The Find and Replace tool will find all the instances of the section beak and then delete them. Once you find that the section beaks have been removed, you can simply close the Find and Replace dialog box. 

Method 3: Remove Section Breaks in Word Using VBA

VBA or Microsoft Visual Basic for Application is one of the excellent options if you are trying to find how to remove section breaks in Word. The method should work effectively and efficiently if you are checking out the options to remove section break in Word 2016 or any other versions of Microsoft Word. 

You can launch Visual Basic Editor on Word through the Developer tab. If you do not find the Developer tab, you can go to File ->Options -> Customise Ribbon and then pick the Developer tab.

Once the Developer tab has been enabled, you can simply choose from the menu and then pick the Developer tab and then choose the option Visual Basic. This will open Visual Basic in a separate window.

Here is the Microsoft VBA module you need to add up in the Visual Basic Editor: 

Sub DeleSectionBreaks()

Selection.Find.ClearFormatting

Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting

With Selection.Find

.Text = “^b”

.Replacement.Text = “”

.Forward = True

.Wrap = wdFindContinue

.Format = False

.MatchCase = False

.MatchWholeWord = False

.MatchByte = False

.MatchAllWordForms = False

.MatchSoundsLike = False

.MatchWildcards = False

.MatchFuzzy = False

End With

Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll

End Sub

Here are the steps you need to follow to include the module inside your Microsoft document:

  • Click on the Developer tab 
  • Choose the option for Visual Basic
  • In the VBA interface, click on Insert -> Module 
  • Copy the VBA module above and paste it.
  • Save the module and name it as to remove all section breaks in Word.

You can simply run the Module and remove section breaks from your Word document. 

The method that involves the use of VBA in how to remove section breaks in Word can be a little complicated. It would need you to have an expertise in how to work with Visual Basic modules. 

The Closing Thoughts 

That was all about how to remove section breaks in Word online, on Mac, or even on Windows. The steps explained here should assist you to get access to a few simple steps in how to handle the task of removing section breaks in Word easily. 

FAQs

Why I cannot select section break in Word?

Under no circumstances you would find unable to select the section break in Word. However, selecting the section break may not be that easy, and you need to be careful in handling the proper selection of the section break. If you cannot select the section break, you can simply place your insertion point at the beginning of the section break and press the DELETE button. 

Can’t remove section break in Word, how to fix? 

One of the major reasons for the inability to remove section breaks in Word can include the accuracy in how to select the section break. If you can not select the section break, simply position the cursor or insertion point just before it and press the DELETE option. Note that pressing the Backspace key will not delete the section break. You need to press the DELETE key. If your keyboard does not have the DELETE key, you can check out the key options such as fn+delete and Shift+Delete.  


About the author

Timmappa Kamat

Timmappa Kamat is interested in technology and allied subjects and loves sharing the knowledge through the tech-savvy websites as a freelancer. He has been involved in providing content for a host of technology-based sites on day to day topics in the tech arena. Fond of gadgets and gizmos, he loves working with different apps, tools and software and sharing the knowledge with the world at large.

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