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In our Windows 10 tutorial today, you will learn how to remove all section breaks in MS Word. If you are not familiar with this feature, here’s a summary of everything you need to know about section breaks.

There are different types of section breaks, namely:

  • Next page – When applied, this type of section break forces the text to the right of your cursor to a new section on the following page. Additionally, all the formatting associated with the text is transferred to the new section.
  • Continuous – This type of section break creates a new section but keeps the text on the same page. That is to say, you can have two different sections on the same page with different formatting (like in our example below, where we have a single-column paragraph and a two-column paragraph on the same page).
  • Even page – This type of section break moves the text to the right of the cursor to the top of the next even-numbered page. So, if you are on page 10, and you insert an Even Page Section Break, the new section will begin on page 12, leaving page 11 blank.
  • Odd page – This is the opposite of an Even Page Section Break, where the text to the right of your cursor is moved to the next odd-numbered page.

How to View Existing Section Breaks in MS Word

In MS Word, section breaks and page breaks are invisible by default, and you can only see the changes in formatting and pagination for each section. The reason being that the breaks are not supposed to appear on your document when you print them.

However, when you are editing your .doc file, you may want to see the section and page breaks. To do so, select the Home button, and click on the “Show/Hide ¶,” option (the pilcrow, ¶, sign).

Sometimes, you may want to know how to remove all section breaks in Word. If that’s the case, below are some useful tips.

How to Remove All Section Breaks in MS Word at Once

  1. Before you start, make sure the section breaks are visible by clicking the Home > Show/Hide ¶ option as explained above. To manually remove a section break, scroll until you find it.
  2. Once you do, select the section break by dragging your cursor from the left edge all the way to the right edge and press the Delete key. Alternatively, place your cursor just before the section break and press Delete.

The above steps can be applied if you have just a few section breaks in your .doc file. However, if you are dealing with multiple pages, an easier way to quickly delete the entire section break in Word is by using the “Find and Replace” tool.

Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Repeat step 1 above, and open the Find and Replace box. It’s located in the far-right corner of your Word document. Alternatively, use the Ctrl + H shortcut keys.
  2. Once it opens, click the More button in the left corner of the window.
  3. This operation will reveal advanced settings. Click on the Special button and select Section Break from the drop-down list that appears.
  4. You should see “^b” in the “Find what:” text box. Alternatively, you can enter “^b” directly in the “Find what:” text box after Step 2.
  5. Finally, click the Replace All button. You don’t have to input anything in the Replace With text box.
  6. When you see a confirmation window, click OK.

That’s it! This operation will delete all section breaks in a .doc file.

Is MS Word Loading Slowly or Freezing Frequently?

Have you noticed MS Word and other apps on your computer running slow of late? It could be caused by junk files. Normally, your PC collects a lot of junk files whenever you install or uninstall an application, surf the internet using your favorite browsers, use applications like Microsoft Word, and even when Windows installs updates.

With time, these junk files accumulate, taking up valuable disk space and preventing some Windows functions from running optimally. If left unchecked, your system may become unstable, and you may start experiencing a myriad of computer issues like constant lag, system glitches, and, in worst-case scenarios, Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors.

However, you don’t have to panic. We recommend installing the ultimate PC optimization tool, Auslogics BoostSpeed. This program is dedicated to cleaning out all kinds of PC junk, tweaking system settings, and resolving stability and performance issues on your computer. As a result, it leaves your PC running as if it were new.

Among other functions, Auslogics BoostSpeed cleans the registry, gets rid of duplicate files, defrags your disks, optimizes your internet settings for faster browsing and download speeds, and removes unnecessary applications, leaving you with a compact and efficient system.

We recommend running system maintenance at least once every week. However, since you have so much to do, we know you can easily forget. That’s why there is the Scheduler function to let you set automatic scans to run at regular intervals.