How to insert and delete section breaks in Word? Steps before dividing page numbers into sections

Key points of this article

Section breaks are different from page breaks. Section breaks allow the two parts before and after to have independent page numbers, headers and margin settings. Before inserting, you must first think about how many sections you need.
Before inserting a section break, you should turn on the edit mark to clearly see the cursor position and the original page break to avoid accidentally inserting it in the middle of a table or title.
After deleting the section break, the previous section will inherit the format of the next section. Before deleting, confirm which section's settings need to be retained.
When page numbers need to be set by sections, first cancel the link to the previous section and then modify the page number format, otherwise the page numbers of each section will affect each other.

When writing papers, contracts or project reports, many people want to use different page number formats for the cover, table of contents and main text, so they start looking for a method of "page numbering into sections", but end up stuck in the first step: where are the section breaks and how to insert them. Section breaks are the prerequisite for page number division. Without it, all pages belong to the same section, and page number settings can only be one-size-fits-all.

This article is written for readers who are already using Word to edit long documents, but are not yet familiar with section breaks. After reading, you should be able to find the entrance of the section break, know where to insert it, how to delete the unnecessary section break, and be able to judge whether the page number really takes effect according to the section after insertion or deletion. How to set the page number separately by section is another question. Here we only talk about the operation of the section break itself, taking it as a step before setting the page number.

The following operations take the desktop version of Word as an example. The menu positions of different versions will be slightly different, but the function names and logic are basically the same. If you just want to solve the problem of page numbers being repeated or broken after sectioning, you can complete the insertion and deletion here first, and then go back to deal with the page number settings.

How to insert and delete page number section breaks in Word? One sentence conclusion

The insertion and removal of section breaks depends on your document structure and page numbering goals. In most cases, you only need to judge which type of operation should be done based on the table below.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
Cover, table of contents and text require different page numbering formats	Insert a next page section break after the cover and after the table of contents	Each section break can cut out an independent section, and the page number can be set separately
I just want a certain page to start from a new page and the page number remains unchanged.	Use page breaks, not section breaks	The page break only changes the page and does not change the structure of the section. The page number will continue to be calculated continuously.
There are already redundant section breaks in the document, resulting in confusing page numbers.	Remove redundant section breaks after showing edit marks	Delete redundant sections to reduce the number of sections that need to be processed when setting page numbers.
Table, image, or title cut off by section break	First delete the accidentally inserted section break, and then adjust the content to the same section.	Miscut section breaks can cause errors in both layout and page numbering.
Need to switch columns or margins within the same page	Insert continuous section breaks	Continuous section breaks do not change pages, but you can change the column or page margins of the section.

The key to judgment is whether you need independent page numbers or header settings for the front and back parts. Use section breaks if necessary; if you just want to change the page, page breaks will suffice.

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Before you start inserting or deleting section breaks, there are a few things you need to check first, otherwise it’s easy to mess up your document.

Think clearly first how many sections you want to divide into. Common divisions are one section each for cover, table of contents, main text, and appendices. The more sections there are, the more content you need to deal with section by section when setting page numbers and headers later, so it is recommended to list the page number requirements for each part on paper first.
Confirm file format. Section breaks are a common structure in Word documents (.docx). If you get a PDF or other format file, you need to convert it to a Word document before you can follow the method here.
Back up original files. Deleting section breaks may cause the format to change. Keep a copy to roll back at any time.
Check for original page breaks. Page breaks and section breaks are both visually a horizontal line, but have different functions. After turning on the edit mark, the word section break will be marked next to the section break, and the word page break will be marked next to the page break, so that they can be distinguished so that they will not be accidentally deleted.
Confirm whether the page number already exists. If the document has been page numbered, the continuity of the page numbers may change after inserting a section break. Make a note of your existing page number settings in advance for easy reference.

Steps to insert section breaks in Word

The following steps are suitable for inserting a next page section break after the cover page, so that the text starts with a new section, and then the page number can be set separately.

Open the document and turn on the edit mark. Find the option to control the display of formatting marks in Word. After turning it on, paragraph marks, page breaks and section breaks will be displayed for easy positioning.
Place the cursor at the location where you want to divide into sections. Usually after the last line of the cover, or at the end of the paragraph that ends the table of contents. Note that the cursor should be placed at the end of a complete paragraph, not in the middle of a sentence.
Find the function to insert separators. Find the Insert Separator or similar entry in the Layout or Insert related menu of Word. It will list two options: page breaks and section breaks.
Select the next page type section break. Select the next page type in the section break column, which means that after sectioning, new content will start from the next page. If you only want to switch columns or margins within the same page, select the Continuous type.
Check whether the content after the cursor changes to another page. After insertion, the content after the section break should already start on another page. If it is still on the original page, it means that the continuous type is inserted or the position is wrong, and you need to undo and start again.
Repeat the above steps to insert other section breaks. For example, insert a next page section break after the end of the table of contents to separate the main text from the table of contents. Each time you insert a section break, check whether the content on both sides falls within the expected section.

After the insertion is completed, the page numbers have not actually taken effect by section. By default, Word will let the new section inherit the page number setting of the previous section. At this time, you need to enter the header and footer, cancel the link with the previous section, and then set the page number format of each section separately. Page numbering is the next step, and here you just need to make sure that the section breaks have cut the document correctly.

Steps to delete section breaks

To delete a section break, you also need to turn on the edit mark first, because the section break itself is an invisible symbol, and its position cannot be seen directly on the page.

Turn on the edit mark and find the section break. Look for the horizontal line marked as a section break on the page and note its location and type.
Place the cursor before or after the section break. In Word, deleting a section break usually involves placing the cursor right over the section break and pressing the Delete key or the Backspace key.
Remove section breaks. After deletion, the content of the previous section will be merged into the next section, and the page setup, header, footer and page number format of the latter section will be inherited. This is where things tend to go wrong when deleting.
Check the merged format. Check the deleted page to confirm whether the headers, footers, margins and columns after sectioning are as expected. If the page number of a section is changed, it needs to be reset.
Save and save a copy. After completing the deletion, it is recommended to save it as a new file to avoid overwriting the original file.

Check each item after completion

After inserting or deleting section breaks, do not rush to save or send. Check each item first. The following table lists common check items.

Check items	How to see	What to do if there is a problem
Is the section position correct?	Turn on edit markers and make sure each section break follows the intended paragraph	If the position is wrong, delete the section break and reinsert it at the correct position.
Whether the section break type meets the requirements	Check whether the type of section break mark is next page or continuous	If the type is wrong, delete it and reinsert it as needed.
Whether the header and footer of each section are independent	Go to the header and footer to view the link status of each section	If it is still linked, cancel the link to the previous section and then set it separately.
Are the page numbers continuous or broken as expected?	Turn to the starting page of each section to view the page number	Check the starting page number and format of each section and modify it section by section
Are tables and pictures cut off?	Check whether tables and pictures are complete near section breaks	Remove miscut section breaks and move content back into the same section
Does the format change after deletion?	Compare margins, columns and headers before and after deletion	Restore the backup file, or reformat the merged sections

If the document content is long, checking page by page is time-consuming. You can first check the three key positions of the contents page, the beginning page of the text, and the beginning page of the appendix. They can usually reflect whether the sectioning is correct.

📊 Core comparison

Section breaks and page breaks are similar in appearance, but have different functions. Choosing the wrong one will complicate subsequent page numbering settings.

Comparative item	section break	Page break
Main function	Divide independent sections and set page numbers, headers, footers, and margins individually.	Only page changes do not change the structure of the section
Can page numbers be set individually?	Yes, each section can have independent page number format and starting value	No, the page numbers still belong to the same section
Suitable scene	Cover, table of contents, text, and appendices require different page numbers	Page changes between chapters, but page numbers are continuous
Impact of deletion	The previous section is merged into the next section, and the format may change.	Only affects the page position, usually does not change the format

The judgment criterion is simple: if you need the page numbers, headers or margins of a certain part to be different from other parts, use section breaks; otherwise, use page breaks.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the difference between section breaks and page breaks?

Page breaks only allow content to move to the next page; all pages still belong to the same section. Section breaks can divide the document into independent sections, and each section can have separate page numbers, headers and footers. Section breaks should be used when different page number formats are required.

2. Why does the page number not change after inserting a section break?

Inserting a section break itself will not automatically change the page number format, and the page number needs to be set individually by section. Go to the header and footer, cancel the link to the previous section, and then modify the page number format and starting value of the section, so that the page number will take effect by section.

3. Will content be lost if I delete section breaks?

Deleting section breaks generally does not delete the text content, but the previous section will be merged into the next section and the format of the latter section will be used. Try to save a copy before deleting, and after deleting, check whether the headers, page numbers, and margins are as expected.

4. Why can’t I find the section break?

Section breaks are not displayed by default, and you need to turn on the edit mark to see them. When turned on, section breaks will appear in the form of horizontal lines and are marked as section breaks. If you still can't find it, there may be no section breaks in the document, or the file may have been converted from another format and has a different structure than a standard Word document.

5. Can section breaks be inserted into scanned PDFs or converted documents?

The scanned PDF itself is a picture without a section break structure and needs to be converted into an editable Word document before operation. The converted document may have misaligned paragraphs and formats. The content should be checked before inserting section breaks. Important content should also be manually compared with the original text.

📝 Summary

Inserting and deleting Word section breaks are the prerequisite steps for page number sectioning. The key is to first turn on the editing mark, distinguish section breaks and page breaks, and then select the next page or continuous type as needed. When deleting section breaks, be aware that the previous section will be merged into the format of the following section. Save a copy before the operation and check it item by item after the operation. If you cut the section breaks correctly, you will have a stable foundation for subsequent page number settings.

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