How to Fix Microsoft Word not Going to Next Page

Tried and trusted fixes to get Word to move to the next page

By Ola-Hasan Bolaji

A computer engineering graduate, he spent most of his life reading and writing about computers. He finds joy in simplifying complex topics into simple solutions for PC… Read more

Updated in July 19, 2023

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When you type in Microsoft Word and reach the end of a page, it is created naturally and moves to the next page. But what happens if a word deviates from the norm and stays on the current page?

First, know that this is most likely caused by design settings such as the refinement options. But this is still not the most difficult problem to fix, as these settings can be easily reversed.

In this guide, we have prepared quick and effective methods to help you restore normal service in Word.

Why doesn’t Microsoft Word go to the next page?

The factors that can cause Microsoft Word not to go to the next page are in a close circle. Here are some of the most prominent of them:

• Design issues: Whether you are editing a professional document as a business owner or just a regular document, you should pay attention to the design options. This is especially true for pagination settings when editing a document.
• Lack of page transition: In some cases, your document may require you to add a manual page break due to some of your settings. If the page transition is missing, you will likely encounter this problem.
• Problems installing Word: Sometimes, this problem may be caused by your document editor – Microsoft Word. What you need to do here is to update the app or repair your installation.

How do I fix Microsoft Word if it won’t go to the next page?

1. Insert page breaks

1. Start Word and open your document in edit mode.
2. Now, place the cursor at the point to end the page and also to start the next page.
3. Press on Insert tab on the ribbon.
4. Finally, select the page turn option. You can do the same using Ctrl + to enter key combination.
   

Word places an automatic page break at the end of each page in your document by default. However, this may change due to certain settings in the document properties.

In this case, you can make Microsoft Word go to the next page by creating a manual page break. Although it may leave some extra profits sometime, it will surely yield the desired result.

2. Check out the design options

1. Start Word and open your document.
2. Press on array tab at the top.
3. Now, click on columns the drop down menu in Page settings Group.
4. Then, click More columns… in the drop-down menu.
   
5. Click on the preset image for one In the Columns dialog box.
6. Finally, click on OK button.
   

Another quick fix that can help you force Microsoft Word to move to the next page is to make sure your formatting settings are positive.

3. Move the Word file to another document

1. Start Microsoft Word and click View tab at the top.
2. Choose the draft Option to view the document in draft view.
   
3. Now, copy the contents of the entire document except for the last paragraph mark.
4. Paste the file into a new blank document and see if the problem persists.
5. Finally, if you want to hide or show the punctuation marks, click on its icon in Home tab.
   

With this, Microsoft Word text and images should move to the next page when it reaches the end of the page. Note that this option works if you encounter this problem in an existing document.

If this occurs even when you select the blank document option to create a new document, follow the steps below to rename the default template:

1. Close all Word windows and Office programs.
2. Now, click on Windows key type cmdand choose Run as administrator From the context menu under the command line.
   
3. Type the command below and click to enter run it: ren %userprofile%AppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplatesNormal.dotm OldNormal.dotm
4. Finally, wait for the command to finish running, exit the command prompt and restart Word.

By running this command, you should be able to restore Word’s default setting and prevent macros and formatting, and prevent Microsoft Word from moving to the next page when necessary.

4. Update or repair Word

1. Start Word and click on file tab at the top.
2. choose More from the context menu in the left pane.
3. Now, select the invoice option.
   
4. Then, click Update options under product Information section.
5. choose update now, and waiting for the process to finish.
   
6. If that doesn’t work, close Word, tap Windows + key RType appwizand hit to enter.
   
7. Right-click on your Office installation and select change.
   
8. Finally, choose Online correction and press on Correct button, and wait for the process to finish.
   

It can be frustrating if Microsoft Word won’t advance to the next page when a page is full. But with the solutions in this guide, you should be able to fix it.

Similarly, if you get a Word can’t do this because of an open dialog box error, check out this expert-written guide to fix it.

Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.