Fix Extra Blank Page at End of Google Docs to PDF
An extra blank page at the end of a PDF exported from Google Docs is caused by content in the Google Doc that follows the last real content line. This is almost always one or more empty paragraphs, but can also be a stray page break or section break.
Find and delete empty paragraphs at the end
Press Ctrl+Shift+8 to show paragraph marks. Scroll to the very end of the document. You will see paragraph marks after the last line of content. Click at the end of the last real content line, then hold Shift and press Ctrl+End to select everything after it. Press Delete to remove all the empty paragraphs. The blank page disappears.
Check for a page break at the end
With paragraph marks visible, look for a dotted line near the end of the document labeled 'Page break'. Click immediately before the page break symbol and press Delete to remove it. If the blank page was caused by this break, it will disappear.
Check for a section break at the end
A next-page section break at the end of the document creates a blank final page. Section breaks appear as double dotted lines with the section type labeled. Click immediately before the section break and press Delete. Confirm the blank page is gone by checking Print Preview.
Verify in Print Preview before exporting
After removing the extra content, go to File > Print Preview to confirm the blank page is gone before running the PDF export. Print Preview shows exactly how many pages the PDF will have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the blank page keep coming back?
A collaborator may be adding content or the document template may be set up to always add empty lines at the end. Check whether the document has a template applied that adds footer space, and remove any automated blank paragraph additions in the template.
Can I remove the blank page from the PDF without editing the Google Doc?
Yes. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or a free tool like PDF24, go to the page organizer, and delete the last page. This works as a quick fix but the blank page will return every time you re-export from the Doc.
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