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mhinescreative
mhinescreative
Participant
March 13, 2018
Answered

Pages won't delete in Indesign

  • March 13, 2018
  • 6 replies
  • 17732 views

I'm working on a 280 page document and I am trying to delete some pages. Every time I delete a page it somehow just reappears. It will appear to have deleted (the next page will slide into the deleted pages space and the number of pages goes down) but then whenever I click on the page in the pages panel, it hasn't gone anywhere. Also it is messing other stuff up. It's altering the headers on the pages and mixing everything up. I have no clue what to do because these pages have to be deleted. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP.

    Correct answer Barb Binder

    If you'd like to share all (or just pages 49-52) I'd be happy to take a look. Put the file on dropbox and post a link here (public) or hover over my name and click message (private).

    ~Barb


    Hi Greg:

    What's happening is that your document is has threaded text frames with anchored graphics inside, so when you delete page 50, the content sticks around. I turned on text threads and zoomed out to show you:

    So, to remove page 50, you actually need to remove the contents, which isn't as simple as it could be. Here's my recommendation:

    1. Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters
    2. Navigate to page 50 and double click Nameplates to select it
    3. Tap Ctrl+Y to open Story Editor (Cmd+Y on a Mac)—Nameplates will be highlighted in both views
    4. Drag to select the following 5 lines in Story Editor (or if you need "the title Appendix 1: Nameplates" just select the 4 lines underneath that line):
    5. Press Delete or Backspace to remove the selected content.
    6. There will a blank page at the end of the file. You can delete it by dragging it into the trash can.

    ~Barb

    6 replies

    D
    defaultdnmg70m1rxo0
    Participant
    February 14, 2021

    Thank you so much! This solved my problem immediately!!

     

      A
      Alexdesign6
      Participant
      April 12, 2020

      Great answer! 5 star!

      happie_97
      Community Expert
      happie_97Community Expert
      Community Expert
      May 23, 2018

      Did any of the suggestions above solve your issue?

      If not, please let us know so that we can continue to troubleshoot for you.

      If they solved the issue, please update the thread.

      Thanks so much, Andrea

        U
        ubergeek7
        Participant
        May 13, 2019

        Thank you Barb! This saved me. I never would have worked this issue out without your advice. Much appreciated.

          Barb Binder
          Community Expert
          Barb BinderCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          May 14, 2019

          Glad to hear it!

          ~Barb

          ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
          happie_97
          Community Expert
          happie_97Community Expert
          Community Expert
          May 23, 2018

          Try deleting two pages or an even number of pages at a time and see if they delete.

          D
          davidw15355373
          Participant
          April 26, 2025

          Two pages worked. I have 10 pages total so I'm still not sure which are the legit pages and which pages I should delete ... or if it matters.

           

          Thanks!

           

          Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
          Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
          Legend
          May 22, 2018

          Are you using a Primary Text Frame on the master page?

          That will add pages when there is content, even if the content is only blank hard returns, spaces, or page break markers.

          Also, when using a Primary Text Frame, deleting the page doesn't work because it will recreate it all over again...like what you're describing.

          With Primary Text Frames, you'll have to use the text tool to select the content you want to delete, and then delete it.

          |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
          G
          g_s007
          Participant
          May 23, 2018

          There is nothing on the page and I have selected Override All Master Page items. This master page is set up as a dual page and looks like the image pasted here.

          This is what my pages look like:

          Barb Binder
          Community Expert
          Barb BinderCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          May 23, 2018

          If you'd like to share all (or just pages 49-52) I'd be happy to take a look. Put the file on dropbox and post a link here (public) or hover over my name and click message (private).

          ~Barb

          ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
            Barb Binder
            Community Expert
            Barb BinderCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            March 13, 2018

            Is smart text reflow enabled in Preferences > Advanced Type?

            ~Barb

            ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
            mhinescreative
            mhinescreativeAuthor
            Participant
            March 13, 2018

            No it is not... Should it be?

            Barb Binder
            Community Expert
            Barb BinderCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            March 13, 2018

            Smart Text Flow can cause a page to return after you remove it.

            How are you deleting the page(s)?

            ~Barb

            ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
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