How do I remove a column break? I have "invisibles" on but cannot select the break marker to remove it. This file was converted from.pdf to docx. than to Pages. The conversion program (very imperfect) inserted page breaks here and there. I could select and delete the page breaks (CTRL-Click) but the page breaks turn into column breaks which are impregnable.
Pages 5.5, OS 10.10.5
MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Can you double-click those column breaks, and then delete them, or position your pointer before the first text after the column break, and back-space to remove it?
Nope -- doesn't respond to double clicking or command-click, etc. I have columns=1, so the only effect is to insert some white space after the break.
When I copy and paste to a fresh file the break goes way, but so does some other formatting I need to keep. "Paste and match style" does this; "Paste" keeps the unwanted column breaks.
So you tried half of Vikings recommendations.
Have you tried the obvious delete back or delete forwards?
Peter
Column breaks (and other breaks) are non-printing control characters, but they're still characters, just like A, a, 1, = and ü are characters. Delete the column break the same way you'd delete any other character: Move the insertion point to lie between the column break and the next character, then press delete (aka 'backspace')
You may find it useful to Show Invisibles (found in the View menu).
Regards,
Barry
The problem is in the file. I created some some fresh files, inserted page and column breaks and am able to delete them without difficulty. With invisibles made visible, Control-click selects the marker. But in the original file, descended from a converted .pdf, I can't select the marker. Also, it's odd that the column break results from deleting a page break. I'm giving up on this.
Thanks to all who responded.
I'm giving up on this.
Sometimes that's the practical answer. 🙂
Regards,
Barry
Copy paste the text into a TextEdit document set to "Plain Text" then have another go.
We never found out what happens when you deleted forward or back.
Nor whether continued deleting gets rid of the breaks because they are stacked on top of each other.
Peter
Removing a column break marker
