Page Breaks in LaTeX: newpage, clearpage, and pagebreak
Date Published
Page Breaks in LaTeX
Control exactly where pages end and begin in your LaTeX documents.
The Three Main Commands
\newpage
Starts a new page immediately:
\newpage
Behavior: - Ends current page - Starts new page - In two-column mode, moves to next column only
\clearpage
Stronger than newpage:
\clearpage
Behavior: - Ends current page - Flushes all pending floats (figures, tables) - Starts new page - In two-column mode, starts new page (not just column)
\pagebreak
Suggests a page break:
\pagebreak
Behavior: - Suggests breaking here - LaTeX may stretch text to fill page - Can take optional strength argument
When to Use Each
Use \newpage when:
- Starting a new section that should begin on fresh page - Separating chapters or major sections - You don't have pending floats
Use \clearpage when:
- You want all figures/tables placed before continuing - Before a new chapter with pending floats - Before appendices or bibliography
Use \pagebreak when:
- You want LaTeX to consider breaking here - The break is optional/suggested - You want text stretched to fill
Optional Arguments
\pagebreak with strength
\pagebreak[0] — suggest break (lowest priority) \pagebreak[1] — might break \pagebreak[2] — probably break \pagebreak[3] — strongly prefer break \pagebreak[4] — force break (same as no argument)
\nopagebreak
Prevent breaks:
\nopagebreak — suggest no break \nopagebreak[4] — force no break
In Two-Column Documents
\newpage — next column only \clearpage — next page (both columns) \cleardoublepage — next odd page (for book class)
Blank Pages
Add blank page:
\newpage \thispagestyle{empty} \mbox{} \newpage
Clear to even/odd page:
\cleardoublepage — next odd page \clearpage\ifodd\value{page}\else\mbox{}\clearpage\fi — next even
Controlling Float Placement
Before a section with many figures:
\FloatBarrier — from placeins package
Forces all floats to appear before this point.
Page Break Inside Environments
In tables:
Use longtable package for multi-page tables.
In lists:
\pagebreak between items
In equations:
Use allowdisplaybreaks for breaking align environments.
Common Patterns
Before bibliography:
\clearpage \bibliographystyle{plain} \bibliography{refs}
Before appendices:
\clearpage \appendix
Chapter starts (book class):
Chapters automatically start new page.
Troubleshooting
Problem: Floats appearing in wrong place Solution: Use \clearpage before critical sections
Problem: Too much white space Solution: Use \pagebreak instead of \newpage
Problem: Page break mid-paragraph Solution: Add \nopagebreak or use \samepage
Keep Content Together
\begin{samepage} Content that should stay together. \end{samepage}
Or:
\nopagebreak Following line stays with previous.
Control Pages with Octree
Octree helps with page layout:
- Visual page break indicators - Preview pagination instantly - AI suggests break placement - Export polished PDFs
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