If you want to delete multiple lines or connectors, select the first line, press and hold Ctrl while you select the other lines, and then press Delete. If you can't select a line to delete it in Word or Outlook, it might actually be a horizontal line, which is a type of border. Word automatically formats items like quotes, bulleted and numbered lists, and horizontal lines. When you type at least three dashes, underscores, or equal signs in a paragraph by themselves and press “Enter”, the characters are automatically converted to a single, thick single,.
Advertisement If you’re writing up a There are many Microsoft Word default settings you can customize. Here are a few important ones that can make you more productive. And want to use simple dividers to split up the various sections for readability, all you have to do is type three hyphens and hit Enter for a long horizontal line to magically appear. But once it’s there, getting rid of it can prove challenging. You’d think using the Delete or Backspace keys would work, but that only works if you delete right after hitting Enter. Otherwise, you’re stuck with that line.
How to Delete Horizontal Lines in Microsoft Word While you can’t use the Backspace key to get rid of it, you can still nix that line if you choose to:. Place your cursor directly above the line. In the Home tab, find the Paragraph section. Click the dropdown arrow next to the Borders icon and select No border. You can see this process in action in the video below.
![Word Word](/uploads/1/2/4/2/124232208/756189729.png)
. Click the line or paragraph (or multiple paragraphs) where you want to add the border or rule. In the Format, click the Layout button near the top. Click the pop-up menu below Borders & Rules, then choose a line type (solid, dashed, or dotted). Click the disclosure triangle next to Borders & Rules. To set where the line appears, click a Position button.
To change the thickness of the line, click the arrows for the value field next to the line color controls. To choose a color, do one of the following:. To see colors that go with your template: Click the color well on the left. To see all colors: Click the color wheel, then choose a color in the Colors window. To adjust the spacing between the line and the text it’s applied to, click the arrows for the Offset field.
To remove the border or rule, select the text with the border or rule, click the pop-up menu below Borders & Rules, then choose None. To add a border around a page, you first add a square shape to the page, then change its attributes so it behaves like a border. For example, you can change its size, give it no fill (as opposed to a color fill) so that it doesn’t obscure the text on the page, set it to always stay on the page, and so on. You can then set the border as a master object so it appears on all pages. Click in the, then choose the square or rounded rectangle from the Basic category. In the Format, click the Arrange tab at the top.
In the Object Placement section, click Stay on Page. Click the Text Wrap pop-up menu and choose None.
Drag the selection handles until the outer edges of the shape create the border size you want. To remove the color from the shape or specify a different color, click the pop-up menu next to Fill, then click No Fill or choose a different fill option. To specify what the border looks like, click the disclosure triangle next to Border, then click the pop-up menu and do one of the following:. Choose Line, then choose a line style from the pop-up menu below it. Click the color well to change the color of the line, and click the arrows to change the thickness of the line. Choose Picture Frame, then choose a picture frame style from the pop-up menu below it. Use the Scale slider to adjust the thickness of the frame.
To change the transparency of the border, drag the opacity slider. To lock the border so it doesn’t get moved accidentally, click the Arrange tab at the top of the sidebar, then click Lock.
To use the border on every page in a, choose Arrange Section Masters Move Object to Section Master (from the Arrange menu at the top of your screen). If your document has more than one section and you want the border to appear on every page in the document, for each section. Borders and rules (lines) can be created in different ways, so if you’re not sure how one was added, you can try these methods to remove it.
First click the line or border, then do one of the following:. If selection handles appear at the ends of a line: It was added as a shape. Click Delete on the keyboard. If selection handles appear around the border: It was added as a shape.
Click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar on the right, then click the pop-up menu to the right of Border, then choose No Border. Note: If you see a small x at the corners of a border or at the ends of a line, the shape is locked. You need to it before you can remove it. If no selection handles appear at the ends of a line: It was added as a rule.
Select the text above the rule, then click the Layout button near the top of the sidebar on the right. If the pop-up menu says None, select the text below the rule. Click the pop-up menu, then choose None. If no selection handles appear around the border: It was added as a border. Select the text inside the border, then click the Layout button near the top of the sidebar on the right. Click the line type pop-up menu and choose None. If you can’t select or delete a border or rule using any of the methods above, it may be a placed on the background of a template.
To make it selectable, choose Arrange Section Masters Make Master Objects Selectable (from the Arrange menu at the top of your screen).