Borders and shading are used in Word Documents when we want some text/paragraph to grab the attention of the viewers, making it the First Impression. In MS Word we can apply the Borders and Shading to the written text, paragraph, etc. to make them look good and appealing like they pop out of the page.
Applying Borders
The border as the name suggests provides an outer/inner lining on the selected text/paragraph. A Border is a good alternative to the Fonts Styles such as Bold, Italics, and Underline and grabs much attention quickly without hardcore techniques.
In MS Word there are multiple types of borders which are as follows:
- Bottom Border– Border at the bottom of the Paragraph.
- Top Border– Border at the top of the Paragraph.
- Left Border– Border on the left side of the Paragraph.
- Right Border– Border on the right side of the Paragraph.
- No Border– Removes all the borders.
- All Borders– Border on all sides of the Paragraph.
- Outside Borders– Border outside the Paragraph.
- Inside Borders– Border inside the Paragraph.
- Inside Horizontal Border– Horizontal borders on both sides inside the Paragraph.
- Inside Vertical Border– Vertical borders on both sides inside the Paragraph.
Steps to Apply:
Step 1: Select the text/Paragraph to apply Border.
Step 2: Now, go to the Borders tab in the Paragraph menu under the Home bar.
Step 3: Select the border of your choice.
Applying Shades
Another way of grabbing the attention of the viewers more likely is by using the Shading feature in the Word Document. It is similar to highlighting the text/Paragraph.
In MS Word there are multiple colors available in the Shading tab, which you can apply to your text or paragraph like: red, blue, black, etc.
Steps to Apply:
Step 1: Select the text to apply the Shading.
Step 2: Now, go to the Shading tab in the Paragraph menu under the Home bar.
Step 3: Select the Shading Color of your choice.
However, we can apply both at the same time (Border and Shading), thus making our paragraph more appealing.
Updated: 05/16/2020 by
Microsoft Word gives you hundreds of page border options, allowing you to surround a page with a clean or fancy border, like a frame for a picture. You can also set a border to provide a shadow or 3D effect.
Add a border
- Open Microsoft Word.
- Click the Page Layout tab. In Word 2013 and 2016, click the Design tab instead.
- In the Page Background group, click the Page Borders option.
- In the Borders and Shading window (shown below), if not already selected, click the Page Border tab.
- Select Box if you want a square border around your page.
- Select the Style of border you want on the page, which can be solid, dotted, or dashed. Select the Color and Width of the border. If you want to select artwork to use as the border, click the down arrow for the Art drop-down menu. In the example below, we’re using the hearts art as a border.
Tip
By default, the borders are applied to the whole document, which means every page has the same border. Clicking the down arrow on Apply to gives you the option to select the first page only, selected page, all pages but the first page, and other options.
- Once you’ve selected all the border options you want to use in your document, click the OK button to apply the border.
Modify a border
- Open Microsoft Word.
- Click the Page Layout tab. In Word 2013 and 2016, click the Design tab instead.
- In the Page Background group, click the Page Borders option.
- In the Borders and Shading window (shown below), if not already selected, click the Page Border tab.
- Make the desired changes to the border that is currently set for the document or page. You can change the type of border in the Settings section, choosing from Box, Shadow, 3-D, or Custom. You can also change the style, color, and width of the order, and add or change art used in the border.
- When you have finished making the desired changes to the border, click the OK button to apply the changes.
Remove a border
- Open Microsoft Word.
- Click the Page Layout tab. In Word 2013 and 2016, click the Design tab instead.
- In the Page Background group, click the Page Borders option.
- In the Borders and Shading window (shown below), if not already selected, click the Page Border tab.
- Select None to remove any border on the page.
- Click the OK button to remove the border.
What is a border in Word?
A border in MS Word is a line, a set of lines, or designed shapes that appear around the boundaries of pages/images/shapes/textboxes.
Page borders are mostly used to design flyers and brochures, and sometimes book covers. Borders can be lines of different styles and weights or colorful graphics as illustrated in the picture below.
To add a page border in Word:
- Launch Microsoft Word.
- Click on the Design tab for Word 2013, 2016 and 2019.
- Click on the Page Layout tab for Word 2010 and older.
- In the Page Background group, click on Page Borders.
The Borders and Shading dialog box will appear. This
dialog box offers options for you to choose the style or size of border for
your page or pages.
- Select the Box option. This will give you a square border around your pages.
- In the Style section, select the type of line you want if you want to use a line or group of lines as your border.
- You can also change the color and width of the line.
- Instead of using a line, you can also use some
designed shapes or art as borders in your Word document.
NOTE: By default, Word adds the borders to all the pages in the document. If you don’t want this behavior, in the Apply to drop-down, select the first page only to add borders to only the first page. You can also break your pages into sections so that you can add borders to those sections alone.
How to make a custom border in word
It is very simple to make a custom border in Word.
- First, click to activate the Design tab.
- In the Page Background group, click the Page Border command to display the Borders and Shading dialog.
- Under the Settings group, select the Custom option from the list of choices. Now set the border styles and widths.
- Also, go to the Apply to box to decide whether you want the border to be applied to the entire document. Word will apply borders to every page in the document by default.
How to remove border in word
To remove border in Word:
- Click on the Design tab.
- In the Page Background group, click on Page
Borders. The Borders and Shading window will appear. - Click on None under Setting at the
left.
The none option will remove all the borders on all the pages
in your Word document.
How to add a Christmas border in word
To add a Christmas border in Word:
- Click on the Design tab.
- In the Page Background group, click on Page Borders. The Borders and Shading window will appear.
- Click on Box option under Settings at the left.
- Click on the Art dropdown, scroll up and down until you see the Christmas tree, click on it.
- Now click OK to add a Christmas border into Your Word document.
How to add a paragraph border in word
Aside from adding page borders in Word, you can also add
paragraph borders.
As a page border surrounds the entire page, a paragraph border surrounds only the selected paragraph.
Thus, to add a paragraph border in Word:
- Click anywhere inside the paragraph to which the
border will be added. - Click on the Home tab.
- In the Paragraph group, click on the Borders
command - A list of border options appears, click on Outside
Borders. - A line border will now surround the entire
paragraph.
How to add border to picture in word
Pictures in your document look fancier when framed.
There are different preset styles of borders you can add to
a picture to make it look nicer in your document. This feature is called Picture
Styles in MS Word.
The quickest way to add a border to a picture is to choose a preset style from the Styles gallery.
Obey the instructions below:
- Click to select the picture to add the border.
- Upon selecting the picture, a Picture Tool Format will appear on the ribbon. Click on this tab.
- In the Picture Style group, select the picture style that you like.
- The selected border will be added to the picture.
how to remove text box border in word
To remove text box border in Word:
- Click to select the text box.
- The Format tab will appear. If you don’t
see the Format tab, make sure the text box is selected. - Click on the Format tab.
- Click Shape Outline in the Shape Styles
category. - Then click on No Outline.
The No Outline command will remove the text box border from your Word document.
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- Adding a Page Border (Windows)
- Adding a Page Border (Mac)
- Adding a Text Border
- Q&A
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Do you want to make an outside border in your Microsoft Word documents? You can easily add a solid or dotted border to an entire page or selected content. You can also use Microsoft Word’s included designs to create an artistic border for themed event flyers. This wikiHow will show you how to create a border around text, images, or pages in Microsoft Word using your Windows or Mac computer.
Things You Should Know
- To add a page border, click «Design» → «Page Borders». Select a border setting, style, and page application. Click «OK».
- To add a border around text or images, select the content. Click the «Home» tab and click the arrow next to the border icon. Click «Borders and Shading…»
- Select a border setting, style, and page application. Click «OK».
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1
Open a project in Microsoft Word. This looks like a W on top of a blue square. Microsoft Word is available to install for Windows.[1]
- You must have a subscription to use Office 365.
- Use this method to add a lined border around a Microsoft Word document. This is different from changing the margins.
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2
Click Design. This will be in the top toolbar, between Draw and Layout.
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3
Click Page Borders. You can find this at the left side of the Design section, next to Page Color. It will have an icon of a page with a yellow border.
- A new window will open.
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4
Click Page Border. This is the middle tab on the Borders and Shading window. You may already be on this tab.
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5
Select a border setting. In the left-most column, click the border option that you want to use. Select from: None, Box, Shadow, 3-D, and Custom.
- If you want a simple border to go all the way around your page, select Box.
- To add a border with fun images, click the Art drop-down menu and select from Word’s art gallery. This border can be used for themed flyers for holidays and events.
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6
Select a border style. In the «Style» column, scroll down until you find the border style you want to use, then click the style. Select from the various solid and dotted line styles.
- If needed, you can also change the border’s color and width from the Color and Width drop-down menus, respectively.
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7
Select pages to use. If you created a new section earlier in this method, click the «Apply to» drop-down box, then click the section to which you want to apply the border in the resulting drop-down menu.
- To apply the border to the first page of your section, click This section — first page only in the drop-down menu.
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Click OK. It’s at the bottom of the page. This will apply the border to your document’s specified page(s).
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1
Open a project in Microsoft Word. This looks like a W on top of a blue square. Microsoft Word is available to install for Mac.[2]
- You must have a subscription to use Office 365.
-
2
Click Design. This will be in the top toolbar, between Draw and Layout.
-
3
Click Page Borders. You can find this at the left side of the Design section, next to Page Color. It will have an icon of a page with a yellow border.
- The Borders and Shading window will open, set to the Page Border tab. If it isn’t already on the Page Border tab, click it now.
-
4
Select a border setting. In the left-most column, click the border option that you want to use. Select from: None, Box, Shadow, 3-D, and Custom.
- If you want a simple border to go all the way around your page, select Box.
- To add a border with fun images, click the Art drop-down menu and select from Word’s art gallery. This border can be used for themed flyers for holidays and events.
-
5
Select a border style. In the «Style» column, scroll down until you find the border style you want to use, then click the style. Select from the various solid and dotted line styles.
- If needed, you can also change the border’s color and width from the Color and Width drop-down menus, respectively.
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6
Select pages to use. If you created a new section earlier in this method, click the «Apply to» drop-down box, then click the section to which you want to apply the border in the resulting drop-down menu.
- To apply the border to the first page of your section, click This section — first page only in the drop-down menu.
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7
Click OK. This is the blue button. This will apply the border to your document’s specified page(s).
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1
Open a project in Microsoft Word. This looks like a W on top of a blue square.
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2
Click Home. This is in the top toolbar, between File and Insert.
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3
Select content. Click and drag your mouse across the text or image(s) around which you want to place a border.
- This method will place a border around an entire selection of images and text together.
- If you want to place a border around a single image, double-click the image. Select a preset style from the Picture Styles section, or click Picture Border to set the color, weight, and design of the border.[3]
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4
Click
next to the «Borders» button. The Borders button resembles a square divided into four smaller squares; you’ll find it in the «Paragraph» section of options in the toolbar, just right of the paint bucket icon. A drop-down menu will open.
- On a Mac, click the Format menu item at the top of the screen instead.
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5
Click Borders and Shading…. It’s at the bottom of the drop-down menu. A new window will open.
- On a Mac, you’ll find this option in the middle of the Format drop-down menu.
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6
Select a border setting. In the left-most column, click the border option that you want to use. Select from: None, Box, Shadow, 3-D, and Custom.
- If you want a simple border to go all the way around your text, select Box.
-
7
Select a border style. In the «Style» column, scroll down until you find the border style you want to use, then click the style. Select from the various solid and dotted line styles.
- If needed, you can also change the border’s color and width from the Color and Width drop-down menus, respectively.
- To add a border with images, click the Art drop-down menu and select a design.
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8
Select pages to use. If you created a new section earlier in this method, click the «Apply to» drop-down box, then click the section to which you want to apply the border in the resulting drop-down menu.
- To apply the border to the first page of your section, click This section — first page only in the drop-down menu.
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Click OK. This will apply the border to your document’s specified page(s).
- Be sure to save your document when you’re finished.
- You can also use Microsoft Word to create a booklet or another handout flyer.
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Add New Question
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Question
How can I place a border around a picture I’ve inserted into a document?
You do what is shown above, but instead, you click on the picture before you go through the steps.
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Question
How do I put a border around a table in Microsoft Word?
Go into Format —> Borders and Shading. There you’ll find options for borders you can apply to the table.
-
Question
What three options can I set regarding a picture border?
The three option you can set are: small, medium and large.
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About This Article
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In this chapter, we will discuss how to work on borders and shades in Word 2010. Microsoft Word allows you to place a border on any or all of the four sides of selected text, paragraphs, and pages. You can also add different shades to the space occupied by the selected text, paragraphs, and pages. This chapter will teach you how to add any of the borders (left, right, top or bottom) around a text or paragraph or a page and how to add different shadows to them.
Add Borders to Text
Following are the simple steps to add border to any text or paragraph.
Step 1 − Select the portion of text or paragraph to which you want to add border. You can use any of the text selection method to select the paragraph(s).
Step 2 − Click the Border Button to display a list of options to put a border around the selected text or paragraph. You can select any of the option available by simply clicking over it.
Step 3 − Try to add different borders like left, right top or bottom by selecting different options from the border options.
Step 4 − To delete the existing border, simply select the No Border option from the border options.
Note − You can add a horizontal line by selecting the Horizontal Line option from the border options. Otherwise type — (three hyphens) and press ENTER. A single, light horizontal line will be created between the left and the right margins.
Add Borders to Page
You can add borders of your choice to word pages by following the steps given below.
Step 1 − Click the Border Button to display a list of options to put a border. Select the Border and Shading option available at the bottom of the list of options as shown in the above screenshot. This will display a Border and Shading dialog box. This dialog box can be used to set borders and shading around a selected text or page borders.
Step 2 − Click the Page Border tab which will display a list of border settings, styles and options whether this border should be applied to the whole document or just one page or the first page.
Step 3 − You can use the Preview section to disable or enable left, right, top or bottom borders of the page. Follow the instruction given in the preview section itself.
Step 4 − You can customize your border by setting its color, width by using different art available under the style section.
You can have similar or even better borders as given below.
Add Shades to Text
The following steps will help you understand how to add shades on a selected portion of text or a paragraph(s).
Step 1 − Click the Border Button to display a list of options to put a border. Select the Border and Shading option available at the bottom of the list of options as shown in the above screenshot. This will display a Border and Shading dialog box. This dialog box can be used to set borders and shading around a selected portion of text or page borders.
Step 2 − Click the Shading tab; this tab will display the options to select fill, color and style and whether this border should be applied to a paragraph or a portion of text.
Step 3 − You can use the Preview section to have an idea about the expected result. Once you are done, click the OK button to apply the result.
