Creating a line in word

Word for Microsoft 365 Outlook for Microsoft 365 Word 2021 Outlook 2021 Word 2019 Outlook 2019 Word 2016 Outlook 2016 Word 2013 Outlook 2013 Word 2010 Outlook 2010 Word 2007 Outlook 2007 More…Less

You can add horizontal lines, sometimes called horizontal rules, to a document or email message to help separate sections of text and add visual appeal.

By default, Word and Outlook have a three-character shortcuts that inserts a full-width horizontal rule in your document or message. The appearance of that rule—thinner, thicker, double-line, dotted, wavy—depends on which shortcut you use, as illustrated in the image below.

If this automatic line feature doesn’t suit you, you can turn off this feature in Word or turn it off in Outlook.

If you want to draw a line for illustration purposes, see Draw a line in Word or Outlook instead.

Insert a horizontal line by typing a few characters

The fastest way to add a horizontal line or rule is to use the AutoFormat feature. When you type certain characters three times in their own paragraph and then press Enter, those characters instantly become a full-width horizontal line.

Place the cursor where you want to insert the horizontal line.
Type three of the characters illustrated below, and then press Enter.

The line is inserted for the full width of the page. When inserted into a column, the line is inserted to match the width of the column. To add text above the line, put your cursor where you want the text and begin typing.

Format the horizontal line after you create it

The shortcut described above creates an empty paragraph with a bottom border. You can change the look of that border line by using the Borders options:

In Word, on the Home tab of the ribbon, select the down arrow next to Borders.

In Outlook, on the Format Text tab of the ribbon, select the down arrow next to Borders.
At the bottom of the menu, select Borders and Shading.
In the dialog, you can change the line’s style (solid, dotted, wavy, double, and so on), color, or width as you see fit.
When you’re done formatting the line, select OK. Then, on the ribbon, select the Borders button to apply your changes.

Word: Turn off the automatic line feature

To prevent Word or Outlook from automatically inserting a horizontal line when you type the three shortcut characters, do the following:

On the ribbon, select File > Options.
In the dialog box, select Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type.
Clear the Border Lines option.
Select OK.

Outlook: Turn off the automatic line feature

On the ribbon, select File > Options.
In the dialog box, select the Mail tab, then select Editor Options.
On the Proofing tab, select AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type.
Under Apply as you type, clear the Border Lines option.
Select OK.

Want to draw a line?

See Draw a line in Word or Outlook.

Things You Should Know

On desktop, go to the Insert tab. Click Shapes, then select a line. Click and drag across the document to create a line.
To customize the line, double-click it. Click Shape Outline to change the color.
On mobile, click the three dots. Tap Home and select Insert. Tap Shapes to select a line. Tap and drag across the document to create a line.

1
Open Microsoft Word on your Windows or Mac computer. Click or double-click the Word app icon, which resembles a white «W» on a dark-blue background.
- If you want to draw a line in an existing Word document, double-click the Word document to open it and skip the next step.
- You’ll need a subscription to use Office 365.
2

Click Blank document. It’s in the upper-left side of the page.

Advertisement
3

Click the Insert tab. This tab is in the blue ribbon at the top of the Word window, between Home and Draw.
4
Click Shapes. It’s in the Insert toolbar, next to the icon of an overlapping circle and square.
- A drop-down menu will appear.
5

Select a line shape. In the «Lines» heading, click one of the line templates. You can choose a line, line arrow, double line arrow, and more.
6
Draw your line. Click and drag across the document to create your line.
- If you need to adjust the line’s length and orientation, click the left or right circle. Drag it left or right to adjust the length, or drag it up and down to adjust the orientation.
- To move the line, double-click and drag it to the desired position.

1
Open Microsoft Word on your Windows or Mac computer. Click or double-click the Word app icon, which resembles a white «W» on a dark-blue background.
- If you want to draw a line in an existing Word document, double-click the Word document to open it and skip the next step.
2

Click Blank document. It’s in the upper-left side of the page.
3
Click the Home tab. This tab is in the blue ribbon at the top of the Word window, between File and Insert.
- You may already be on this tab by default.
4
Click the «Borders» arrow. This is next to the icon of the dotted square with a solid bottom line.
- A drop-down menu will open.
5
Click Horizontal Line. This will be towards the bottom, above Draw Table.
- A horizontal line will be added.
6
Format your line. Double-click the line; a dialogue box will appear.
- To change the line thickness, use the up and down arrow below Height. The higher the number, the thicker the line will be.
- To change the color, click the color box underneath Color. Select your desired color.
- Click OK to save and apply your changes.
- To move the line, double-click and drag it to the desired position.

1
Open Microsoft Word on your Windows or Mac computer. Click or double-click the Word app icon, which resembles a white «W» on a dark-blue background.^[1]
- If you want to draw a line in an existing Word document, double-click the Word document to open it and skip the next step.
2

Click Blank document. It’s in the upper-left side of the page.
3
Place your cursor where you want your line to appear. You’ll need to be on a blank line, as this won’t work if there is text before or after your cursor on the same line.
- You’ll be creating a horizontal line that spans from one edge of your page to the other. The line will stop at your set margins.
- If you want to make the line span the whole page, you’ll need to change your document margins.
4

Type three dashes in a row. Use your dash key on the number row at the top of your keyboard, or on the numeric pad.
5
Press ↵ Enter to convert the dashes into a line. AutoCorrect will automatically create a solid line that will situate itself directly beneath the previous line of text.
- Note that the line does not occupy the space of a line of text, but instead exists between lines of text.
- If you do not have AutoCorrect enabled, do so by clicking File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options…. This will open a new window.
  - Make sure the Border Lines box is checked. This can be found underneath Apply as you type.
  - If you want to turn off AutoCorrect, uncheck the boxes.
6
Use different characters for different line styles. There are a variety of different lines that you can create by using characters other than the dash:^[2]
- Thin line: Three hyphens (-).
- Thick line: Three underscores (_).
- Double line: Three equal signs (=).
- Dotted line: Three asterisk (*).
- Triple line: Three pound signs (#).
- Squiggly line: Three tildes (~).
7
Move the line by entering text above it. You can prompt the line to move down by typing text above it and then pressing Enter.
- Deleting text above the line will prompt it to move upward.

1
Open a document in the Microsoft Word app. This looks like a blue notebook next to a W.
- Microsoft Word is available for iOS in the App Store and for Android in the Google Play Store.
- Tap Blank document to open a new document or tap a file to open an existing document.
2
Tap ••• . This can be found above the keyboard, to the right.
- If you don’t see your keyboard, tap the document to bring it up.
- A new menu will open.
3
Tap Home. This will be to the left of the formatting window.
- A drop-down menu will open.
4

Tap Insert. You’ll see a list of all objects you can insert.
5

Tap Shapes. This is next to the icon of an overlapping circle and square.
6

Select a line shape. In the «Lines» heading, tap one of the line templates. You can choose a line, line arrow, double line arrow, and more.
7
Draw your line. Tap and drag across the document to create your line.
- Use two fingers to pinch and zoom out to view the entire document.
- If you need to adjust the line’s length and orientation, tap the left or right circle. Drag it left or right to adjust the length, or drag it up and down to adjust the orientation.
- To move the line, tap and drag it to the desired position.

Add New Question

Question

How do I view all available symbols in Microsoft Word?

Click «Insert» and then click «Symbols» and you should be shown a box with all of the symbols in it.
Question

How do I add a line on the first page, and no lines on the second?

Click «Insert» and then click «Symbols» and you should be shown a box with all of the symbols in it.
Question

How do I change the color of the line?

In the paragraph section, open the drop-down menu on the «Borders» button. At the very bottom is a «Borders and Shading» option. In that option, change the color of the bottom border to your specified color. Click the «Borders» button.

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Looking for money-saving deals on Microsoft Office products? Check out our coupon site for tons of coupons and promo codes on your next subscription.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Click Insert.
2. Click Shapes.
3. Select a line template.
4. Click and drag across your Microsoft Word document to draw the line.

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,043,531 times.

Is this article up to date?

Источник

465

465 people found this article helpful

Use these three methods to quickly insert a line in your document

Updated on December 4, 2020

What to Know

AutoFormat: Type the three characters for the desired line style > Enter.
Horizontal Line tool: In Home tab, select Borders drop-down menu > Horizontal Line.
Shapes menu: Go to Insert > Shapes. In Lines group, select and drag a line shape across the page.

This article covers three ways to insert horizontal lines in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.

Use AutoFormat to Insert a Line in Word

You can quickly insert a line into a Word document with the AutoFormat feature. To create a line, place the cursor in the location that you’d like to insert it, type the three characters for the desired line style, then press Enter.

To create the different types of lines, press the associated keys on the keyboard:

Plain single line: Three hyphens (—)
Plain double line: Three equal signs (===)
Broken or dotted line: Three asterisks (***)
Bold single line: Three underline symbols (___)
Wavy line: Three tildes (~~~)
Triple line with a thick center: Three number signs (###)

Here’s what each of these line types looks like in Word:

Use the Horizontal Line Tool to Insert a Line in Word

To insert a line into a Word document using the built-in Horizontal Line tool:

Place the cursor where you want to insert a line.
Go to the Home tab.

By default, the Home tab is selected when you open a new or existing Word document.
In the Paragraph group, select the Borders drop-down arrow and choose Horizontal Line.
To change the look of the line, double-click the line in the document.
In the Format Horizontal Line dialog box, modify the width, height, color, and alignment of the line.

Use the Shapes Menu to Insert a Line in Word

A third way to add a line to a Word document is to draw it on the page. The Shapes menu contains several line options, including lines with arrow points on one or both ends. After you draw the line, customize the color and appearance.

Place the cursor in the spot where you want to insert a line.
Go to the Insert tab.
In the Illustrations group, select the Shapes drop-down arrow.
In the Lines group, choose a line shape.
In the Word document, drag across the location where you want the line to appear.
To change the look of the line, select the line to enable the Shape Format tab. (Some versions of Word call this Format.)
Go to the Shape Format tab and change the color, use a different line style, or apply effects.

FAQ

How do I change line spacing in Word?

To fix spacing in Word, highlight the text whose spacing you want to change and select the Home tab. Next to Paragraph, select the down arrow to expand the options. In the Spacing section, set the amount of space before and after line breaks or choose a preset line-spacing option.
How do I add a signature line in Word?

To insert a signature line in Word, go to the Insert tab and select Signature Line. Selecting few or no options leaves a blank line, and a signature line will appear in the document.
How do I add line numbers in Word?

To add line numbers in Word, go to Layout > Page Setup > Line Numbers and choose Continuous, Restart Each Page or Restart Each Section > Line Numbering Options.

Thanks for letting us know!

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

Источник

If you want to add a horizontal line inside a Word document, you can do it by using the formatting tools. But inserting a vertical line is a little trickier. You have to insert the line as a shape. Word lets you tweak the line’s color, shape, style, angle, thickness and alignment. You can also add visual effects such as 3-D styles, outlines and shadows.

In this tutorial, you will learn the different ways to draw a line inside a Word document.

Method 1: Using Shapes Menu

The very basic method to draw a line inside a Word document is to draw it. You can do this by using the Shapes menu. This menu has several options such as lines with arrow points on one or both the ends. You can also customize the appearance and color of the line after drawing it.

Please follow the steps below:

Open Ms Word, Double-click a Word document that you want to edit, or double-click the Word App Icon and click Blank document to open a new document.

Now place the cursor where you want to insert a line and click Insert

Click on Shapes drop-down arrow available in In the Illustrations group.

Next,choose the shape of the line from the line group

Inside the document, click on the shape and drag across the area where you wish the line to be placed.

Creating Vertical Line

Put your cursor where you want the line to begin. Then, drag it to the area where you want the line to end.

Note: If you press the Shift key and drag the mouse while drawing the line, you can easily get an absolute horizontal or vertical orientation.

Change Style of Line

You can change the style of the line, for that select the line and then click Format tab (Shape Format for some versions).

In this Format tab you change the color, style or apply effects to the line.

Method 2: Using the Horizontal Line Tool

Another easy way to insert a line in the Word document is by using the Horizontal Line Tool present already. Let us see how you can use it.

Please follow the steps below in order to insert a line Horizontal Line Tool:

Place the cursor in the word document where you want to draw a line and click Home Tab

Note: When you open a New Word document or an existing one, the Home tab is selected by default.

Now go to Paragraph group and click on the Border drop-down and select Horizontal Line.

A Horizontal Line will be inserted to your word document.

Change Style of the Line

In order to change the style (look) of the horizontal line, double click on the line

A Format Horizontal Line dialog box will appear where you can change the width, height, color and alignment of the line.

Method 3: Insert Line Above or Below Heading

Lines are commonly used in Word to decorate a heading or a subheading. It decorates the text and makes it eye-cathy, and also helps to divide the document into sections.

Please follow the steps below

First place the cursor on the heading (where you want to add line) and click on Home Tab.

Now go to Paragraph group and click on the Border drop-down and select Bottom Border to add line below Heading or Top Border to add line above Heading.

Method 4: Create Lines Using Keyboard

Another easy way to create a line in Word is to press the hyphen key 3 times and hit the Enter key. This will automatically create a straight line. You can also replace the hyphen key with an underscore or the equals symbol. This will give you thicker lines and doubles lines respectively. Hash signs can be used to drawing triple lines with thick centers.

You can use the Asterisk symbol to create a dotted line or use tildes to draw some wavy lines.

Using Hyphens (—)

Just type three hyphens and press Enter on your Keyboard.

Using Underscore (___)

Just type three underscore and press Enter on your Keyboard for thicker line.

Note: Press Shift + Hyphen to type Underscore

Using EqualTo Sign (===)

Just type three EqualTo sign and press Enter on your Keyboard for double line.

Using Hash Sign (###)

Just type three hash signs and press Enter to create triple line with a thick center

Using Asterisk Sign (*)**

Just type three asterisk Sign and press Enter to create a broken or dotted line.

Using Tildes (~)

Just type three tildes and press Enter to create a wavy line

Conclusion

All of the methods described above are simple and easy to insert your desired lines in a Word document. Modification of the styles, colors and alignments is also easy with Word’s in-built line formatting tools. So, go ahead and play around with these methods a bit until you find the one that suits you the best.

Источник

Если вы хотя бы иногда пользуетесь текстовым редактором MS Word, наверняка знаете о том, что в этой программе можно не только набирать текст, но и выполнять ряд других задач. О многих возможностях этого офисного продукта мы уже писали, при необходимости, вы можете ознакомиться с этим материалом. В этой же статье мы расскажем о том, как в Ворде нарисовать линию или полоску.

Уроки:
Как создать диаграмму в Word
Как сделать таблицу
Как создать схему
Как добавить шрифт

Создаем обычную линию

1. Откройте документ, в котором необходимо нарисовать линию, или создайте новый файл и откройте его.

2. Перейдите ко вкладке “Вставка”, где в группе “Иллюстрации” нажмите кнопку “Фигуры” и выберите подходящую линию из списка.

Примечание: В нашем примере используется Ворд 2016, в предыдущих версиях программы во вкладке “Вставка” есть отдельная группа “Фигуры”.

3. Нарисуйте линию, нажав левую кнопку мышки в ее начале и отпустив в конце.

4. Линия заданной вами длины и направления будет нарисована. После этого в документе MS Word появится режим работы с фигурами, о возможностях которого читайте ниже.

Помогла ли Вам статья?

Источник

Insert a horizontal line by typing a few characters

Format the horizontal line after you create it

Word: Turn off the automatic line feature

Outlook: Turn off the automatic line feature

Want to draw a line?

See Also

Need more help?

Things You Should Know

About This Article