Custom borders in word

Add a border to a page

  1. Go to Design > Page Borders.

    Page Borders

  2. Make selections for how you want the border to look.

    Page border settings

  3. To adjust the distance between the border and the edge of the page, select Options. Make your changes and select OK.

    Page border shading

  4. Select OK.

If the page you want to add a border to is in the middle of your document, you must first add section breaks.

  1. Go to Design > Page Borders.

    On the Design tab, the Page Borders option is highlighted

  2. In the Borders and Shading box, design your border:

    • Under Setting on the left, choose the border style you want.

      If you want to remove a border, select None.

    • Under Style, select the line style you want.

    • Select the arrow under Color and choose a border color.

    • Select the arrow under Width and choose the width you want.

    Tip: If you want a clip-art border instead, select the arrow under Art and choose a border graphic.
    Select the style, color, and width for the page border

  3. Next, select the arrow to the right of Apply to and choose This section — First page only.

    Apply to menu with First page only highlighted

    This setting also works if you’re adding the border to the first page in your document.

  4. The Preview box confirms your border styles. To remove the border from one side, select that line in the Preview box.

    The Preview box in the Borders and Shading dialog box is shown

    Tip: To change where the border appears on the page, select Options and adjust the margin settings.

    When finished, Select OK.

Word for the web does not let you edit, delete, or add new borders to text.

If you’ve added borders around text in a document you created with the Word desktop app, Word for the web will preserve them.

A potential workaround is to insert a table that contains only one cell, then paste or type your text into that cell.

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Learn how to insert a lined or art border in Microsoft Word documents on desktop


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  • Adding a Page Border (Windows)
  • |

  • Adding a Page Border (Mac)
  • |

  • Adding a Text Border
  • |

  • Q&A

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».
  1. 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.
  2. 2

    Click Design. This will be in the top toolbar, between Draw and Layout.

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  3. Image titled Add a Border to Word Step 14

    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.
  4. 4

    Click Page Border. This is the middle tab on the Borders and Shading window. You may already be on this tab.

  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 8

    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. 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. 2

    Click Design. This will be in the top toolbar, between Draw and Layout.

  3. 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. 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. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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. 1

    Open a project in Microsoft Word. This looks like a W on top of a blue square.

  2. 2

    Click Home. This is in the top toolbar, between File and Insert.

  3. Image titled Add a Border to Word Step 3

    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]
  4. 4

    Click

    Android 7 Dropdown

    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.
  5. 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.
  6. Image titled Add a Border to Word Step 15

    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. Image titled Add a Border to Word Step 16

    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.
  8. Image titled Add a Border to Word Step 17

    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.
  9. Image titled Add a Border to Word Step 18

    9

    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

  • Question

    How can I place a border around a picture I’ve inserted into a document?

    Community Answer

    You do what is shown above, but instead, you click on the picture before you go through the steps.

  • Question

    How do I put a border around a table in Microsoft Word?

    Community Answer

    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?

    Community Answer

    The three option you can set are: small, medium and large.

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About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 971,313 times.

Is this article up to date?

If entrepreneurship runs in your family, you may have discovered how your ancestors jazzed up their documents: the old-fashioned way, by printing them on paper already embossed with a border. And for pictures and other visual elements? If they had a steady hand, they used a thin, black marker or simply left well enough alone. Then Microsoft Word kicked off a revolution known as desktop publishing, enabling small business owners to produce professional-looking documents with the aid of Word border templates and especially custom borders. In your haste to print reports, client proposals and white papers, you may have forgotten that this functionality exists. Give your documents an air of distinction by learning how to add Word document borders in a few simple steps.

Create a Page Border in Word

To create a custom page border in Word:

  • Open Word and click on the Design tab. Under Page Layout, click Page Borders. Click Page Border in the Borders and Shading window.
  • Select the Custom option from the list of choices. This is when the real fun begins. Now you can choose the color, style and width of your page border in Word.* Decide whether you want the border to be applied to the entire document. By default, Word will apply it to every page unless you direct it to do otherwise. To do this, go to the Apply to box on the bottom right and click on the arrow until you see the option that appeals to you most (such as applying the border to the first page only, all pages except the first page and other choices).
  • Click OK to create the border.

As you might guess, it’s worth experimenting with these options to find the custom choices you like best. As good as Word is at depicting, for example, the difference between a 1-, 2- and 3-point line, nothing compares to seeing that line encircle a page to appreciate its full effect.

Add Borders to Visual Elements

Documents with text boxes, pictures and shapes can really pop with the addition of borders.

To add a border, click on the text box, picture or shape and then click on Shape Format. Select Shape Outline, located next to the arrow. Now you will face a series of choices:

  • Add or change the color of a border by: clicking on your preferred color. Add or change the thickness of a border by: pointing to Weight and choosing the width that you want. Add or change the border style by: pointing to Dashes to make a selection.

If you change your mind, remember that nothing is permanent; simply click on No Outline to remove the border from the picture, text box or shape.

With a little practice, you should become proficient at adding Word document borders that enhance your work without overtaking it. Your efforts could make your employees, clients and especially your envious ancestors do an impressed double-take.

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.

Illustration of a page border in Word

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.
Click on the Design tab

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.
Set all your border settings
  • Instead of using a line, you can also use some
    designed shapes or art as borders in your Word document.
Use Art shapes for borders in Word

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.

Adding page border to one page only

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.
Select Custom from the Settings at the left
  • 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.
How to remove borders in Word

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 christmas border in word

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.
add a border to a paragraph in Word

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.
add border to picture in word
  • 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.
add picture border in word

how to remove text box border in word

To remove text box border in Word:

  • Click to select the text box.
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.
Go to Shape Outline>No Outline

The No Outline command will remove the text box border from your Word document.

Microsoft Word logo

Adding a page border to your document can be a subtle way to make your Microsoft Word documents stand out. You can customize the style, thickness, and number of pages for a border to apply to your Word document.

Creating a page border in Microsoft Word will depend on your version of Microsoft Office. For Office 365 and Office 2019, open a Word document and click the “Design” tab in the ribbon.

If you have an older version of Office, click the “Layout” or “Page Layout” tab instead.

From here, click the “Page Borders” button, in the “Page Background” section of the ribbon.

By default, the “Borders and Shading” box that opens should default to the “Page Border” tab. If it doesn’t, click on that tab to enter your border settings.

Click “Box” to add a typical box border to your document. You can use the default style, color, and border width, or change these settings from the various drop-down menus.

Click “OK” to apply the page border to your Word document.

By default, this border style is ten applied to every page.

Your document editing view will update to show the new border applied.

A page border applied to a Microsoft Word document

Alternative Page Border Styles and Formatting

The box page format is the default style, but alternative border styles and formatting options are available for you to use instead.

The box border is the most basic, adding a solid line with no shadow to your page. Even that can be customized with different types of lines, widths, and colors.

Custom Page Border Settings and Styles

Other than the box border, you can also apply a border with a shadow, a “3D” style border, and a custom border with mix-and-match options for each side.

To do that, select one of the options from the “Setting” section in the “Page Border” tab of the “Borders and Shading” dialog box. Your chosen style will appear for you to review in the “Preview” section before you apply it to your document.

Select your Word border style by clicking one of the options in the "Setting" section of the "Page Border" tab in the "Borders and Shading" dialog box

Applying or Removing Individual Border Lines

If you want to apply or remove individual border lines from your document (for instance, removing the border from the bottom of a page), you can do this from the “Preview” section.

If a border is applied, click on the border line to remove it. To apply it again, click on the line to make it re-appear.

Applying Custom Border Lines

Clicking on individual border lines in the “Preview” section is also how you can apply different styles to different lines when the “Custom” border setting is selected.

To do this, click the “Custom” button in the “Setting” column, select a line style from the “Style” drop-down menu, and then click on one of the border lines in the “Preview” box.

Changing Border Width and Color

You can make your border stand out with different colors and border widths. A wider border width will make your border stand out more in your document.

Border widths start from 1/4 pts and go up to 6 pts. A preview of your chosen border width appears in the “Preview” section. You can select any color you choose, either from the predefined options or by using the RGB color chart.

To change the border width or color, select your chosen options from the “Color” and “Width” drop-down menus. If you have the “Custom” border setting applied, you’ll need to click on each border line in the “Preview” section to apply your chosen settings to those lines.

To change the border width or color in Microsoft Word, select your chosen options from the Color and Width drop-down menus in the Page Border options menu

Adding a Border to a Single Page

Microsoft Word will usually apply border styles to each page, but you can apply a page border to an individual page or exclude certain pages like your front page.

To do this, enter the “Page Border” settings menu (Layout/Design/Page Layout > Page Borders) and click the “Apply To” drop-down menu.

If you want to apply a border to an individual page, make sure you’re active on that page in the Word document before entering the menu.

From the “Apply To” drop-down menu, select “This Section” to apply it to the page you’re currently on. To apply your border to the first page only, select “This Section – First Page Only” or, to apply it to all pages except the first page, select “This Section – All Except First Page” instead.

To apply a page border to individual pages, select the relevant option from the "Apply To" drop down menu in the Page Borders options menu

Click “OK” to save when you’re ready. This will then apply your page border to the pages you’ve specified, rather than to the entire document.

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How to Add Borders in Word

Adding borders and shading to paragraphs can make them more attractive, organized, and easy to read.

Add a Border

Borders are lines that you can add to the top, bottom, left, or right of paragraphs. They are especially useful for emphasizing headings.

  1. Click in the paragraph where you want to add a border.
  2. If you want to add the same kind of border to several paragraphs, select them all at once.

  3. Click the Borders list arrow.
  4. Select a border type.
  5. Add a Border

The border is applied to the selected sides of the paragraph.

To remove a border, select the No Border option in the Borders menu.

Add Shading

Change the background color of a paragraph by adding shading.

  1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to add shading to.
  2. Click the Shading list arrow.
  3. Select a shading color.
  4. If the color you want to use does not appear in the list, select More Colors to choose from a larger array of colors.

    Add Shading

The color is applied behind the text.

Additional Border and Shading Options

If the options available on the ribbon don’t have what you’re looking for, open the Borders and Shading dialog box to see more options..

  1. Click the Borders list arrow.
  2. Select Borders and Shading at the bottom of the menu.

    Additional Border and Shading Options

  3. Use the options in the dialog box to adjust the border and shading:
    • To apply a border: Click the Borders tab and select your border style, color, and width. Then, click the side(s) of the paragraph in the Preview diagram where you want to apply the borders.
    • To apply shading: Click the Shading tab. Click the Fill list arrow and select the color you want to use. You can also click the Style list arrow in the Patterns group and select a pattern.
  4. Click OK when you’re done.

    Additional Border and Shading Options

The border and shading settings are applied.

You can also add a border or shading to just some of the text rather than an entire paragraph. Select the text and open the Borders and Shading dialog box. Click the Apply to list arrow, and select Text. Then, specify the border and shading options you want to use.


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