You can change the look of a line shape by changing its color, line style, or weight. If you are using Excel, Outlook, Word, or PowerPoint, you can apply a predefined Quick Style to quickly change the look of your line.
Note: These features are available only in the desktop versions of the programs listed above.
What do you want to do?
-
Add a Quick Style to a line
-
Change the color of a line
-
Make a line dotted or dashed
-
Change the weight of a line
-
Work with lines in Project
-
Format cell borders in Excel
Add a Quick Style to a line
Quick Styles for lines include theme colors from the document theme, shadows, line styles, gradients, and three-dimensional (3-D) perspectives. When you position your pointer over a Quick Style thumbnail, you can see how the style affects your line. Try different Quick Styles until you find one that you like.
-
Select the line you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold Ctrl while you select the other lines.
-
On the Format tab, click the Quick Style you want.
To see more Quick Styles, click the More button
.Note: If you don’t see the Format tab, make sure you’ve selected the line.
.Top of Page
Change the color of a line
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.
-
On the Format tab, click the arrow next to Shape Outline, and then click the color that you want.
Note: If you don’t see the Format tab, make sure you’ve selected the line.
To use a color that isn’t a theme color, click More Outline Colors, and then click the color you want on the Standard tab, or mix your own color on the Custom tab. Custom colors and colors on the Standard tab are not updated if you later change the document theme.
Top of Page
Make a line dotted or dashed
-
Select the line you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.
-
On the Format tab, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.
Note: If you don’t see the Format tab, make sure you’ve selected the line.
-
Point to Dashes, and then click the style you want.
To create a custom style, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.
Top of Page
Change the weight of a line
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold Ctrl while you select the other lines.
-
On the Format tab, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.
Note: If you don’t see the Format tab, make sure you’ve selected the line.
-
Point to Weight, and then click the line weight that you want.
To create a custom line weight, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.
Note: To draw a double line, draw a single line, copy and paste a second line next to it, and then group the two lines.
Top of Page
Format cell borders in Excel
If you want to apply line styles and colors to borders in Excel spreadsheets or tables, see the following articles:
-
Apply or remove cell borders
-
Create and apply a border cell style
-
Show or hide gridlines on a worksheet
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Work with lines in Project
You need to have a Gantt chart open to follow these steps.
-
Right-click the line you want to change and click Properties.
-
Under Line, choose a color from the Color list and a line thickness from the Line list.
Top of Page
See Also
Draw or delete a line or connector
Format the bar chart of a Gantt Chart view in Project
Important:
Office 2010 is no longer supported. Upgrade to Microsoft 365 to work anywhere from any device and continue to receive support.
Upgrade now
What do you want to do?
-
Add a Quick Style to a line
-
Change the color of a line
-
Make a line dotted or dashed
-
Change the weight of a line
Add a Quick Style to a line
Quick Styles for lines include theme colors from the document theme, shadows, line styles, gradients, and three-dimensional (3-D) perspectives. Try different Quick Styles until you find one that you like. With live preview, when you position your pointer over a Quick Style thumbnail, you can see how the Quick Style affects your line.
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the Quick Style that you want.
To see more Quick Styles, click the More button
.
Example of the Shape Styles group on the Format tabIf you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, make sure that you have selected the line. You might have to double-click the line to open the Format tab.
Top of Page
Change the color of a line
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the arrow next to Shape Outline, and then click the color that you want.
Example of the Shape Styles group on the Format tab.If you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, make sure that you have selected the line. You might have to double-click the line to open the Format tab.
To change to a color that is not in the theme colors, click More Outline Colors, and then either click the color that you want on the Standard tab, or mix your own color on the Custom tab. Custom colors and colors on the Standard tab are not updated if you later change the document theme.
Top of Page
Make a line dotted or dashed
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.
If you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, double-click the line to make sure that you selected it.
-
Point to Dashes, and then click the line style that you want.
To create a custom style, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.
Top of Page
Change the weight of a line
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.
If you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, double-click the line to make sure that you selected it.
-
Point to Weight, and then click the line weight that you want.
To create a custom line weight, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.
Note: To draw a double line, draw a single line, copy and paste a second line next to it, and then group the two lines.
Top of Page
See Also
Draw or delete a line or connector
What do you want to do?
-
Add a Quick Style to a line
-
Change the color of a line
-
Make a line dotted or dashed
-
Change the weight of a line
-
Work with lines in Publisher
Add a Quick Style to a line
Important: Quick Styles are available only in these 2007 Microsoft Office system programs: Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
Quick Styles for lines include theme colors from the document theme, shadows, line styles, gradients, and three-dimensional (3-D) perspectives. Try different Quick Styles until you find one that you like. When you place your pointer over a Quick Style thumbnail, you can see how the Quick Style affects your line.
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines. For more information about selecting lines, see Select a shape or other object.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the Quick Style that you want.
To see more Quick Styles, click the More button
.If you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, double-click the line to make sure that you selected it.
Top of Page
Change the color of a line
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines. For more information about selecting lines, see Select a shape or other object.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the arrow next to Shape Outline, and then click the color that you want.
If you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, double-click the line to make sure that you selected it.
To change to a color that isn’t in the theme colors, click More Outline Colors, and then either click the color that you want on the Standard tab, or mix your own color on the Custom tab. Custom colors and colors on the Standard tab are not updated if you later change the document theme.
Make a line dotted or dashed
In Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines. For more information about selecting lines, see Select a shape or other object.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.
If you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, double click the line to make sure that you selected it.
-
Point to Dashes, and then click the line style that you want.
To create a custom style, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.
Change the weight of a line
In Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines. For more information about selecting lines, see Select a shape or other object.
-
Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.
If you do not see the Drawing Tools or Format tabs, double click the line to make sure that you selected it.
-
Point to Weight, and then click the line weight that you want.
To create a custom line weight, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.
Top of Page
Work with lines in Publisher
-
Select the line that you want to change.
If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.
-
On the Drawing toolbar, click Dash Style
, Line/Border Style , or the arrow next to Line Color , and then click the style that you want.To change to a color that is not displayed, click More Outline Colors, and then either click the color that you want on the Standard tab, or mix your own color on the Custom tab.
To create a custom weight, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.
, Line/Border Style 
, or the arrow next to Line Color 
, and then click the style that you want.Top of Page
See Also
Draw or delete a line or connector
Insert Lines in Microsoft Word Documents
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated October 9, 2021
Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)
You can insert a line in Word using the Ribbon or by using keyboard shortcuts. It’s best to avoid drawing lines and instead insert border lines in Microsoft Word (normally paragraph borders) so the line or lines will move as you edit the document.
In this article, we’ll focus on inserting lines using borders attached to paragraphs. In Microsoft Word, anything with a hard return after it is a paragraph. If you use border lines, you can customize the type of border, line thickness and color. You can also include paragraph border lines in styles so they will appear throughout your document. If you draw lines using Insert Shapes, you’ll have to worry about the line being inline or floating.
You can insert a line in Word in 3 ways using borders:
- Use the Borders command on the Home tab in the Ribbon
- Select and apply different types of lines using the Borders and Shading dialog box
- Insert different types of lines using keyboard shortcuts (which add lines using AutoCorrect)
Recommended article: How to Keep Text Together in Microsoft Word
Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses >
Inserting a line using the Borders button
To insert a line in Word above and / or below a paragraph using the Borders button:
- Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to add a line.
- Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
- Click Borders in the Paragraph group. A drop-down menu appears.
- Select the line you want to use.
Below is the Borders command in the Ribbon in Word:
Removing lines using the Borders command
To remove a border line or lines from one or more paragraphs:
- Select the paragraph(s) with the border lines you want to remove.
- Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and then click Borders. A drop-down menu appears.
- Choose No Border from the drop-down menu.
Inserting a line using the Borders and Shading dialog box
You can apply a line or custom border lines to one or more paragraphs using the Borders and Shading dialog box.
To insert a line in Word above and / or below a paragraph using the Borders and Shading dialog box:
- Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to add a line.
- Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
- Click Borders in the Paragraph group. A drop-down menu appears.
- Select Borders and Shading. A dialog box appears.
- Select a border style, color and width.
- Click between the guides in the sample area on the right (above or below the sample).
- Click Options (if required), enter any offset amounts to control the distance between the line and the paragraph and click OK.
- In Apply to, ensure Paragraph is selected.
- Click OK.
Below is the Borders and Shading dialog box where you can add a line or lines to paragraphs:
Removing lines using the Borders and Shading dialog box
To remove lines from one or more paragraphs using the Borders and Shading dialog box:
- Select the paragraph(s) with the lines you want to remove.
- Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and click Borders. A drop-down menu appears.
- Select Borders and Shading. A dialog box appears.
- Click None in the Setting area.
- In Apply to, ensure Paragraph is selected.
- Click OK.
Inserting a line using keyboard shortcuts
You can also insert a horizontal line using keyboard shortcuts (which insert border lines as AutoCorrect entries).
Type the following characters and then press Enter or Return to insert lines:
- To insert a plain single line, type three hyphens (—).
- To insert a plain double line, type three equal signs (===).
- To insert a dotted line, type three asterisks (***).
- To insert a bold single line, type three underlines (___).
- To insert a wavy line, type three tildes (~~~).
- To insert a triple line, type three number signs or hash tags (###).
To remove these lines, select the paragraph with the line, click the Borders button on the Home tab and select No Border.
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More resources
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Download Article
A user-friendly guide to making different types of lines in Microsoft Word
Download Article
- Using Shapes to Draw a Line
- Using Borders to Add a Line
- Using Keyboard Shortcuts
- Using the Mobile App
- Q&A
- Tips
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Do you want to create a horizontal line in your resumé or other Microsoft Word document? If you want to customize the color and format of the line, you can use the Shapes tool. If you need to make a quick, basic line, you can use the keyboard shortcut. While you can use the keyboard shortcut on Windows and Mac, you cannot use it on the mobile app. This wikiHow will show you how to insert different lines in Microsoft Word on your Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android device.
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.
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-
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.
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-
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.
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-
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.
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-
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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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.
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In the Lines group, choose a line shape.
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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.
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Word has a set of AutoFormat shortcuts that make horizontal lines, here’s how they work, how to change them, color the lines and how to stop lines when they get out of control.
Line shortcuts
There are six horizontal line shortcuts. For each one type the same character three times at the start of a new line then press Enter.
For example, press the dash key three times on a new line, then enter.
Dashes give you a horizontal line
Underscores give you a bold horizontal line
Equals gives you a double horizontal line
And there’s more …
The three above are the best known but there are others.
Asterisk makes a dotted line
Tilde makes a wavy line
Pound/Hash makes a triple line
Tooltip controls
Whenever you automatically make a line, a small tooltip appears with some options.
Undo Border Line – changes back to the characters you typed. The usual undo shortcut, Ctrl + Z, will do the same thing.
Stop Automatically Creating Border Lines – will turn off the AutoFormat | Border Lines option entirely.
Control AutoFormat Options … goes to the settings for AutoFormat as you type.
Autoformat Options
The automatic lines and all other AutoFormat options are controlled from Options | Proofing | AutoCorrect options | AutoFormat As You Type:
Border lines can be turned on/off from there. There are no options to select just some character/line combinations – it’s all or nothing.
Under the hood
Word isn’t making the lines by adding a lot more characters across the page. That’s where confusion can begin if you’re trying to stop the lines appearing.
It’s converting your dash/underscore/equals etc. into a paragraph border. Specifically, a bottom border line on the paragraph.
For example, here’s how an automatic double horizontal line appears in Paragraph | Borders and Shading
It’s just the double line style applied to the bottom line of the paragraph. Strictly, at the bottom of group of paragraphs with the same formatting. Knowing that detail is useful when you’re fixing the extra lines that start appearing.
Color
The automatic lines are always black (actually ‘Automatic’). Word doesn’t pick up the color of the three characters nor the paragraph as you might expect.
To change the line color, select the line then go to Home | Paragraph | Borders | Borders and Shading. Select the color you want from the pull-down list and then click on the borders you want the color change to apply.
Other lines
You’re not limited to the lines that Microsoft provides via AutoCorrect. You can add your own or change the look of a line added with AutoCorrect.
Select the line then go to Home | Paragraph | Borders | Borders and Shading. That opens up the many options you have:
Styles: there are over 20 line styles to choose from.
Color: as mentioned above, the full Word color range is available.
Width: thin, medium or thick – take your pick from ¼ point to 6pt.
Top, bottom, left, right – click in the preview box to choose which lines to show and the style of each one.
Whatever you choose, remember to click on the line/s in the preview box to apply the look you want.
For consistency, you can have a horizontal line as part of a paragraph style. For example, a line above or below a heading.
Unwanted horizontal lines
A common problem with the automatic lines is extra lines appearing where you don’t want them.
It happens when you add paragraphs immediately above the horizontal line. Each of those paragraphs inherits the same (bottom border) formatting that Word made for the horizontal line.
You won’t see a line under each paragraph because Word groups together paras with the same formatting. Only the last paragraph of a group will have a bottom border line.
The problem usually rises because people try to fix the extra lines by selecting just the paragraphs showing horizontal line and change the formatting.
That doesn’t change the ‘bottom border’ formatting for other lines that have the setting. So it seems like extra lines keep popping up without reason!
The solution is to make sure you select all the affected paragraphs – not just the ones with horizontal lines.
Choose a paragraph and look carefully at the Home | Paragraph | Borders icon. That icon changes according to the current border settings. In this, enlarged, example you can see the bottom line is solid.
To change the border setting, pull-down the borders list and choose ‘No Border’.
To stop the creeping lines in the first place, get into the habit of not adding extra paragraphs from the horizontal line itself. Instead, go to the paragraph ABOVE the horizontal line and add new paras from there.
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