How do you make lines in word

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.

1. Place the cursor where you want to insert the horizontal line.

2. 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:

1. 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.

2. At the bottom of the menu, select Borders and Shading.

3. In the dialog, you can change the line’s style (solid, dotted, wavy, double, and so on), color, or width as you see fit. 

4. 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:

1. On the ribbon, select File > Options.

2. In the dialog box, select Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type. 

3. Clear the Border Lines option.

4. Select OK.

Outlook: Turn off the automatic line feature

1. On the ribbon, select File > Options.

2. In the dialog box, select the Mail tab, then select Editor Options.  

3. On the Proofing tab, select AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type. 

4. Under Apply as you type, clear the Border Lines option.

5. Select OK.

Want to draw a line?

See Draw a line in Word or Outlook.

See Also

Add a border to some text

Draw shapes

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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:

1. Place the cursor where you want to insert a line.

2. Go to the Home tab.

   By default, the Home tab is selected when you open a new or existing Word document.

3. In the Paragraph group, select the Borders drop-down arrow and choose Horizontal Line.

4. To change the look of the line, double-click the line in the document.

5. 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.

1. Place the cursor in the spot where you want to insert a line.

2. Go to the Insert tab.

3. In the Illustrations group, select the Shapes drop-down arrow.

4. In the Lines group, choose a line shape.

5. In the Word document, drag across the location where you want the line to appear.

6. To change the look of the line, select the line to enable the Shape Format tab. (Some versions of Word call this Format.)

7. 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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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:

1. Use the Borders command on the Home tab in the Ribbon
2. Select and apply different types of lines using the Borders and Shading dialog box
3. 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:

1. Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to add a line.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click Borders in the Paragraph group. A drop-down menu appears.
4. 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:

1. Select the paragraph(s) with the border lines you want to remove.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and then click Borders. A drop-down menu appears.
3. 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:

1. Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to add a line.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click Borders in the Paragraph group. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Select Borders and Shading. A dialog box appears.
5. Select a border style, color and width.
6. Click between the guides in the sample area on the right (above or below the sample).
7. Click Options (if required), enter any offset amounts to control the distance between the line and the paragraph and click OK.
8. In Apply to, ensure Paragraph is selected.
9. 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:

1. Select the paragraph(s) with the lines you want to remove.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and click Borders. A drop-down menu appears.
3. Select Borders and Shading. A dialog box appears.
4. Click None in the Setting area.
5. In Apply to, ensure Paragraph is selected.
6. 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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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.