Line next to text in word

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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.

Adding a Border

Add a vertical line next to a paragraph is to simply add a side border to the paragraph.

Highlight the paragraph you wish to add a line to, go to Home | Paragraph, and click the Borders dropdown.

This gives you options to insert borders in various locations. To insert a vertical line to the left or right of the text, select Left Border or Right Border.

The Left or Right border options insert a plain black line next to the text. If you want to have more control over the color or style of your line, instead select Borders and Shading at the bottom of the list.

Custom Borders

Click Custom on the left-hand side of the dialog box, to enable you to choose individual borders to add. In the middle section, you can select the style, color and width of the line. On the right-hand side, click the box to indicate where you want the border to appear (top, bottom, left or right). The preview will give you an indication of how your line will appear.

Note that the boxes for the border positions are toggle keys, so if a border that you don’t want is appearing in the preview, just click the appropriate box to remove it.

A line inserted by this method is anchored to the paragraph(s) it is applied to and will move if you move a paragraph.

Add a Page Border

The same thing can be done at the page level.

Design | Page Background } Page Borders | Page Border.

Like a paragraph border, select the style of border you want then click the Preview sides. Remove the top and bottom borders, leaving left or right depending on your needs.

To add a vertical line using the shape tool, go to Insert | Shapes and select the Line tool.

Place the cursor where you want the line to start, and drag to where you want the other end of the line to be. Holding the Shift key while you drag will ensure that the line is straight.

Once you have finished creating the line, the Format tab becomes live on the ribbon, where you can change the color, shape and style of the line.

Click the Layout button next to the line to see options regarding how you want the line to interact with your text.

To move or resize the line, grab one of the end points and move it. If you hold the Control key while you move, both ends of the line will move as if around a fulcrum.

Adding a Bar Tab

Another way to add a vertical line to text is to use the Tab feature, but instead of inserting a tab, you will add a ‘bar’ or vertical line. Bar tabs are the lesser known Tab formatting option which separate tabbed items with a visible bar like this:

The shape tool can be used to add a line in any location and of any length, a bar tab can only be applied to whole paragraphs.

Make the ruler is visible at the top of your document, to help you find the correct position for the bar tab. If you cannot see the ruler, go to View | Show, and tick the Ruler box.

To insert a bar tab, select the paragraphs that you want the bar to appear beside, go to Home | Paragraph and open the Paragraph dialog box. Then click the Tabs button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Tab Stop Positions

In the Tab Stop Position box, enter the position where you want the line to appear. You can use the ruler at the top of the screen to work out what value to enter. In the example pictured, the text starts at 0 on the ruler, so if you want the line to appear to the left of the existing text, you may enter “-0.5”. If you want it to appear to the right of the text, you may enter “17”.

Then select Bar under Alignment and click OK.

With the values entered in the above figure, the text would then look like this:

Note that a line inserted by this method is anchored to the paragraph(s) it is applied to. If you move a paragraph around, the line will go with the paragraph to its new location.

If you wish to later delete the line, highlight the paragraph, open the tab dialog again and click Clear.

Adding Lines to Columns

If you are arranging your text into columns, you can insert a vertical line between the columns.

To arrange your text into columns, select the text, go to Layout | Columns and select the number of columns you want.

Now that your text is arranged into columns, click anywhere within the columns, and go to Layout | Columns again, but this time select More Columns at the bottom of the list. In the dialog box, simply tick the Line Between box, and click OK.

Vertical lines either side of text

One way to put vertical lines on both sides of text is to add empty columns either side using Layout | Breaks | Column Break. Three column breaks will do the job, two to make empty columns plus one at the bottom of the middle text column.

Note that if you wish to add a line to the left or right of the columns, this can be done using any of the other methods described above.

See Color the Column dividing line in Word

Four more vertical formatting tricks in Word

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A user-friendly guide to making different types of lines in Microsoft Word

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Using Shapes to Draw a Line

Using Borders to Add a Line

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Using the Mobile App

Tips

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.

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

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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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When working in Microsoft Word, you’ve probably seen two different kinds of text with lines through it (commonly called a “strikethrough”). Red text with a red line through it happens when you delete text while the collaborative Track Changes feature is on. Black text with a black line just has special character formatting applied. Here’s how it works.

Why Would You Want to Strike Through Text, Anyway?

It’s a good question. Why cross out words when you can just delete them? When you’re tracking changes in Word so that you can collaborate with other people, keeping that deleted text visible, but struck through, lets them know what has changed. They can even review those changes and accept or deny them.

We have a full guide on keeping track of changes made to a Word document, so we’re not going to cover all that in this article. It’s a good read, though, if you’re collaborating on a document.

Instead, we’re going to focus on how to apply strikethrough character formatting and why you might want to.

So, why bother? Well, you might be collaborating with someone and not want to use the Track Changes feature. Maybe they don’t use Word or Microsoft Office, and you’re sending it to them to view in Google Docs, or as a PDF they can print out.

Either way, you can strike through text as a suggestion that it be deleted, but leave it in place for them to see. This is particularly useful in a situation where, for example, you’re tutoring a student in a subject like a foreign language. It’s much easier for the student to learn if they can go back and see the mistakes along with the corrections.

Some writers also use strikethrough text (and occasionally often overuse it) to show a change of thinking in a document. Or maybe you just want to be annoying funny.

Whatever the reason, we’re here to show you how to do it.

RELATED: How to Apply Strikethrough to Text in Google Docs

How to Apply Strikethrough Formatting to Text

Applying strikethrough formatting is pretty easy. Start by selecting the text you want to strike through. You can do this by clicking and dragging over the text (or just double-clicking a word), but when you do this, Word likes to select the space after the text, as well. If you don’t want that to happen, click to place your insertion point at the beginning of the text, and then Shift-click at the end of the text for a more precise selection.

If you want to get fancy and select multiple words spread out through the document at the same time, you can do that, too. Select the first bit of text the regular way, and then hold down the Ctrl key while selecting additional text in different places. We suggest only doing this a paragraph at a time because it’s frustrating when you accidentally let go of the Ctrl key and have to start over.

When you have your text selected, look on the “Home” tab of Word’s Ribbon. In the “Font” group, click the Strikethrough button (it’s the three letters with a line drawn through them).

Now, any text you had selected should be struck through.

You can also apply strikethrough formatting using the Font window. Select your text, and then press Ctrl+D on Windows or Cmd+d on Mac to open that window up. Here, you can select not only the regular “Strikethrough” option but a “Double Strikethrough” option if you want to go that way, instead. Make your selection, and then click the “OK” button.

Make Things Easier By Creating a Keyboard Shortcut

Microsoft Word has loads of keyboard shortcuts, including a bunch for applying formatting. Unfortunately, there’s no built-in shortcut for applying strikethrough formatting. If it’s something you do a lot, though, you can create your own key combo.

Start by opening that Font window back up. Now, press Ctrl+Alt+Plus on Windows (you might have to use the Plus key on your number pad). Your cursor should very briefly turn into a clover shape. After that happens, click the “Strikethrough” option and a Customize Keyboard window should open.

Here, you can assign your preferred keyboard combo by clicking once in the “Press New Shortcut Key” box and then pressing the keys you want to use. If the combination you choose already has a shortcut function, Word will let you know that it’s currently assigned to something else. You can, of course, still use it even if it’s assigned to something else, but it’s better to try to find a combination that doesn’t have any current functions. We find Ctrl+Alt+- (minus) is pretty easy to remember and doesn’t have any other use in Word.

Press the “Assign” button, and then go back to your Word doc and try it out.

Now you have your customized strikethrough shortcut!