How to insert a horizontal line in Word

A horizontal line in Word is a design element that serves to decorate text or divide a document into parts. Adding this element to a document improves the comprehension and readability of the contents of a Word file.

Inserting lines in Word helps format the document, give it the desired look. A horizontal line in Word can make text easier to read, and having lines makes a document more attractive.

Applying this design element to Microsoft Word will help your work look crisp and professional for both personal and corporate use.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a horizontal line in Word using various tools in the Microsoft Word text editor. We will offer you three classic methods for solving the problem and two non-standard options. The instructions in this article apply to versions of Microsoft Word: Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word 2007.

How to insert a horizontal line in Word using the keyboard (1 way)

In this method, we use the autoformat feature to place the line between lines of text rather than directly on the text line. The autoformat feature works when there is no text before or after where you want to place the line.

Follow a few steps to insert a Word horizontal line using keyboard shortcuts:

1. Open a Word document, and then click on the document where you want to insert a horizontal line.
2. Enter three or more characters in a row for the desired line style.
3. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.

This action turns the typed characters into a solid line that extends to the edge of the page below the last line of text.

You can create different line styles by entering three or more specific consecutive characters on a line. Check out the list of symbols you can enter to create lines with different styles:

• The hyphens (—) form a regular, simple line.
• Equals signs (===) create a simple double line.
• Asterisks (***) form a dotted line.
• An underscore (___) creates one bold line.
• Tildes (~~~) create a wavy line.
• Number signs with a hash (###) form a triple line with a thick center.

How to draw a horizontal line in Word by adding a border (2 way)

We will now show you how to add a horizontal line in Word without using the AutoFormat or AutoCorrect options. We use the built-in “Borders” tool from the paragraph design settings, located on the application ribbon.

Do the following:

1. In the window of an open Word document, place the cursor in the document where you want to insert a line.
2. In the “Home” tab, enter the “Paragraph” group, and then click on the arrow next to the “Borders” button.
3. Select “Horizontal Line” from the drop-down menu.
4. This action places a line at the specified location on the page of an MS Word document.
5. Double-click on the line with the left mouse button to edit the appearance of this document design element.
6. The Format Horizontal Line dialog box opens, allowing you to change the width, height, color, and alignment of the line.
7. Click on the “OK” button to apply these settings to the appearance of the created horizontal line.

How to draw a horizontal line in Word using “Shapes” (3 way)

Now you will learn about the third method by which you can draw a line on the page of a Word document. The Shapes menu contains several line options, including lines with arrowheads at one or both ends.

After you draw the line, adjust the color and appearance of this element. The line can be drawn not according to the width of the sheet, but of arbitrary length.

You need to go through the steps to help you insert a line using the “Shapes” feature:

1. Open a Word document, go to the “Insert” tab.
2. In the Illustrations group, click the Shapes icon.
3. In the menu that opens, select a line shape from the “Lines” option.
4. Draw a line anywhere in the document using the selected line template.

To draw a strictly horizontal line, immediately after selecting the shape type, press and hold the Shift key, and then draw the line at the desired location on the document page.

5. In the “Shape Format” tab (in some versions of Word – Format), change the appearance of the line, color, apply other effects.

How to draw a horizontal line in Word using a table (4 way)

This is not the most convenient non-standard way to insert a line into a Word document, but it can also be used.

Do the following:

1. On the Word document page, move the mouse pointer to the desired location.
2. Open the “Insert” tab.
3. Click on the “Table” button in the “Table” group.
4. From the drop-down menu, select one cell from the proposed table layout.
5. On the Table Design tab, click the arrow on the Borders icon in the Borders group.
6. In the menu that opens, deselect the items “Left border”, “Right border” one by one, as well as one of the two items: “Top border” or “Bottom border”, depending on whether you want to leave the top or bottom line on the page .

How to add a horizontal line in Word with an underline (5 way)

Consider another unusual way to create a horizontal line in a Word document. This is not quite the correct method, but this option can be used if it is convenient for you.

Do the following:

1. Place the mouse cursor in the desired location on the open page of the Word document.
2. In the Font group, click the Underline icon.

If you want to change the default straight underline look, click the arrow next to the Underline button and choose another option that suits you.

3. Press the “Space” (Space) until the place where you think the horizontal line should end.
4. At the very end, type a dot.
5. As a result, we have a horizontal line in the Word document.
6. Select the dot, and then change the color of the dot to white, which matches the background of the Word page, to hide the character.

If you need to change the color of the line, do the following:

1. Select a line on a Microsoft Word document page.
2. Enter the “Font” group.
3. In the “Theme Colors” option, select the appropriate color from the suggested ones or use the palette with other colors.

Article Conclusions

While editing a document, some users do not know how to draw a horizontal line in Word. This design element gives the document attractiveness and convenience. You can add a horizontal line in Word in several ways: using the keyboard, from the paragraph border settings, drawing with the shape function, creating a line from a table, or using the underline method.