How to Get Rid of the Line in Word and Prevent It From Reappearing

Unwanted horizontal lines in Microsoft Word are a common source of frustration for editors and writers alike. Often, these lines appear automatically after typing a few hyphens or underscores and pressing Enter. Because these are technically not characters but formatting elements known as paragraph borders, they cannot be removed by simply highlighting them and pressing the Delete key.

To quickly remove the most common type of line in Word, place your cursor in the paragraph immediately above the line, navigate to the Home tab, click the arrow next to the Borders icon in the Paragraph group, and select No Border.

This article provides a comprehensive technical breakdown of why these lines appear, how to identify different types of lines, and the precise steps to remove and permanently disable them.

Identifying the Source of the Mysterious Line

Before applying a fix, it is essential to understand what kind of line you are dealing with. Microsoft Word uses several different mechanisms to render lines, and the removal method depends entirely on the underlying formatting.

1. The Automatic Paragraph Border

This is the most frequent culprit. It occurs because of a feature called "AutoFormat As You Type." When you type three dashes (---), three equal signs (===), three underscores (___), or three hashes (###) and press Enter, Word converts that sequence into a border that resides at the bottom of the current paragraph.

2. The Horizontal Line Shape

Unlike a paragraph border, this is a separate graphic object. It is often inserted via the Insert > Symbols > Horizontal Line menu or from older document templates.

3. Table Borders

If your text was pasted from a website or another document, it may be sitting inside a hidden table. What looks like a random line might actually be the top or bottom border of a table cell.

4. Header or Footer Lines

If the line appears at the very top or bottom of every page and you cannot click on it within the main body of the document, it is likely part of the Header or Footer formatting.

How to Remove a Paragraph Border

When Word automatically generates a line from dashes or underscores, it attaches a "Bottom Border" to the paragraph above it. Because it is a border, the "line" technically exists in the space between two paragraphs, which is why clicking on it directly usually yields no results.

The Standard Removal Method

1. Position the Cursor: Place the cursor in the line of text immediately above where the line appears. If the line is between two empty paragraphs, place the cursor in the one above the line.
2. Access the Borders Menu: Go to the Home tab on the top ribbon.
3. Select No Border: Locate the Paragraph group. Find the Borders icon (a square grid symbol). Click the small downward arrow next to it. From the dropdown menu, select No Border.
4. The "Select All" Alternative: If your document is riddled with these lines and you want to clear them all, press Ctrl + A to select the entire document, then select No Border. Note that this will also remove any intentional table borders you may have created.

Technical Tip: The Cursor Placement Trap

In our testing with complex layouts, we have observed that users often fail to remove the line because they place the cursor below the line. Since the line is a bottom border of the preceding paragraph, selecting the paragraph below it and clicking "No Border" will do nothing. Always ensure the cursor is in the paragraph that "owns" the border.

Preventing Automatic Lines from Appearing

If you find the AutoFormat feature more intrusive than helpful, you can disable the trigger that creates these lines.

Steps to Disable Automatic Border Lines

1. Click the File tab in the top-left corner of Word and select Options.
2. In the Word Options dialog box, select Proofing from the left-hand sidebar.
3. Click the AutoCorrect Options... button.
4. Navigate to the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
5. Under the section labeled Apply as you type, uncheck the box next to Border lines.
6. Click OK on both windows to save your changes.

Once this setting is disabled, typing --- and pressing Enter will simply leave the three dashes as text, allowing you to maintain full control over your document's visual elements.

Dealing with Other Types of Lines in Word

If the "No Border" method did not work, the line is likely not a paragraph border. Follow these procedures to address other possibilities.

Removing Horizontal Line Shapes

Sometimes a line is a "Shape" or a "Graphic Object." This happens if someone used the "Horizontal Line" tool from the Borders menu or manually drew a line.

• The Click Test: Try clicking directly on the line. If a bounding box with small circles (handles) appears around the line, it is a shape.
• Removal: Once the line is selected and the handles are visible, simply press the Delete key on your keyboard.
• Using the Selection Pane: If you cannot click the line, go to the Home tab, click Select (in the Editing group), and choose Selection Pane. Look for objects named "Straight Connector" or "Horizontal Line." Select them in the pane and delete them.

Removing Table Borders

Text copied from the web often brings "invisible" tables with it.

• Identification: Click near the line. If a small "Table Move Handle" (a square with a crosshair) appears at the top-left corner of the text area, you are inside a table.
• Removal: Click the Table Move Handle to select the entire table. Go to the Table Design tab (which appears only when a table is selected), click the Borders arrow, and select No Border. Alternatively, if you want to keep the text but lose the table structure, go to Layout > Convert to Text.

Removing Header and Footer Lines

If the line persists on every page, it is anchored to the header or footer.

1. Enter Header Mode: Double-click the area at the very top of the page.
2. Remove Border: Highlighting the text in the header and use the Home > Borders > No Border method. Some templates include a line as a "Style" element; in this case, you may need to clear formatting by pressing Ctrl + Space or selecting "Normal" style.
3. Check for Shapes: While in Header/Footer mode, check if the line is a shape that needs to be clicked and deleted.

Removing Footnote Separators

Word automatically places a short horizontal line between the body text and the footnotes. This line is called the Footnote Separator.

1. Go to the View tab and select Draft.
2. Go to the References tab and click Show Notes.
3. A pane will appear at the bottom. In the dropdown menu within that pane, select Footnote Separator.
4. Select the line in the pane and press Delete. Note that Word may require at least a space or a default separator in some versions, but you can often format it to be invisible or minimal.

Advanced Troubleshooting: Using the "Reveal Formatting" Pane

When a line refuses to disappear, you need to look at the underlying metadata of the document. Microsoft Word has a powerful diagnostic tool called the Reveal Formatting pane.

1. Press Shift + F1 on your keyboard.
2. A task pane will appear on the right side of the screen.
3. Click on the text immediately above the stubborn line.
4. Look under the Paragraph section in the pane, specifically at the Borders sub-header.
5. If "Bottom Border" is listed, you have confirmed the source. You can click the blue "Borders" link in the pane to go directly to the formatting dialog and remove it.

The Role of Styles

Sometimes, a line is part of a specific "Style" definition (e.g., a "Heading 1" style that always includes a line underneath). If you apply that style to a paragraph, the line will return even after you delete it manually.

• The Fix: Right-click the Style in the Styles gallery on the Home tab, select Modify, go to Format > Border, and set it to None. This will remove the line from every instance where that style is used in the document.

Essential Shortcuts for Line Management

Effective document formatting often relies on knowing the right keyboard shortcuts. Here are the most relevant ones for managing lines:

In our experience, Ctrl + Q is an underrated "nuclear option." If a paragraph has a stubborn border or weird indentation, Ctrl + Q resets the paragraph formatting to the default of the underlying style, which almost always kills unwanted borders.

Why Does Word Do This?

The "AutoFormat As You Type" feature was designed in the 1990s to help users create visual separators without needing to navigate complex menus. While it saves time for simple letters, it often creates "formatting debt" in professional documents. The conversion of --- to a paragraph border is an abstraction—Word is turning your intent into a structural element. Understanding this abstraction is the key to mastering Word's layout engine.

Summary

Getting rid of a line in Word requires identifying whether the line is a paragraph border, a shape, a table element, or a section separator. For most users, the issue is an automatic paragraph border, which can be removed via the Home > Borders > No Border command or prevented by adjusting the AutoCorrect settings.

By using diagnostic tools like the Selection Pane and the Reveal Formatting window, you can uncover the source of even the most persistent lines and ensure your document remains clean and professionally formatted.

FAQ

Why won't the line delete when I press Backspace?

Because the line is not a character. It is a border attached to the paragraph above it. Backspace only deletes text characters and spaces. To remove a border, you must change the paragraph's formatting properties.

I selected "No Border" but the line is still there. Why?

There are two common reasons:

1. Your cursor is in the wrong paragraph (it should be in the one above the line).
2. The line is not a border, but a "Horizontal Line" shape or part of a table. Try clicking the line to see if it can be selected as an object.

How do I remove a vertical line in the margin?

Vertical lines in the left or right margins are usually "Revisions" marks from Track Changes. To remove them, go to the Review tab and either "Accept All Changes" or change the "Display for Review" setting to "No Markup."

Can I remove just one line without affecting other borders in the document?

Yes. Simply ensure only the specific paragraph above that line is active (place your cursor there) before selecting "No Border." Do not select the entire document unless you want all borders removed.

What is the difference between a page break line and a border line?

A page break line (visible only when Show/Hide ¶ is on) represents where a new page begins. A border line is a visual element that will appear in the printed document. If you see a dotted line with the words "Page Break," you can delete it by clicking at the beginning of that line and pressing Delete.