Mastering the Art of Line Placement in Documents with Word

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What to Know

• AutoFormat: Enter special characters, like-– or*** , to add unique line styles.
• Horizontal Line tool: From theHome tab, select theBorders drop-down menu and thenHorizontal Line .
• Shapes menu: Go toInsert >Shapes . Choose a line type and then drag across the page to insert it.

This article covers three ways to insert horizontal lines in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.

Use AutoFormat to Add a Line in Word

Microsoft Word supports several types of lines that you can insert with the AutoFormat feature. It’s simple: type three characters for the desired line style and then press Enter .

Here are your options:

• Plain single line : Three hyphens —
• Plain double line : Three equal signs ===
• Broken or dotted line : Three asterisks ***
• Bold single line : Three underlined symbols ___
• Wavy line : Three tildes ~~~
• Triple line with a thick center : Three number signs ###

Use the Horizontal Line Tool to Insert a Line in Word

Another way to make a line in your document is with the built-in Horizontal Line tool, accessible via the Borders feature.

1. Place the cursor where you want to insert a line.
2. Go to theHome tab.
   By default, the Home tab is selected when you open a new or existing document.
   
3. In the Paragraph group, select the Borders drop-down arrow and chooseHorizontal Line .
4. To change the look of the line, double-click the line that was created in the document. TheFormat Horizontal Line dialog box lets you edit the line’s width, height, color, and alignment.

Use the Shapes Menu to Add a Line in Word

A third method 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.

How to Create Drawings in Word

1. Click where you want the line to go, then select theInsert tab.
   
2. In theIllustrations group, select theShapes drop-down arrow.
   
3. In theLines group, choose a line shape.
4. Drag across the document where you want the line to appear.
   
5. To change how the line appears, select it to enable theShape Format tab (calledFormat in some versions of Word). It’s there that you can edit its color, use a different line style, and apply effects.
   

How to Insert Source Code Into a Word Document

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 theHome tab. Next toParagraph , select thedown 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 > Line Numbers and chooseContinuous ,Restart Each Page , orRestart Each Section .

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