How to Get Rid of a Line in Word

Unwanted lines in Microsoft Word can appear beneath a paragraph, across a page, around a table, or as marks from editing. The right fix depends on what created the line: pressing a key to delete it may remove text, while changing a border setting may leave a drawn shape untouched. Start by clicking near the line and noticing what becomes selected. The menus and button names can differ slightly between Word versions and platforms.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word, preferably with editing enabled.
A mouse or trackpad can make it easier to select a shape or table edge, though you can use Word’s keyboard controls instead.
If the file is shared or important, consider making a copy before changing layout or formatting.

Step-by-Step

Identify the kind of line. Click in the paragraph directly above a horizontal line. If the insertion point appears in ordinary text and the line stretches across the paragraph area, it is likely a paragraph border. If small handles or selection markers appear on the line when you click it, it is probably a shape. If it lies on a table edge, it is a table border. A vertical bar in the margin may be a Track Changes indicator rather than document content.
Remove a paragraph border. Click in the paragraph immediately above the line; you usually do not need to select the line itself. Open the Home tab and find the Borders control in the Paragraph group. Open its drop-down menu and choose No Border. In some versions, the control may appear as a small square grid or be grouped with paragraph shading. Check that the line disappears without removing the paragraph’s text.
Undo an automatically created line. If the line appeared just after you typed characters such as three hyphens and pressed Enter, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac immediately. This reverses Word’s automatic formatting while preserving the typed characters. If you have already made other edits, use the paragraph-border method instead of repeatedly undoing changes.
Delete a drawn line or shape. Click the line itself until selection handles appear, then press Delete or Backspace. If it is difficult to click, open Home > Select > Selection Pane where available, find the line or shape in the list, select it, and delete it. The Selection Pane is useful when a shape is behind text or close to other objects.
Remove a table border. Click inside the table, then select the affected cell, row, column, or table. Open the table’s Table Design or Table Design/Layout tab, find Borders, and choose the relevant border option. To remove all borders from the selected area, choose No Border. Be precise with the selection: applying this to the whole table can remove borders you intended to keep.
Hide a tracked-change line. If the mark is a vertical bar in the margin, open the Review tab and check the display options for Track Changes or markup. Changing the display to a simpler view can hide markup but does not accept or reject the edit. To remove the mark permanently, review the change and choose Accept or Reject as appropriate. Do not accept all changes unless you intend to keep every proposed edit.
Check the result. Click elsewhere in the document, scroll through the affected area, and confirm the line is gone while surrounding text, table formatting, and other shapes remain intact. Save the document after confirming the change.

Common Mistakes

Pressing Delete before identifying the line. A paragraph border is formatting, not a text character. Deleting nearby text may not remove it and can damage the paragraph.
Removing the wrong border. Word applies paragraph borders to paragraphs, so the line may belong to the paragraph above it rather than the one below. Click in the paragraph above and inspect the Borders menu.
Confusing hidden markup with a real line. A margin bar or colored change indicator may be review markup. Hiding markup changes the view; it does not remove the tracked edit.
Choosing No Border for the entire table. Select only the cells or edges you mean to change, unless you want every table border removed.
Using undo after making later edits. Undo works backward through recent actions. If several edits have followed the automatic line, avoid undoing them unintentionally and remove the border directly.

Tips

Hover over toolbar controls to see their names, especially if the Borders icon is not obvious.
Use the Selection Pane for overlapping objects; it can help distinguish a line shape from text or a table.
If the line is part of a page border, check Design > Page Borders and change the setting for the relevant section or document. Page-border controls can vary by version.
Before changing a shared document, make sure you have permission to edit it. A read-only file or protected section may prevent formatting changes.
For a line that should remain in some places, adjust only the affected paragraph or table edge rather than applying a broad formatting change.

Troubleshooting

The line will not select: It may be a paragraph border, not a shape. Click in the paragraph just above it and use Home > Borders > No Border. If that does not work and the line is at the edge of a page, check the page-border settings.

No Border removes other lines too: Word may have applied the setting to a whole paragraph, group of cells, or table. Undo immediately, select only the intended paragraph or cells, and try again. For a table, use the border menu to remove one specific edge instead of all borders.

The line returns after editing: Check whether automatic formatting is recreating a paragraph border. Undo it as soon as it appears, or review Word’s AutoFormat As You Type options if you want to change how automatic border rules are applied. The option’s location varies by version.

You cannot make changes: Confirm the document is not read-only, protected, or open with editing disabled. If it is shared, ask the owner for editing access. Also check whether you selected the line itself or the correct paragraph, table, or section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word add a line when I type hyphens?

Word may interpret a row of hyphens followed by Enter as a request for a paragraph border. Press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac right away to undo the automatic formatting.

How do I remove a horizontal line without deleting text?

Click in the paragraph directly above the line, then use the Home tab’s Borders menu and choose No Border. The line is usually paragraph formatting rather than a character in the text.

How do I remove a line in Word on a Mac?

The same approach applies: identify whether it is a paragraph border, shape, table border, or markup. Menu placement can vary by Word version; use the Home, Table Design, or Review tab as appropriate.

Can I remove one side of a table border?

Yes. Select the relevant cell or cells, open the table border menu, and choose the specific edge to turn off. Avoid No Border if you want to preserve the other edges.

Does hiding Track Changes remove the line permanently?

No. A display setting can hide markup without changing the tracked edit. To remove the indicator from the document, review the change and accept or reject it.

Why does the line appear in print preview?

A paragraph border, shape, table border, or page border may print as part of the document. Review those formatting settings; if the line is only a nonprinting editing mark, check the markup display and print settings.

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