The fastest way to delete a horizontal line

A horizontal line in Word usually appears because you typed three or more dashes, underscores, or equal signs in a row and then pressed Enter. Word automatically converts that into a line. To delete it, click directly on the line itself, then press Delete or Backspace. The line disappears when ready.

If that does not work, the line might be a border instead of an auto-formatted line. Click on the line, go to the Home tab, find the Borders button (it looks like a small square with lines around it), and select "No Border". The line will vanish.

Some lines are part of a table or a paragraph border rather than a standalone object. If clicking the line does not select it as a single object, try selecting the paragraph above or below it, then removing the border from there instead.

Key Takeaways

  • Click directly on the line and press Delete — this works for most auto-formatted lines that Word created from dashes or underscores.
  • If clicking does not select the line, use the Borders button on the Home tab and choose "No Border" to remove it.
  • Lines that are part of a table or paragraph require you to select the table cell or paragraph first, then remove the border.
  • To prevent Word from creating lines automatically, type the dashes or underscores, then press Ctrl+Z when ready after Word converts them.

Why Word creates lines automatically

Word has a feature called AutoFormat that watches what you type. When you type three or more consecutive dashes (---), underscores (___), or equal signs (===) and press Enter, Word assumes you want a horizontal line and replaces your typing with one. This happens when ready and can feel like the line appeared from nowhere.

The same feature creates other automatic formatting — like turning an asterisk followed by text into a bullet point, or turning a number followed by a period into the start of a numbered list. Most of the time this is helpful. Sometimes it is not.

Selecting and deleting the line

Click once directly on the line itself. You should see a small box or selection handle appear around it, showing that Word recognizes it as a single object. Once it is selected, press Delete or Backspace. The line vanishes and the space it occupied closes up.

If nothing happens when you click, the line might not be a standalone object. Try clicking on the paragraph mark (¶) at the end of the line above it. If you see a small line icon appear in the selection, you have found the right spot. Delete from there.

If the line still will not go away, it may be a page break or section break rather than a line. Look at the View menu and turn on "Formatting Marks" to see what is actually there. A page break shows as a dotted line labeled "Page Break". A section break shows as a dotted line labeled "Section Break". Delete these the same way — click and press Delete.

Using the Borders menu to remove lines

Open the Home tab at the top of Word. Look for the Borders button — it is usually near the highlighting and font color buttons, and it looks like a small square with lines on the edges. Click the small arrow next to it to open a menu.

From the menu, select "No Border" or "No Outline". This removes any border formatting from the selected paragraph or table cell. If you have not selected anything yet, select the paragraph that contains or is near the line, then use the Borders menu.

This method works especially well when the line is a paragraph border rather than an auto-formatted line. Paragraph borders are invisible until you explore them, but they print and show up in the document. Removing the border removes the line.

Stopping Word from creating lines automatically

If you need to type dashes or underscores without Word turning them into a line, type them and then press Ctrl+Z when ready. This undoes the automatic conversion and leaves your dashes or underscores as plain text. You can then continue typing normally.

Alternatively, you can turn off AutoFormat entirely. Go to File, then Options, then Proofing, then AutoCorrect Options. Click the AutoFormat tab and uncheck "Horizontal lines". This prevents Word from converting dashes into lines, though it will still do other automatic formatting like bullets and numbered lists.

If you want to create a line intentionally, use Insert > Shapes and draw a line manually, or use Insert > Horizontal Line if your version of Word has that option. This gives you more control over where the line appears and how it looks.

Lines in tables and text boxes

If the line is inside a table cell, click on the cell first to select it. Then use the Borders button on the Home tab to remove the border. You can remove just the bottom border, just the top, or all borders depending on which line you want gone.

If the line is in a text box, click on the text box border to select the entire box, then right-click and choose "Format Shape" or "Format Text Box". Look for a Borders or Line section and set it to "No Line".

Lines that appear at the edge of a page are usually page margins or section breaks rather than lines you can delete. If you see a line at the very top or bottom of the page, check the Insert tab for Page Breaks or the Layout tab for margin settings.

When the line will not delete

If you have tried clicking and deleting but the line persists, it might be a header or footer line. Headers and footers are separate from the main document. Double-click at the very top or bottom of the page to enter header or footer editing mode, then delete the line from there.

Another possibility is that the line is part of a style applied to the entire document. If removing the border from one paragraph does not work, select all text (Ctrl+A), then remove the border. This clears any borders applied to the whole document at once.

If the line is still there, try copying the text you want to keep, creating a new blank document, and pasting the text there. Sometimes a stubborn line is tied to corrupted formatting in the original document, and starting fresh is faster than troubleshooting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a line appear when I type three dashes?

Word's AutoFormat feature automatically converts three or more consecutive dashes, underscores, or equal signs into a horizontal line when you press Enter. This is meant to save time, but you can undo it by pressing Ctrl+Z when ready or by turning off AutoFormat in the Options menu.

Can I delete a line without deleting the text above or below it?

Yes. Click directly on the line itself so it is selected as its own object, then press Delete. The text stays in place. If the line is a paragraph border, select the paragraph and remove the border — the text remains untouched.

What if the line is part of a table?

Click on the table cell that contains the line, then use the Borders button on the Home tab to remove it. You can choose to remove just one border (top, bottom, left, right) or all borders at once.

Is there a way to prevent lines from appearing in the first place?

Yes. Turn off AutoFormat by going to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat tab, then uncheck "Horizontal lines". You can also press Ctrl+Z when ready after Word creates a line to undo it.

What if I want to create a line on purpose?

Use Insert > Shapes to draw a line, or type three dashes and let Word convert them automatically. You can also use Insert > Horizontal Line if your version of Word includes that option. This gives you more control than relying on AutoFormat.