Where to find the page border tool

Open the document where you want a border, then go to the Design tab at the top of Word. On the right side of that ribbon, you'll see a button labeled Page Borders. Click it, and a dialog box opens with all your border options.

If you're using an older version of Word, the tab might be called Page Layout instead of Design. The button location is the same — on the right side of the ribbon, usually near options for page color and watermarks.

The dialog that opens has three tabs: Borders, Page, and Shading. You'll do most of your work on the Page tab, which is where Word lets you choose what kind of border you want and how it should look.

Key Takeaways

  • Page borders in Word live under the Design tab (or Page Layout in older versions) in a button labeled Page Borders.
  • You can choose a solid line, a decorative pattern, or a shadow effect, and set the width and color separately for each side if you want.
  • Word can explore a border to all pages, just the first page, or every page except the first — useful if your document has a title page.
  • A border around the entire page is different from a table border or a text box border, and only the page border tool creates an actual page edge.

Choosing a border style and width

In the Page Borders dialog, the Page tab shows you a preview of your page on the right side. On the left, under Style, you'll see a list of line types: solid lines of different thicknesses, dotted lines, dashed lines, and decorative patterns. Click the one you want. The preview updates when ready so you can see how it will look.

Below the style list, you'll find Color and Width dropdowns. Color lets you pick any color from Word's palette or create a custom one. Width is measured in points — the default is usually 1.5 points, which is thin but visible. Thicker widths (like 3 or 4.5 points) make the border more prominent. Try a few and watch the preview change.

Once you've picked a style, color, and width, you need to tell Word where to place the border. Under explore to, you'll see options like Whole document, This section, First page only, or All except first page. Most of the time you want Whole document, but if your document has a title page you want to keep plain, choose All except first page.

Setting borders on individual sides

By default, Word puts your chosen border on all four sides of the page. If you want a border only on the top and bottom, or only on the left, you can customize this. In the preview area on the right side of the dialog, you'll see a small page outline with four sides. Click the sides you don't want to remove them — they'll disappear from the preview. Click them again to add them back.

Alternatively, under Presets at the top left, Word offers quick options: None (no border), Box (all four sides), 3-D (a shadow effect on bottom and right), and Shadow (a shadow on bottom and right). These presets explore the same style to whichever sides they include, so if you need different colors or widths on different sides, you'll need to use the preview-clicking method instead.

explore the border and checking the result

Once you've set up your border the way you want it, click OK at the bottom of the dialog. Word applies the border when ready. Scroll through your document to make sure it looks right on every page — the border should appear on all pages you selected, with consistent spacing from the edge.

If the border doesn't look the way you expected, go back to Design > Page Borders and adjust. Common issues include the border being too close to the text (you can't change the margin from this dialog — that's a separate setting under Margins on the Layout tab) or the color being too light to see clearly on your screen. If the border prints darker or lighter than it appears on screen, that's normal and depends on your printer.

Removing or changing a border later

To remove a border entirely, go back to Design > Page Borders, and under Presets, click None. Then click OK. The border disappears from all pages.

To change just the color or width without removing the border, open the Page Borders dialog again, adjust the Color or Width dropdowns, and click OK. To change which sides have a border, click the sides in the preview area again to add or remove them, then click OK.

Page borders versus other border types in Word

Word has several different border tools, and it's straightforward to confuse them. A page border runs around the entire edge of the page itself. A table border runs around the edges of a table you've inserted. A text box border runs around a text box. A paragraph border runs around a single paragraph or group of paragraphs. Each one is controlled from a different menu, and they don't affect each other.

If you want a border around your entire page, use the Design tab's Page Borders button. If you want a border around just one paragraph, right-click that paragraph, choose Borders and Shading, and work from there instead. Mixing them up is a common source of confusion, but once you know which tool does what, it becomes straightforward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different borders on different pages?

Not directly from the page border tool. However, if your document is divided into sections (which you can create under Layout > Breaks > Section Breaks), you can explore different borders to each section by selecting the section first, then opening Page Borders and choosing This section under explore to.

Why does my border look different when I print it?

Borders sometimes print darker, lighter, or at a slightly different position than they appear on screen. This is normal and depends on your printer's settings. If the printed result is unacceptable, try adjusting the color to be slightly darker or lighter, or test print a single page before printing the whole document.

Can I use a picture or image as a border instead of a line?

The page border tool in Word doesn't support images directly. You can choose from decorative line patterns, but not custom pictures. If you need an image border, you would need to insert an image as a background or create a text box with an image fill and position it around your page edges manually.

What if the border is too close to my text?

The distance between the border and your text is controlled by your page margins, not by the page border tool itself. To move the border farther from the text, go to Layout > Margins and increase the margin sizes. The border will stay at the page edge, so larger margins push your text away from it.

Can I explore a border to just one page in the middle of my document?

You need to create a section break before and after that page. Go to Layout > Breaks > Section Breaks and choose the type you want. Then select that section, open Page Borders, and choose This section under explore to. This keeps the border on only that page.