Formatting Issues

How to Remove a Random Interrupted Line from a Word Table

Natalie Taylor Oct 16, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to remove an unexplained broken or interrupted horizontal line that appears at the bottom of a page within a multi-page Word table.

How to Remove a Random Interrupted Line from a Word Table

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Working with multi-page tables where formatting inconsistencies or glitches occur near page breaks.
Observed behavior: A random, broken horizontal line appears at the bottom of one page in a table, likely caused by conflicting horizontal and vertical border settings.

Before you start

Before modifying your table's layout, click the 'Show/Hide ¶' button on the Home tab to reveal hidden formatting marks. This helps determine whether the rogue line is actually a table border, a page break, or a paragraph border.

Solution 1Recommended

Clear and Reapply Table Borders

The most common cause of broken lines is inconsistent border formatting, such as hidden or white vertical borders interrupting horizontal row borders. Resetting the borders resolves these conflicts.

When tables span multiple pages, Word sometimes misinterprets complex border combinations. By stripping away all border formatting and reapplying it uniformly, you can eliminate hidden inconsistencies.

Select the entire table

Hover over the table and click the four-headed arrow (crosshair) icon in the top-left corner to highlight the entire table.

Remove existing borders

Navigate to the 'Table Design' tab on the ribbon. Click the 'Borders' dropdown arrow and select 'No Border' to clear all lines.

Reapply new borders

With the table still selected, click the 'Borders' dropdown again and choose 'All Borders' or your preferred border style to apply uniform lines across the whole table.

Uniform Formatting Applied: Resetting the borders in one go ensures uniformity and eliminates the invisible border conflicts causing the interrupted line.

Solution 2

Recreate the Table

If the table formatting is deeply corrupted and clearing the borders fails, rebuilding the table from scratch is the most reliable workaround.

Professional Word Processor

Easily Manage Table Formatting with WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers an intuitive interface for managing complex tables, ensuring seamless page breaks and perfect border alignment without mysterious formatting glitches.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing the problematic table.
2. Access Table Tools: Click anywhere inside the table to automatically activate the 'Table Tools' tab on the top ribbon.
3. Adjust Borders: Navigate to the 'Borders' dropdown menu, select 'No Border' to clear glitches, and then apply your preferred uniform borders.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats, ensuring your tables look exactly as intended.Intuitive table design tools for seamless border management and customization.Advanced print layout view to preview page breaks and table splits perfectly.Lightweight, fast, and completely free to use for everyday document creation.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a line randomly appear at the bottom of a page in my Word table?

This usually happens due to conflicting row and cell border settings. If a row breaks across a page, the bottom border of the page might display based on specific cell borders, sometimes intersecting with hidden or white vertical lines.

Can page break settings cause broken lines in tables?

Yes. If 'Allow row to break across pages' is enabled, the word processor may draw a partial line at the page break. You can disable this by right-clicking the table, selecting Table Properties, going to the Row tab, and unchecking this option.

How do I remove a persistent horizontal line that is not part of a table?

If the line isn't a table border, it might be a paragraph border created by AutoFormat (e.g., typing three hyphens and pressing Enter). Place your cursor directly above the line, go to the Home tab, click the Borders dropdown, and select 'No Border'.

Document & File Issues