How to Remove an Unwanted Vertical Bar from a Word Document
Question details
The user needs to remove a faint vertical bar that appeared on the right side of their document after deleting a cover page, which is restricting the printable text area.
- Product
- Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Modifying document layout by deleting an existing cover page and its section break.
- Observed behavior
- A faint vertical bar appears on the right side of the pages, reducing the printable text area. The bar acts like an undeletable object in the normal text view.
Enable the 'Show/Hide Editing Marks' feature in your word processor to help you easily identify hidden section breaks and document formatting elements before making changes.
Delete the Anchored Shape from the Document Header
Since the vertical bar is a shape anchored within the header formatting inherited from the deleted cover page, editing the header allows you to select and delete it.
When a cover page and its section break are deleted, the formatting from that section often transfers to the next section or the final paragraph mark. This includes any graphical elements like lines or shapes stored in the header.
Double-click on the top margin of the page where the vertical bar appears to enter the Header and Footer editing mode.
Hover your mouse over the faint vertical bar on the right side of the page until your cursor changes to a selection arrow. Click to select the shape so that an outline or sizing handles appear around it.
Press the 'Delete' or 'Backspace' key on your keyboard to completely remove the vertical bar.
Double-click anywhere in the main body text area, or click the 'Close Header and Footer' button on the toolbar to resume normal document editing.
Remove Residual Section Breaks
If the bar persists on other pages, you may need to clear out the remaining section break that is carrying the unwanted formatting from the old cover page.
Easily Manage Document Formatting with WPS Office
WPS Office provides an intuitive Writer application that makes it incredibly easy to edit headers, manage section breaks, and fix unwanted formatting issues in your Word documents without hassle.
- 1. Open your Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your .docx file experiencing the formatting issue.
- 2. Access the Header: Navigate to the 'Insert' tab and click on 'Header and Footer', or simply double-click the top margin of your page.
- 3. Remove Unwanted Shapes: Click on the vertical bar on the right side to select it, then press the Delete key.
- 4. Save Changes: Double-click the main text area to exit the header, and save your perfectly formatted document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did a vertical bar appear after I deleted my cover page?
Cover pages often use shapes anchored in the header to create graphical elements like vertical sidebars. When you delete the cover page and its section break, that header formatting transfers to the next section of your document, causing the bar to reappear.
I cannot select the vertical bar by clicking it. How do I delete it?
The vertical bar is part of the header layer rather than the main text body. You must double-click the top or bottom margin of the page to enter Header editing mode first. Once in this mode, you will be able to click on the bar and delete it.
Does removing the section break automatically delete the header?
No. Removing a section break merges the section before it with the section after it, typically adopting the formatting of the latter. You may still need to manually enter the header to delete any residual shapes or graphics.
How do I restore the printable text area after deleting the bar?
Once the vertical bar is deleted from the header, the text wrapping constraints that pushed your text aside are eliminated. Your document's printable area will automatically revert to your standard page margin settings.
