Formatting Issues

How to Remove Gray Text Boundaries and Hidden Text in Word

Camila Milosovich Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to remove gray boundary boxes around paragraphs and make hidden text visible and printable.

How to Remove Gray Text Boundaries and Hidden Text in Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Troubleshooting document display and font settings to prepare a clean, printable document.
Observed behavior: Paragraphs are surrounded by distracting gray boxes, and certain text does not display or print because it is formatted as hidden text.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure your document is not locked for editing and that you are using the desktop application, as advanced view options may differ in web versions.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove Gray Text Boundaries

Use this solution to hide the gray boxes that appear around paragraphs and margins.

Text boundaries are useful for seeing page margins and paragraph limits, but they can be visually distracting. Disabling this setting cleans up the document view.

Open Word Options

In Microsoft Word, click on the 'File' tab in the top left corner, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.

Navigate to Advanced Settings

In the Word Options dialog box, select 'Advanced' from the left-hand pane.

Disable Text Boundaries

Scroll down to the 'Show document content' section. Locate the 'Show text boundaries' checkbox and clear it. Click 'OK' to save your changes.

Immediate Effect: The gray boxes will instantly disappear from all paragraphs, giving you a clean document view.

Solution 2

Reveal and Remove Hidden Text Formatting

Apply this solution if parts of your document are missing or not printing due to the hidden text font setting.

Professional Document Editor

Easily Manage Document Formatting with WPS Office

WPS Writer offers an intuitive interface to seamlessly manage text boundaries and formatting options. You can easily clean up your document view with just a few clicks.

1. Open your Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your Word document.
2. Access the Options Menu: Click on 'Menu' in the top left corner, then select 'Options'.
3. Toggle Text Boundaries: Navigate to the 'View' tab, uncheck 'Text boundaries', and click 'OK'.
4. Unhide Text: Select your text, right-click to choose 'Font', and uncheck the 'Hidden' effect.

Easily toggle text boundaries and formatting marks from a simple settings menuFully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats and hidden text propertiesLightweight, fast, and completely free for everyday document editing

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did text boundaries suddenly appear in my Word document?

Text boundaries can sometimes appear after an application update, or if the setting was accidentally toggled on while navigating the advanced options menu.

Will hidden text print if I leave the setting on?

By default, hidden text does not print. If you want to print it without changing the font settings, you must go to File > Options > Display and check 'Print hidden text'.

Can I remove text boundaries for only a specific page?

No, the 'Show text boundaries' option is an application-level setting. Disabling or enabling it will apply globally to all pages and all documents opened in the software.

Document & File Issues