How to Remove or Edit the Vertical Line Between Sections in Word Documents
Question details
The user wants to identify the vertical line separating sections in their document (frequently found in resume templates) and needs instructions on how to remove or modify it.
- Product
- Word Processor
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Editing a text document or a downloaded resume template that contains an unexpected or unwanted vertical separator line.
- Observed behavior
- A vertical line appears between text sections or columns acting as a visual separator, which is typically an invisible table's visible border or a manually inserted decorative rule.
Click on the text right next to the vertical line to see if a 'Table Tools' menu appears on your top ribbon, which helps determine if the line is part of a hidden table structure.
Remove or Edit Vertical Lines Created by Table Borders
Most resume templates use hidden tables with a visible center border to separate columns cleanly. You can remove this line by adjusting the table's border settings.
In document formatting, tables are widely used to align text side-by-side. Often, all borders are made invisible except for the middle vertical border, creating a clean separator line. Revealing the table gridlines is the easiest way to confirm this.
Click anywhere inside the text immediately adjacent to the vertical line.
Navigate to the 'Table Tools' > 'Layout' tab on the top ribbon and click on 'View Gridlines' to reveal the dashed boundaries of the table cells.
Select the cells containing the vertical line, go to the 'Home' tab (or 'Table Tools' > 'Design'), click the arrow next to the 'Borders' icon, and choose 'No Border'.
Delete Vertical Lines Drawn as Shapes or Rules
If the line is not part of a table structure, it might be a decorative graphic shape or a typography rule inserted manually by the template creator.
Edit Resumes and Templates Seamlessly with WPS Office
WPS Office provides highly intuitive layout controls and table tools, making it exceptionally easy to identify hidden structures in downloaded templates and customize them without breaking the original formatting.
- 1. Open the Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your resume or document template.
- 2. Reveal Layout Structure: Click inside the text, go to the 'Table Tools' tab, and select 'View Gridlines' to instantly see the invisible cell boundaries.
- 3. Adjust Borders: Use the 'Borders' tool in the Home tab to quickly add, modify, or remove any vertical separators in your document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a horizontal or vertical line suddenly appear when I type?
This is often caused by the AutoFormat feature. If you type three consecutive hyphens, underscores, or asterisks and press Enter, a border line is automatically created. You can undo this instantly by pressing Ctrl+Z, or remove it later by changing the paragraph border settings to 'No Border'.
How do I insert a vertical line between columns in a page layout?
If you are using the actual column layout feature instead of tables, navigate to the 'Page Layout' tab, click 'Columns', select 'More Columns', and check the 'Line between' box to automatically generate a vertical separator between your text columns.
Can I change the color and thickness of the vertical table line?
Yes. Select the table and navigate to the 'Table Tools' > 'Design' tab. Choose your desired line style, weight, and color from the toolbar, and then apply it specifically to the left or right border using the 'Borders' dropdown menu.
