Formatting Issues

How to Remove Symbols and Formatting Marks in Word

Khadija Khan Sep 28, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user needs to know how to remove or hide various symbols and formatting marks in a Word document.

How to Remove Symbols and Formatting Marks in Word

Product: Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Cleaning up a Word document that displays unwanted paragraph marks, dots, or symbol characters.
Observed behavior: The document is cluttered with either non-printing formatting marks like paragraph returns or actual inserted symbol characters that need to be removed.

Before you start

Determine whether the symbols you are seeing are actual characters inserted into the text or non-printing formatting marks used to indicate spaces, tabs, and paragraphs.

Solution 1Recommended

Hide Non-Printing Formatting Marks

Use this method if your document displays paragraph symbols (¶), dots between words, or arrows, which are non-printing formatting marks used for layout.

Formatting marks are incredibly useful for troubleshooting document layouts, but they can make reading difficult. Hiding them will not delete any content from your document.

Open the Home tab

Open your document in Word and navigate to the Home tab on the top ribbon.

Locate the Paragraph group

Find the Paragraph formatting group situated near the middle of the Home tab options.

Toggle the Show/Hide button

Click the 'Show/Hide ¶' button to toggle off the visibility of all non-printing formatting marks.

Print Preview Check: Formatting marks do not appear when you print the document. If the symbols still appear in the Print Preview screen, they are likely actual inserted characters rather than formatting marks.

Solution 2

Remove Specific Symbol Characters via Find and Replace

If the symbols are actual text characters typed or inserted into the document, you can quickly remove all of them using the Find and Replace feature.

Manage Documents Easily

Easily Manage Formatting Marks in WPS Writer

WPS Writer provides an intuitive and clean interface for managing your document layouts. Easily toggle formatting marks or clean up text symbols with a straightforward interface and high compatibility with Microsoft Word documents.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open your text document.
2. Navigate to the Home tab: Click on the Home tab located on the top ribbon.
3. Toggle Editing Marks: Click the 'Show/Hide Editing Marks' icon (represented by the paragraph symbol) to instantly hide unwanted formatting symbols.

1-click toggle for hiding or showing formatting marksHighly compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) filesAdvanced Find and Replace tools for quick document cleanupFree, lightweight, and user-friendly alternative to Microsoft Office

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do paragraph symbols suddenly appear in my Word document?

Paragraph symbols typically appear because the 'Show/Hide ¶' feature was accidentally enabled, or a specific formatting shortcut was triggered. You can easily turn them off by clicking the Show/Hide button on the Home tab or pressing Ctrl+*.

How do I remove the dots between words in Word?

The dots centered between words represent spaces and are visible only when formatting marks are enabled. To remove them from your screen, go to the Home tab and disable the Show/Hide formatting marks option.

Can I permanently turn off formatting marks in Word settings?

Yes. Go to File > Options > Display. Under the section 'Always show these formatting marks on the screen', uncheck the specific marks you want to hide, or simply uncheck 'Show all formatting marks', then click OK.

How do I delete an unknown symbol that won't go away?

If you cannot delete a symbol normally, it might be a field code or a locked content control. Try selecting the text around the symbol and pasting it as 'Keep Text Only' elsewhere, or copy the symbol into the Find and Replace dialog to replace it with a blank space.

Document & File Issues