How to Remove Unwanted Horizontal Lines or Text Boundaries in Word
Question details
The user wants to remove imaginary horizontal lines in their Word document that cannot be selected or deleted.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Viewing and editing a document where persistent formatting lines appear on-screen.
- Observed behavior
- Horizontal lines appear on the screen, cannot be clicked or deleted, disappear when exported to PDF, but return when the PDF is converted back to Word.
Before changing any settings, verify if the lines appear in the print preview. If they do not print or export to PDF, they are visual layout guides rather than actual document elements.
Turn Off Text Boundaries in View Preferences
The most common cause for unselectable, non-printing lines is having the 'Text Boundaries' layout guide enabled in your settings.
Text boundaries are dotted or solid imaginary lines that show the margins of text elements on your page. Because they are a view setting and not actual content, you cannot select, highlight, or delete them directly.
On a Mac, open your Microsoft Word application, click on 'Word' in the top menu bar, and select 'Preferences'. On Windows, go to 'File' and click 'Options'.
In the Preferences or Options menu, click on 'View' (on Mac) or 'Advanced' (on Windows).
Locate the 'Show in Document' or 'Show document content' section. Uncheck the box labeled 'Text boundaries' or 'Show text boundaries'.
Close the settings window. The imaginary horizontal lines should instantly disappear from your document layout.
Remove Auto-Formatted Paragraph Borders
If turning off text boundaries does not work, the lines might be paragraph borders created by Word's AutoFormat feature.
Hide Document Gridlines
Gridlines are another type of visual guide that can look like unwanted horizontal lines across your entire page.
Easily Manage Document Formatting with WPS Writer
WPS Office provides an intuitive and clutter-free interface, making it easy to toggle visual layout guides, manage paragraph borders, and handle formatting issues without confusion.
- 1. Open your document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open the document containing the unwanted horizontal lines.
- 2. Access the Options Menu: Click on the 'Menu' button in the top-left corner and select 'Options' at the bottom of the dropdown.
- 3. Go to View Settings: In the Options dialog box, click on 'View' in the left-hand navigation pane.
- 4. Disable Text Boundaries: Under the formatting marks or document view section, uncheck 'Text boundaries' and click 'OK' to instantly hide the layout lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do horizontal lines automatically appear when I type hyphens?
Microsoft Word has an AutoFormat feature that automatically converts three consecutive hyphens, underscores, or asterisks into a solid paragraph border when you press Enter. You can reverse this immediately by pressing Ctrl+Z, or permanently disable it by going to AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type and unchecking 'Border lines'.
How can I tell the difference between a drawn line shape and a text boundary?
Drawn lines or shapes can be clicked, selected, resized, and deleted using the Backspace or Delete key. Text boundaries are structural interface guides that cannot be clicked or selected, and they will not appear when you print the document or export it to PDF.
Are text boundaries actually useful in Word documents?
Yes, text boundaries help you visualize the margins, page limits, and the structural layout of your document. This is particularly useful when you are doing complex formatting, inserting multiple text boxes, or designing precise document templates.
