Formatting Issues

How to Stop Word from Pasting an Unwanted Horizontal Border

Phi Hung Vo Oct 21, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user is experiencing an issue where cutting and pasting a line of text adds a horizontal border above the pasted paragraph that repeatedly returns even after being temporarily deleted.

How to Stop Word from Pasting an Unwanted Horizontal Border

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Moving entire paragraphs or lines of text using cut and paste operations within a document.
Observed behavior: A horizontal border appears above the pasted paragraph because Word hides duplicate borders between adjacent paragraphs, making the hidden border visible only after the text is moved.

Before you start

Turn on paragraph marks by clicking the 'Show/Hide ¶' button on the Home tab so you can accurately select text without accidentally grabbing hidden formatting symbols.

Solution 1Recommended

Paste Using 'Keep Text Only'

Pasting without formatting prevents the hidden top border attached to the copied paragraph from transferring to the new location.

When multiple adjacent paragraphs have top borders applied, the word processor suppresses the borders between them so they look like standard text. Copying that text brings the hidden border to the new location.

Copy the text

Highlight the desired paragraph and press Ctrl+C or Ctrl+X to copy or cut it.

Open paste options

Right-click on the destination area where you want to insert the text.

Select Keep Text Only

Under the Paste Options menu, click the clipboard icon with an 'A' on it (Keep Text Only) to paste the text without the attached border.

Pro Tip: You can also use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V in many modern word processors to paste as plain text instantly.

Solution 2

Manually Remove the Border from the Source Paragraph

If you want to keep other text formatting but remove the stubborn border, you can clear the border settings from the paragraph.

Easily Manage Text Formatting with WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers an intuitive interface for managing paragraph borders and styles, ensuring your copy-and-paste operations work exactly as expected without hidden formatting surprises.

1. Open the document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word document.
2. Copy your text: Select the paragraph you wish to cut or copy and press Ctrl+C.
3. Right-click destination: Right-click at the exact destination point where you want to paste the text.
4. Paste without formatting: Select 'Keep Text Only' from the Paste Options menu to drop any hidden paragraph borders automatically.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Word documents (.docx) and formatting styles.Intuitive Paste Special options to instantly strip unwanted borders.Clear visual formatting tools to easily identify and remove hidden paragraph borders.Free and lightweight alternative to heavy office suites.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a horizontal line suddenly appear when I press Enter?

Word processors have an AutoFormat feature that automatically converts three consecutive dashes (---), underscores (___), or equal signs (===) into a full-width paragraph border when you press Enter. You can undo this immediately by pressing Ctrl+Z.

How do I remove a stubborn horizontal line that won't delete?

If you cannot delete a line using the Backspace or Delete key, it is usually a paragraph border rather than a drawn shape. Place your cursor just above the line, navigate to the Home tab, click the Borders dropdown in the Paragraph section, and select 'No Border'.

How do I set my default paste option to always keep text only?

Go to File > Options > Advanced. Scroll down to the 'Cut, copy, and paste' section. Change the dropdowns for 'Pasting within the same document' and 'Pasting between documents' to 'Keep Text Only', then click OK.

Document & File Issues