#Cannot delete horizontal line in word how to#

When you pressed Enter twice, in step 3, you ended up with three paragraphs, each formatted with a border underneath.

Since the 'line' is really a paragraph border, it appears at the bottom of the last paragraph that has that format. Why did this happen? The reason is quite simple.

The underline appears to not go away, but jumps up a line. It appears as if you have moved the underline down two lines, since the insertion point is still at the beginning of the paragraph that has the underline. This should place the insertion point at the beginning of the paragraph that now has the underline. Word converts them to a border underneath the paragraph. On a blank line, enter three underlines and press Enter.For instance, consider the following scenario, which you can try in a document: There is something else to remember when getting rid of borders created by AutoFormat: They can affect multiple paragraphs. If this does not do what you want, you can always select the entire paragraph that contains the border and simply delete it. This resets the paragraph's formatting back to its default, which usually does not include the border. Start by positioning the insertion point at the beginning of the paragraph that has the border and pressing Ctrl+Q. Now you are ready to get rid of the lines. (How you do this is covered in other WordTips.) Second, you need to display Word's non-printing characters. First, remember that the 'line' added by Word is really a paragraph border it is not a real line. If you later want to delete the line, there are two things you can do that will help you. You can undo this by immediately pressing Ctrl+Z. For instance, if you press three underlines and then Enter, Word changes the underlines to a line.

#Cannot delete horizontal line in word how to#

Now that you know what causes the lines, you may be wondering how to get rid of them once they are in your document.Īs with any AutoFormat that is applied by Word, you can undo the change by pressing Ctrl+Z right after the change is made.

Close the various dialog boxes that are open.

If cleared, Word does not automatically create lines if it is selected, Word will behave as described earlier in this tip. The AutoFormat As You Type tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box.

Make sure the AutoFormat As You Type tab is selected.

Word displays the AutoCorrect dialog box.

Click Proofing at the left side of the dialog box.

In Word 2010 and later versions display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.) (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. This feature of Word is controlled by following these steps: This is not the only three characters that result in this type of replacement-characters for lines-but if you don't know the source of the line, it can be frustrating. For instance, if you type three underlines on a new line, and then press Enter, you get a solid line that extends the width of your document. One such liberty is the adding of borders to paragraphs based on what you type. Word, by default, takes some liberties with what you type.