Remove Horizontal Lines in Word: Borders, Shapes and AutoFormat Fixes

If an unwanted horizontal line appears in Microsoft Word after you type three hyphens (---), equals signs (===) or similar characters and press Enter, it is often a bottom border attached to the previous paragraph—not a drawing shape. To remove it, place the cursor in the paragraph immediately above the line, then choose Home > Borders > No Border. The exact menu wording may vary on Mac or Word for the web.

How to remove an automatic horizontal line in Word

1. Click in the paragraph immediately above the unwanted horizontal line. If the border moved when you pressed Enter, turn on Home > ¶ (Show/Hide) to see where paragraph breaks are.
2. On the Home tab, find the Paragraph group. Click the arrow beside the Borders button.
3. Choose No Border. The line should disappear if it is a paragraph border.
4. If it is still visible, confirm which paragraph owns the border. In some layouts, the line is attached to a preceding empty paragraph or a paragraph inside a table.

The screenshots above show the Borders menu in an older Windows version of Word. The same basic approach is described in Microsoft’s current Remove a line in Word guide.

Remove a line immediately after Word creates it

When Word transforms three hyphens or similar characters into a line right after you press Enter, you may be able to reverse the conversion immediately using Undo (Ctrl + Z) or Backspace, before making further edits. This avoids hunting for the border later. The line can be generated by the Border lines AutoFormat As You Type feature.

How to stop Word inserting horizontal lines automatically

1. In desktop Word for Windows, choose File > Options > Proofing.
2. Select AutoCorrect Options and open the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
3. Clear the Border lines checkbox and choose OK.
4. Test by typing three hyphens on their own line and pressing Enter. The setting prevents future automatic borders; it does not remove existing ones.

Word for Mac and Word for the web can have different settings or a different path. This specific Windows options route is supported in Microsoft’s automatic horizontal-line guidance.

Identify the type of line before deleting it

If the line is a shape, it usually becomes selected when you click it. Press Delete after selecting it. If no selection handles appear and the line spans the text width, check paragraph borders instead. For a page border, use the page-border settings; changing paragraph borders will not remove a separate page border.

What if No Border does not work?

• Check the correct paragraph: the line often belongs to the paragraph above, including an empty paragraph you may not notice.
• Check inside a table: a line can be an edge of a cell, not the paragraph-level border. Select only the affected table cells before changing borders.
• Check headers and footers: a border in a header repeats across pages until removed from that header.
• Check for a shape: if the line can be clicked or dragged, select and delete the drawing object rather than the paragraph.
• Check for a page border: if the line runs around the page edge, inspect Design > Page Borders in supported desktop editions.
• Avoid removing useful formatting: do not select the entire document and clear every border unless you intend to remove all table or paragraph borders as well.

Additional original troubleshooting guide

The following detailed troubleshooting block is retained from the original article, including the historical Word for Windows options route. Use the updated decision table above when the line does not behave like a paragraph border.

Why Does Word Automatically Create a Horizontal Line?

Word’s Border lines AutoFormat As You Type feature can convert sequences such as three hyphens followed by Enter into a paragraph border. The border belongs to a paragraph, so repeatedly pressing Backspace or trying to select the line as a shape may not remove it.

Stop Word from Creating Automatic Lines

1. In desktop Word for Windows, choose File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options.
2. Open AutoFormat As You Type.
3. Clear Border lines and select OK.

This prevents new automatic border lines; it does not remove borders already in the document.

Troubleshooting Lines That Won’t Delete

• No Border has no effect: Try placing the cursor in the paragraph directly above the line, where the border is attached.
• The line can be clicked and moved: It may be a drawing shape; select it and press Delete.
• The line appears around the page: Check Design → Page Borders instead; page borders are different from paragraph borders.
• The line is in the header or footer: Open that editing area and inspect its paragraph borders.

Frequently asked questions

Why does pressing Delete not remove the horizontal rule? Automatic lines are often paragraph borders, so no independent shape exists to select. Does removing the line delete my text? Choosing No Border removes border formatting, not paragraph text. Why is a line still displayed after changing AutoFormat settings? Disabling Border lines stops future automatic conversion; existing borders must be removed separately.

Summary

First determine what the line is: paragraph border, drawing shape, table border, header/footer element or page border. For the common automatic rule, click in the paragraph immediately above it and choose Home > Borders > No Border. To stop new rules from appearing, disable the Border lines AutoFormat option in supported Word for Windows editions.

C P Gupta

C P Gupta is a YouTuber and Blogger. He is expert in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. His YouTube channel @pickupbrain is very popular and has crossed 9.9 Million Views.