How to Insert a Horizontal Line in Microsoft Word

When you are formatting a resume or a formal report in Microsoft Word, you often need to create a visual break between different sections. Pressing the “Enter” key a few times leaves too much blank space, and drawing a line using the Shapes tool is frustrating because it is difficult to make it perfectly straight.

Instead, Microsoft Word offers two incredibly fast ways to insert a perfect, margin-to-margin horizontal line that will automatically resize itself if you change your page margins.

Method 1: The AutoFormat Shortcut (The Fastest Way)

Word has a hidden feature called AutoFormat As You Type. It looks for specific character patterns and automatically transforms them into formatting elements. You can use this to generate five different styles of horizontal lines instantly.

1. Place your cursor on a blank line exactly where you want the line to appear.
2. Type three hyphens in a row (---).
3. Press the Enter key.

Word will instantly convert those three hyphens into a solid, thin horizontal line stretching across the entire page.

You can also use these alternative characters to create different line styles:

• Type three underscores (___) for a thicker solid line.
• Type three equal signs (===) for a double line.
• Type three asterisks (***) for a dotted line.
• Type three tildes (~~~) for a wavy line.
• Type three hash symbols (###) for a thick triple line.

Method 2: The Borders Menu (More Control)

If you used the shortcut above, you might notice that you cannot simply click on the line and press “Backspace” to delete it. This is because AutoFormat actually creates a “Bottom Border” attached to the paragraph above it, not a physical line object.

If you want more precise control over the color, thickness, and placement of the line, you should use the Borders menu.

1. Place your cursor where you want the line.
2. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon.
3. In the “Paragraph” group, look for the Borders button (it looks like a square divided into four smaller squares).
4. Click the small drop-down arrow next to the Borders button.
5. Select Horizontal Line from the menu.

Word will insert a physical line object. You can now double-click directly on this line to open a formatting menu where you can change its color, adjust its height, or make it shorter so it doesn’t span the entire width of the page. If you ever want to remove it, simply click it once to highlight it and press the Delete key.