Lines, Boxes, and Shaded Backgrounds

You can add lines, boxes, or shaded backgrounds to paragraphs, tables, and pictures. For example, include a line under the header, shade sidebar text, create a heading with “reverse” text, or add a border to the entire page.

Tables and Borders button

Add borders or shading   Select an item, and then click the Tables and Borders button. On the Tables and Borders toolbar, click the options you want, such as line style, border color, or shading color.

Add page borders   Click Borders and Shading (Format menu). On the Page Border tab, click the options you want.

Adjust the distance from the text to the edge of the border or shaded area   If you’re working with a shaded area, first apply a border. (If you don’t want the border to show, color it white after you make adjustments.) Drag the border to adjust the distance. To make exact adjustments, click Borders and Shading. On the Borders tab, click Options. Use the controls to set the distance between the text and the border. Draw quick and easy lines   At the start of a new paragraph, type three dashes and then press ENTER. Word automatically adds a line above the paragraph. If you don’t see the line, click AutoFormat (Format menu), and then click Options. On the AutoFormat as You Type tab, click Borders. No Border button Want to remove borders or shading?   Select, for example, a table with borders, click the No Border button. To remove shading, for example, from a paragraph, select the paragraph and click Borders and Shading (Format menu). On the Shading tab, under Fill, click None.