Removing the annoying horizontal line in a Word 2007 document

Ever had a line going across the page in a Word 2007 document that you just couldn’t delete no matter what you tried? Here is the trick you can use to get rid of it.

Orin Thomas

March 25, 2009

1 Min Read
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This isn’t one of my usual security or operating system hints, but it is useful.

Sometimes when you are using Word and you enter three dashes in a row on an empty line, it draws a horizontal line across the screen. When you try to delete this line, by selecting it and pressing delete, it stubbornly remains there.

The trick to deleting this line (in Office 2007 at least) is to

  1. Put the cursor above the line.

  2. Click on the Page Layout section of the Ribbon

  3. Click on the Page Borders item,

  4. Click on the Borders tab

  5. Click None.

The horizontal line is actually a border in the document, which is why it doesn’t succumb to deletion through the normal methods.

Learn more from "What is the Microsoft Word 2007 highlighter pen keyboard shortcut?" and "How to Strip formatting From Word Text."

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