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Drawing Vertical and Horizontal Lines in Word – 5 Magics

🎩✨ MS Word Line Wizardry! πŸ“βœ’οΈ

Microsoft Word is a powerful word processing application that allows us to create various documents with a range of formatting options.

One such useful feature is the ability to quickly draw vertical and horizontal lines by using keyboard shortcuts. This can be done wherever we want and at the length we want.

Similarly, it is very useful for creating anything like a biodata form faster. It helps improve the visual appeal and organization of your content.

In this article, we will look at the different methods and techniques for drawing lines in Word.

Straight Vertical and Horizontal Line/Border

There are six ways to draw lines and borders in any direction you like, these are all explained below

1. Magic for Drawing a Straight Horizontal Line

  • Right-click anywhere within a blank document.
  • Next, select the β€œParagraph” option to open its formatting dialog box.
Right -click on the blank document and select the paragraph
Select the paragraph option for its options
  • Click on β€œTabs,” located in the lower left corner of the dialog box.
Choose tab to launch dialogue box for it options
Open tabs for setting options
  • Please enter the measurement value at which you would like to stop the line. By default, the ruler width is set to 18 cm. For instance, if you want to control the line’s position (at the end) just before the margin, enter 15 cm as the β€œTab Stop Position.”
  • Ensure that the alignment selection is set to β€œLeft” since we are starting to type text from the left.
  • Next, choose one of the line style options available under β€œLeader.”
  • After selecting the desired line style, click on β€œSet,” and then click β€œOK.”
Set tab stop position and lines alignment ou want
Set tab stop position for drawing lines
  • Regardless of whether you type text or not, you can draw a straight horizontal line by pressing the Tab key.

Now we can format a Bio-Data form using the horizontal line:

Draw vertical and horizontal lines in an direction
Automatically draw lines
  • Open a Word document.
  • Type the word β€œName” and press the β€œTab” key on the keyboard to draw a straight horizontal line.
  • Next, continue typing the required fields and drawing straight lines as explained above.
  • Then, navigate to the Insert tab and insert a table with the desired number of rows and columns.
  • For example, refer to the screenshot to complete the biodata form.

2. Draw different formatted lines using the Keyboard Shortcuts

Draw straight horizontal lines quickly
Add different lines in Microsoft Word
  • Press the minus β€œβ€“β€ key more than three times to draw a straight, thin line.
  • Press the equal β€œ=” key more than three times to draw double-thick lines.
  • Press and hold down the β€œShift” key, then press the underscore β€œ_” key more than three times, and hit the β€œEnter” key to draw a straight, thin line.
  • Press the tilde β€œ~” key more than three times to draw a straight, curved line.
  • Press the asterisk β€œ*” key more than three times to draw a straight dotted line.
  • Press and hold down the β€œShift” key, then press the β€œ#” key more than three times to draw a line with a thick line between the two thin lines.

Turn Off the Automatic Line Drawing Feature

Follow the steps below to prevent horizontal lines from being inserted when you type three or more shortcut characters related to these features in Microsoft Word or Outlook:

  1. Click on β€œFile” and then select β€œOptions” to open the Word Options dialogue box.
  2. Within the dialogue box, choose β€œProofing,” then click on β€œAutoCorrect Options.”
  3. Navigate to the β€œAutoFormat As You Type” tab.
  4. Uncheck the options for β€œBorder Lines.”
  5. Finally, click β€œOK” to save the changes.

3. Draw a line in Word for Signature

To draw a signature line in Word for Signature, do one of the following:

  • Press and hold down the β€œShift” key, then press the underscore β€œ_” key more than three times and hit the β€œShift + Enter” key to draw a straight, thin line.
  • To draw a straight line of the desired length, select the line shape, then press and hold down the β€œShift” key while drawing.
Draw Signature line using the keboard shortcut
Drawing Signature line

4. Draw Borders in Word

You can create any directional border on a blank document or on a document with text by following the steps below:

  1. Go to the Paragraph group on the Home tab.
  2. Click the border drop-down arrow.
  3. Select the border option that works best for you.
Add different borders to the selected text
Add borders

Formatting horizontal lines

After inserting the borders or lines, use the shortcut keys described above. You can change the look of these by using theΒ borderΒ options. Follow the steps below.

  • Go to the Home Tab in MS Word (InΒ Outlook, go to the Format TextΒ tab), then select the drop-down arrow next to the border icons in the Paragraph group.
  • SelectΒ Borders and Shading at the bottom of the drop-down menu to launch the dialogue box
Select Borders and Shading
Formatting borders
  • In the Borders and Shading dialog box, select the desired line style that you wish to modify, and then click OK.
Applying different border formats
Border formats dialogue box
  • Once again, click the drop-down arrow in the Borders menu and select β€œBottom Borders” to apply the desired style.
select bottom border
Select bottom border

5. Draw Vertical or Horizontal Lines using Shapes

You can draw lines in various directions, including horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, as shown in the screenshot below:

  • Go to the β€œInsert” tab.
  • Click on β€œShapes” and choose β€œLine.”
  • Press and hold the β€œShift” key.
  • Click and drag the cursor to draw lines in any direction of your choice.
Draw shapes in an directions you want
Add shapes you like to a Word document

Β 

Video Tutorial

Draw Lines
  • Is it possible to draw a vertical line in Word?

    Yes, it is possible to draw vertical lines in Microsoft Word.

  • Can lines be added to paragraphs?

    Yes, lines can be placed above, below, or between paragraphs using the β€œBorders and Shading” options under the β€œHome” tab.

  • Can line style and color be changed?

    Yes, after drawing, right-click the line, choose β€œFormat Shape,” and modify color, thickness, and style as desired.

  • How do I ensure precise alignment?

    Utilize Word’s gridlines and β€œSnap to Grid” feature for accurate placement and alignment of lines.

  • Is drawing mode essential for line creation?

    No, lines can also be inserted using the β€œInsert” tab, where predefined line styles are available.

  • Is it possible to create dashed lines?

    Yes, you can change the line style to dashed in the formatting options.

  • Can these lines be aligned precisely?

    Yes, use alignment guides or grids for precise positioning.

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