How to draw a line in a Word document. How to Draw a Line in Word

As you know, working in Word mainly involves the use of office text documents, contracts, official forms and forms, in which sometimes you need to leave an empty underlined space for signature. In general, the user’s needs may not be limited to just this. The scope of application of such underscores is much wider. But now we will talk specifically about how to make a line in Word for a signature. In the editor itself, you can use several simple tools that every user knows about.

How to make a line in Word for a signature? The simplest method

Anyone who has at least once encountered the Word text editor knows that a regular line can be created using keyboard symbols.

To do this, you just need to hold down the Shift key and then the hyphen (“-”) key. In this embodiment, the line can have an arbitrary length. The main thing is not to get carried away, otherwise when you move to a new line, it will automatically be converted to a bolder one and fill the entire width of the sheet.

Using tabs

Another simple way to solve the problem of how to make a line in Word for a signature involves using the so-called tabulator, in other words, the Tab key.

To create a continuous line, you must first set the underline by clicking on the corresponding button on the main panel (it is marked with the underlined letter “Ч” in the Russian version of the editor), or use the combination Ctrl + U, which is the same thing. Now it's a matter of small things. You just need to hold down the Shift key, click on the tabulator several times and create a line of the required length. It is worth noting here that such a line has a fixed length (this depends on what setting for tabulation is set in the parameters).

How to make a line under text in Word using a table?

Although the above methods allow you to create the necessary components in the form of lines, it is nevertheless impossible to enter text above them.

To create empty underlined space, you can use tables divided into several cells. For example, in the case of three cells, text may be entered on the right and left, and there will be empty space in the center for a signature or for entering additional text.

To make it look exactly like a line, all table borders need to be removed, leaving only the bottom border on the desired cell. Here it is worth paying attention to the fact that when inserting a table in the middle of the text (when it is located both above and below), the vertical space between the cells will automatically be increased, which can lead to a deterioration in the readability or appearance of the document. Therefore, it is recommended to make such inserts at the end or use empty lines by pressing the enter key (similar to the type of divided paragraphs).

Graphical tools

Finally, the problem of how to make a line in Word for a signature can be solved using the drawing tools that are available in any version of the editor. To do this, use the appropriate section in which you select the straight line drawing tool.

In the text, it is enough to place the cursor at the starting point, then move it while holding down the left mouse button to the final position and release the button. You can change the length of the line by highlighting the element you are looking for, with a four-arrow icon appearing, and placing the pointer on one of the dots until a double arrow appears. The change is then made by stretching or compressing.

Instead of a total

In principle, as you can already see, creating a continuous line for a signature is not that difficult. Some, however, try to use the usual “-” symbol without holding down the Shift key, which only leads to the fact that the line turns out to be dotted, is located in vertical positioning strictly in the middle and simply spoils the appearance of the document. Therefore, it is better to use the above methods. If you don’t need to enter text in the empty space, a keyboard symbol or tabulator for lines of the same length will work fine, but if you need to enter additional symbols or letters, you can’t do without a table.

    But I have my own method, it’s very convenient for me, and it works quickly without any problems. Look, first I type the text in Word. Next, I select and click underline the text (Ch icon, and underlined at the bottom). This way it turns out smooth, neat, beautiful, and most importantly, it turns out to be a line over which you can write.

    I do it simply (maybe not correctly): I draw a table - I make the top and side lines invisible

    try it, you might like it, if you need a lot of empty lines, then I draw a table and also remove the top and side walls. The length can be changed by editing the page margins.

    In Word, a line under the text can be made in different ways.

    1. First, enter the text, then on the first tab, which is called Home, click the Underlined button.
    2. On the same tab, in the Paragraph function block, click on Bottom Border.
    1. Write the text.
    2. Then go to another line.
    3. Type several underscores in a row and press enter.
    4. The cursor will jump to the next line and a line will remain at the top that spans the entire page.

    I really don’t know how it will look when printed - try it.

    I constantly encounter this problem when drawing up reports due to equipment failures. So, although crooked, a solution was found. You need to highlight all the text underlined (in the same way as highlighting italics or bold), and press Tab to the end of the line after the underlined text. If you use Tab rather than Space, then everything aligns nicely on the right side.

    But the problem is still the same. If you continue to write, the line will move to the next line.

    The second option is to make a line like this:

    This line is much more difficult to use, but if you are interested, it is done by typing the underscore symbol _ in the amount of 20 on a new line, and then pressing the Enter button.

    In order to make a line under the text in Word, you need to go to the insert tab and there you need to find the shape section and select the line item there. Then you just need to put a line under the text. This way words in Word can be underlined.

    One of the simple ways is to draw a table in the document (go to the Insert section). Then you need to go to the table properties, and there is already a Border and Fill section. There, remove all borders except the bottom border.

    You can do this as follows. Click insert, select the shapes and draw a horizontal line. Then select Line spacing, other line spacing options and in the boxes put the interval before and after oo,o pt. and OK. the inscription will be above the line.

    What's great about Word is that you can solve the same problem in so many different ways. So, you can draw a line under the text in different ways. Here are just some of the possible ways:

    1. Go to the Page Layout/Page Borders tab. A Horizontal line window will appear at the bottom, click and select any (regular, bold, dotted, wavy...) from the list.
    2. You can draw a line using the Line tool, which is located in the Drawing toolbar: Tab/Shapes/Lines. We choose the one that suits us best. In the window that appears, other options will be presented; you can change them.
    3. using underscore (the simplest and most popular)
  • If I need a line under the text, I always draw the line using shapes. To do this, in the Insert tab, select Shapes and find the line. Draw this line under the text under which there should be a line.

    If the text is large, several lines, and there should be a line under each line, then in this case I use tables. Draw a table in one column and select the required number of rows. Then Boundaries - No Boundaries. Then select the entire table and click Borders - Inner Horizontal Border.

MS Word can be used not only to work with text, but also to create drawings. Of course, its set of tools is much inferior to specialized programs, but if you need to add a simple picture or shape to a document, then Word’s capabilities will be sufficient.

Enable the Draw panel

You can draw in Word in two ways: manually and using templates.

Many users do not know about the ability to use tools for drawing, similar to those found in standard Paint. The thing is that they are hidden by default and to start working with them, they must be enabled. It is also worth noting that the manual drawing function has become available only in the latest versions of Word.

To enable the Draw panel, select Options from the File menu. Then in the dialog box that opens, click on the “Customize Ribbon” line. Among the main tabs in the right column, check the box next to "Drawing" and click OK to apply the changes.

How to draw in Word?

After turning on the "Drawing" panel, a corresponding tab will appear in the document, after clicking on which the following tools will become available:

  1. "Select" - allows you to select an already drawn element.
  2. “Draw with your finger” - allows you to draw arbitrary lines in Word.
  3. "Eraser" - removes unnecessary objects or elements.

How to draw in Word using these tools? To do this, select "Draw with your finger" and draw the desired line on the touch screen. If you are using a regular screen, you use the cursor to draw the line.

In addition to these tools, Word has a small selection of pens available. They differ from each other in line type and color. If you need to set the color and thickness of already created lines, this can be done using the appropriate tools on the panel.

The Transform group tools are needed for editing text and creating notes. For example, you can use Freehand Editing to underline a word, circle part of the text, add an arrow, or highlight errors.

The Convert to Shapes feature allows you to create an object from a sketch. After this, the drawn element can be moved, resized, rotated, or applied other manipulations available for shapes.

The last tool of the group allows you to enter the required symbol or mathematical sign.

How to draw shapes in Word?

In addition to drawing by hand, MS Word has a fairly wide selection of shapes that you can use to create simple illustrations for text.

Before you can create a drawing from shapes, you need to add a drawing area. To do this, first in the "Insert" tab, click on the "Shapes" item. Then click on the "New Canvas" line in the pop-up menu. This action will add a drawing area to the page. Its dimensions can be changed by dragging one of the corners of the area in the desired direction.

Working with Shapes

After creating the canvas, the “Format” item will be added to the top panel with basic drawing tools.

After clicking the "Shapes" button, a window with a large number of objects will open. These will include lines, arrows, circles, standard shapes, stars and flowcharts.

How to draw lines in Word using these shapes? First you need to select the line you are interested in, then move the cursor to the area to draw and stretch the line to the desired length by holding down the mouse button. In the same way, you can draw arrows in Word and other elements.

There are two additional buttons to the right of the Shapes menu. If you select the first one, a drop-down menu will appear. The "Change Shape" line from this menu will allow you to completely replace the current object with another. The "Start Modifying Nodes" line allows you to modify the shape you have selected at specific points.

Another button next to the Shapes menu allows you to add text. After clicking on it, a field will appear in the indicated place in which you can enter the desired text. It can be moved if necessary.

Adding styles and effects

The Shape Styles tool group allows you to select the fill and outline color of the created shape. To do this, use the corresponding button to the right of the standard shape styles.

It is not necessary to use the standard color scheme for the shapes; you can replace it by clicking on the “Other colors” line. A gradient or texture can also be used as a fill for a shape.

Using the Shape Effects key, you can modify the selected object by adding a shadow, highlight, emboss, smooth, or rotate.

The WordArt Styles tool lets you apply an effect to text that you insert using the Add Text Box feature.

The Arrange tool provides a number of options that let you reposition a shape, rotate it, align it, or add text wrapping. This feature also allows you to overlay shapes on top of each other.

The Resize tool allows you to change the width and height of an object. If desired, you can set the exact value of these parameters or change them manually.

In a text document, a line performs various functions. Decorative, when you need to give the text a visual design. Dividing, if you need to make the text more understandable for perception. how to insert a line in Word?

The methods for installing a continuous line differ depending on what version of Word is installed on your computer.

Method 1. Word 2003

Standard version of the program:


Method 2. Word 2007

Updated version of the program:


For further work, start typing the text.

Important! To print text on a new line, you need to press the arrow keys instead of “Enter”.

Method 3. “Underlined” text

The method is only suitable for creating a line under the text:


Start typing your text message.

Method 4. Separate line

The method is suitable for creating a line as a decorative element, separate from the text:


The dotted stripe is converted to a continuous stripe automatically.

Note! This method is only available in the offline version of the Office suite.

The process of creating continuous lines in the horizontal plane is clearly presented in the video.

Video - Horizontal line in word: 4 ways

How to make horizontal and vertical lines?

All options for installing a horizontal line are described in the first section of the article.

To set a vertical line, use Method No. 1 with some amendments:


Type the text.

Method No. 2 is also suitable for installing a vertical stripe:

  1. After selecting the “Paragraph” column, pay attention to the “Borders” button.
  2. Click the arrow to the right of the key and select the border location - bottom/top or left/right.

Type the text.

How to make a lot of underlined lines?

To underline an unlimited number of lines in the text, Method No. 3 is suitable for installing a stripe under the text.

To make several lines below or above the text at once, use Method No. 4, but instead of the “-” symbol, use “=” or “#”.

Line in Word using drawing

With this method, a continuous strip can take any direction: horizontal, vertical, diagonal.


This way you can draw a strip of any length. Its formatting is independent of the text.

How to make a line in Word over which you can write?

To create this type of line, you need to use the Horizontal Line tool.


To change the length, width or design of the stroke, you need to double-click on the shape. A window will open showing the functions and parameters applicable to the line.

On a note! To change the line size, it is not necessary to call the window with functions. It is enough to click on the line once to visually display its field with boundaries. Click on one of the borders and drag left/right to shorten/extend.

The line can be dragged to any other part of the text. To do this, you need to click on it once and move it to where you need it. The line is not set on top of the document - after moving it, it will automatically adjust to the text.

How to make a table line?

A line can be not only an element of division or decoration of text. In a table, it serves as a designation of cell boundaries. To add a border:


Continue working with the table.

How to delete a line?

To remove an unnecessary line, follow these steps:


The method is also suitable for deleting a line in Outlook. Instead of the “Paragraph” section, the necessary parameters are located in the “Text Format” tab.

Creating and editing a linear strip directly depends on the functions that it should perform: underlining text, dividing it, or graphic design.

Video - How to make a line in Word