How to Remove a Line in Word (The Horizontal Line That Won't Delete)

Updated October 2026 · 1 min read

You typed three dashes, pressed Enter, and Word drew a line across the page that now refuses to be deleted. That line is not a character — it is a border, which is why Backspace ignores it. Here is how to remove every kind of Word line.

The classic: the autoformat line (from --- or ___)

Typing ---, ___, === or *** followed by Enter triggers AutoFormat, which converts them into a paragraph border. To remove it: place your cursor in the paragraph directly above the line, go to Home → Borders → No Border (the Borders button is in the Paragraph group). The line disappears. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Z immediately after the line appears to undo the AutoFormat itself.

If No Border does not work: it is a shape or a table border

• Shape line: click directly on the line — if handles appear, it is a drawn shape: press Delete.
• Table border: if the line sits at a table edge, click inside the table, go to Table Design → Borders → No Border.
• Header/footer line: double-click the header or footer area and repeat the No Border step there — lines in headers live in a different layer.

Removing a line in Word Online (browser Word)

Word for the web has the same Borders control under Home → Paragraph → Borders → No Border, but the "browser word dupe" confusion usually comes from duplicated lines pasted from elsewhere: those are usually paragraph borders copied with the text — select the affected paragraphs and apply No Border to the whole selection at once.

Stop it happening again

Disable the feature: File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options → AutoFormat As You Type → uncheck "Border lines". You will never get a surprise line again — and when you actually want a divider, insert one deliberately via Borders → Horizontal Line. For cleaning up pasted text generally, our Text Cleaner strips stray formatting from copied content.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I select the line with my mouse?

Because it is not text — it is a border attached to a paragraph. Borders are removed through the Borders menu, not by selecting and deleting.

Does No Border remove all borders on the page?

No — it applies to the selected paragraphs only. Select the whole document (Ctrl+A) first if you want every border gone.

What if the line is under a heading?

Same fix: put the cursor in the paragraph above the line (the heading itself) and apply No Border. The border belongs to that paragraph.