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How to Add Paragraph Borders in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

By Erin Wright

Wooden picture frame with text "How to Add Paragraph Borders in Microsoft Word"This tutorial shows how to add paragraph borders in Microsoft Word. We will also look at how to delete paragraph borders.

You can use paragraph borders to emphasize important text or to add visual interest to your document. This technique is particularly effective when paired with paragraph shading and newspaper-style columns.

Do you want to add a border to an entire page? Please see “How to Insert and Remove Page Borders in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac).”

Table of Contents

  • How to Add Paragraph Borders
  • How to Delete Paragraph Borders

Watch all the steps shown here in real time!

Explore more than 150 writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac (a.k.a., Word for Mac), Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016. In addition, the steps will be similar in older versions of the software.

How to Add Paragraph Borders

  1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs to which you want to add the border.
Selected paragraph in Word 365
Figure 1. Selected paragraph
  1. Select the Home tab in the ribbon.
Home tab in Word 365
Figure 2. Home tab
  1. Select the Borders menu arrow in the Paragraph group. (Avoid selecting the Borders button itself because it will automatically apply the last used border to your selected paragraph.)
Borders menu arrow in the Home tab in Word 365
Figure 3. Borders menu arrow
  1. (Basic option) Select an option from the drop-down menu.

Pro Tip: Hover over these options for a live preview. Not all the options can be applied to paragraphs. In addition, the results will differ according to the number of paragraphs you have selected.

Basic options in the Borders menu in Word 365
Figure 4. Basic border options
  1. (Advanced Option) Select Borders and Shading from the drop-down menu.
Borders and Shading option in the Borders menu in Word 365
Figure 5. Borders and Shading option
  1. Select Box, Shadow, 3-D, or Custom in the Borders and Shading dialog box.

Pro Tip: Word’s application of these options will depend on the other border options you choose in this dialog box. Therefore, you may need to experiment with a variety of options to achieve the desired results.

Box, Shadow, 3-D, and Custom options in the Borders and Shading dialog box in Word 365
Figure 6. Box, Shadow, 3-D, and Custom options
  1. Select a border style.
Style options in the Borders and Shading dialog box in Word 365
Figure 7. Style menu
  1. Select a color.
Color menu in the Borders and Shading dialog box in Word 365
Figure 8. Color menu
  1. Select a width.
Width menu in the Borders and Shading dialog box in Word 365
Figure 9. Width menu
  1. (Optional) Select or deselect the top, bottom, left, or right buttons in the Preview section to toggle the border on or off on specific sides of the paragraph.
Top, bottom, left, and right buttons in the Border and Shading dialog box in Word 365
Figure 10. Top, bottom, left, and right buttons
  1. (Optional) Select the Options button.
Options button in the Borders and Shading dialog box in Word 365
Figure 11. Options button

11.a. Adjust the distance between the border and the text in the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right text boxes in the Border and Shading Options dialog box.

"From text" text boxes in the Border and Shading Options dialog box in Word 365
Figure 12. Top, Bottom, Left, and Right text boxes

11.b. Select the OK button in the Border and Shading Options dialog box.

OK button in the Border and Shading Options dialog box in Word 365
Figure 13. OK button
  1. Select the OK button in the Borders and Shading dialog box.
OK button in the Borders and Shading dialog box in Word 365
Figure 14. OK button

Your new border should now be added to your paragraph.

Paragraph with border in Word 365
Figure 15. Paragraph with border

How to Delete Paragraph Borders

  1. Insert your cursor in the paragraph with the border.
  2. Select the Home tab in the ribbon (see figure 2).
  3. Select the Borders menu arrow in the Paragraph group (see figure 3).
  4. Select No Border from the drop-down menu.
No Border option in Word 365
Figure 16. No Border option

The border should be removed from your paragraph.

Related Resources

How to Adjust Paragraph Spacing in Microsoft Word

How to Adjust Paragraph Spacing in Word for Mac

Three Ways to Indent Paragraphs in Microsoft Word

Updated July 31, 2022

Filed Under: Microsoft Word Tagged With: formatting, Microsoft 365, Word 2013, Word 2016, Word 2019, Word 2021, Word 365, Word for Mac

Home » How to Add Paragraph Borders in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

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Technical Writer and Editor Erin Wright

Hello! My name is Erin. I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube.

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