Add borders and rules (lines)

You can add a solid, dashed, or dotted rule above, below, or on the sides of text. You can also add a border around text and create a border effect around part or all of a page.

A paragraph with a dotted line border

Add a border or rule to paragraphs

  1. Click the line or paragraph (or select multiple paragraphs) where you want to add the border or rule.

  2. Click the Layout button near the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Layout button, click Format button in the toolbar.

  3. Click the pop-up menu below Borders & Rules, then choose a line type (solid, dashed, or dotted).

  4. Click the disclosure triangle next to Borders & Rules.

    Controls to change the line style, thickness, position, and color
  5. To set where the line appears, click a Position button.

  6. To change the thickness of the line, click the arrows for the value field next to the line color controls.

  7. To choose a color, do one of the following:

    • To see colors that go with your template: Click the color well on the left.

    • To see all colors: Click the color wheel, then choose a color in the Colors window.

  8. To adjust the spacing between the line and the text it's applied to, click the arrows for the Offset field.

To remove the border or rule, select the text with the border or rule, click the pop-up menu below Borders & Rules, then choose None.

Add a border around a page

To add a border around a page, you first add a square shape to the page, then change its attributes so it behaves like a border. For example, you can change its size, give it no fill (as opposed to a color fill) so that it doesn’t obscure the text on the page, set it to always stay on the page, and so on. You can then set the border as a master object so it appears on all pages.

  1. Click Shape button in the toolbar, then choose the square or rounded square.

  2. Click the Arrange tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have an Arrange tab, click Format button in the toolbar.

  3. In the Object Placement section, click Stay on Page.

  4. Click the Text Wrap pop-up menu and choose None.

  5. Drag the selection handles until the outer edges of the shape create the border size you want.

  6. To remove the color from the shape or specify a different color, click the pop-up menu next to Fill, then click No Fill or choose a different fill option.

  7. To specify what the border looks like, click the disclosure triangle next to Border, then click the pop-up menu and do one of the following:

    • Choose Line, then choose a line style from the pop-up menu below it. Click the color well to change the color of the line, and click the arrows to change the thickness of the line.

    • Choose Picture Frame, then choose a picture frame style from the pop-up menu below it. Use the Scale slider to adjust the thickness of the frame.

  8. To change the transparency of the border, drag the opacity slider.

  9. To lock the border so it doesn’t get moved accidentally, click the Arrange tab at the top of the sidebar, then click Lock.

To use the border on every page in a section, choose Arrange > Section Masters > Move Object to Section Master (from the Arrange menu at the top of your screen).

If your document has more than one section and you want the border to appear on every page in the document, add the border to the section master for each section.

Remove a border or rule (line)

Borders and rules (lines) can be created in different ways, so if you’re not sure how one was added, you can try these methods to remove it.

If you can’t select or delete a border or rule using any of the methods above, it may be a master object placed on the background of a template. To make it selectable, choose Arrange > Section Masters > Make Master Objects Selectable (from the Arrange menu at the top of your screen).

SEE ALSOAdd watermarks and background objectsAdd a highlight effect to textFormat sections