Contents
Page borders are a useful tool. They make your document stand out without looking tacky, while providing a guide should somebody want to staple or hole punch. Today we're going to show you how to add a border in Word, which has various pre-built design options to spice up your document.
Setting page borders in Word differs by version
The process to create Microsoft Word borders will vary slightly depending on your version. We're going to assume you have an Office 365 subscription or Office 2019. If you have an older version, look to the layout or page layout tab instead.
In newer versions of Word, there are three in-built page border variants: box, shadow, and 3-D. You can also set custom borders if you wish. The first is the most suitable for an enterprise setting, but the others can be a bit of fun. We'll show you how to choose between them to suit your preference. Let's get started:
How to Add a Basic Border in Word
If you came here for a plain, black border, this section is for you. You can get from blank page to professional-looking border for Word in just a few clicks:
- Open the “Design” tab and click “Page Borders”
- Select “Box” and click “OK”
- Check your new page borders in Word page view
You should see that the border neatly hugs the edge of your text and images without overlapping.
How to Set Alternate Microsoft Word Border Styles and Formatting
If a plain black line is a little too boring for you, you can make use of the Word page border options to customize the shadow, thickness, line style, and more.
- Switch to another border setting and change line style
Instead of choosing a lined “Box” as borders for pages, you can use “None” for the standard invisible border design, or choose “Shadow” or “3-D” for a 3-D effect. “Custom” allows defining your own page border design. Border line style, color and thickness can also be changed. Press “OK” to apply the changes.
- Preview your page borders in your main document window
- Remove an individual border line
If you'd like to remove a specific border line, you can do so by clicking it in the preview on the right-hand side and then pressing “OK”.
- Check your page borders in Word page view
You should see that border you selected is completely gone and the line instead reaches right to the edge of the page.
- Modify the style of a specific Word border line
If you want a single border to be in a different style, you can instead click “Custom”, select a line style, and then click on the border you want to change in the preview window. Press “OK” to apply the changes to your document.
- Check your border line's new style
7. How to change the colour and width of page borders in Word
If you have a dark document background or black is too boring, you can change your border color and width in the same menu.
Click on the “Color” and “Width” dropdown to do so, then click “OK” to apply the changes. This works for both your border as a whole and a specific border line.
8. View your new border colour and width and adjust as necessary
How to Insert a Border in Word for a Single Page
Quite often it makes sense to only have a border on the first page – for use on a cover page for example. Here's how you can do that:
- Click the dropdown underneath “Apply to” and choose “This section – First page only”
Selecting this option will apply the border to your first page only. If you want to apply it to a different page, you can click on the page in your document and choose “This section” instead.Alternatively, if you want a border everywhere but the first page, choose “This section – All except first page”.
Press “OK” to apply the changes.
- Make sure the page border in Word applied correctly
How to Delete a Page in Word or Add Line Numbers
Now that you've applied your borders, you may notice a blank page at the end of your document with a border around it. You can follow our how to delete a page in Word tutorial to remedy this.
Or, if you want to make your document even more useful, why not learn how to add or remove line numbers? This way, readers can reference any part of your document with ease.
