How do you delete lines in Microsoft Word documents?

Question

I've already asked this question, but didn't get a helpful answer. Here's the situation:

In a story I'm writing, I was putting a line of equal signs to segment the different sections of the story as I'm writing some earlier parts and later parts at the same time to keep track of different scenes and delete them after everything is in place.

The problem I've ran into is that I can't seem to find a way to delete the lines as when I type several equal signs(=) they turn into a thin horizontal line that I can't seem to delete as when I try it deletes text, not the line. What can I do to get rid of these unwanted lines? It's really irritating me, almost to the point of outright hating the entire program!

Someone on the previous question mentioned using something in the Format Menu. I can't seem to find a Format Menu, or any other kind of menu like you would in a normal program. Is this because I'm using Windows Vista?

The only things that remotely resemble menus are: Home, Insert, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review, and View.

Answer 1

It's an automatic border line, you can remove it by clicking in the paragraph before or after the line, click, format, borders and shading, turn the border off by clicking on it in the window.  To turn the option off, click on tools, auto correct options, auto format as you type, uncheck borders under apply as you type.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

It would help if you said what version of Word you have.  The answer that refers to the Format menu applies to Word 2003 or earlier.  If you can't find Format, then: 1) maybe you have Word 2007, or 2) maybe you think you have Microsoft Word when you actually have Microsoft Works word processor or Corel WordPerfect or OpenOffice Writer or Abiword or some other word processing program.

To get rid of the paragraph borders in your current document in Word 2007, press Ctrl+A to select all of the text, press Alt+O,B, click on Borders tab | Settings: None | OK.

You can permanently turn off the "feature" in Word 2007 that turns a series of – or = signs into a paragraph border by clicking on Office Button | Word Options | Proofing | AutoCorrect Options | AutoFormat As You Type tab | uncheck the "Border lines" box | OK.

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garfield-n-odie

Microsoft MVP 2005-2008

http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Answer 3

Ah, you know what must've happened? You typed in Equal signs, and Microsoft Word; brainfart that it is; thought you wanted a thin solid line.

Here's what you do: Copy your entire story into Notepad. Save it, if you want. The horizontal lines should either be gone, or turn back into Equal signs. In any case, you can now delete the signs, or add them, or whattever. After you fix it, you can then copy your document back into Word; turn off word-wrap, or it will do some weird line breaks.

Personal advice: If you want to be a serious writer, use Notepad, not Word. With Word, you always get caught up with it's stupid "I fix what you typed" mindset, and you'll lose your train of thought trying to fix it. Notepad is much better for writing, because it's just text, no BS.