Add a Border to Word

Borders can help draw the reader's eye and make you information stand out. In Word, you can add borders to specific pieces of text or the entire page. Word comes with a variety of built-in border styles, but if you don't find one you want, you can use image files to create a custom border.

Steps

Adding Borders to Text

  1. Highlight the text that you want to put a border around. Borders work best if you highlight either an entire paragraph or a single line. If you highlight multiple lines but not an entire paragraph, each line will have its own separate border.[1]
  2. Open the Home tab. You'll find the Borders options in the Home tab in all versions of Word since 2007.
  3. Find the Borders button. You can find this in the Paragraph group, next to the Shading (paint bucket) button.
    • Clicking the Borders button will add a simple line bottom border to your selected text.
  4. Click the ▼ button next to the Borders button to see your options. This will open a list of border configurations you can pick. You'll see a preview of the border as you place your cursor over each on.
    • If you're just looking for a simple border, you can select it from this menu. Read on to create a more stylized border.
  5. Select "Borders and Shading" to customize your border. By default, the border will just be a simple solid line. The Borders and Shading window will allow you to customize the appearance of the border.
  6. Select a border setting. You can choose between a Box, Shadow, or 3-D border. These options can be found along the left side of the Borders and Shading window.
  7. Choose a style for the border line. The Style menu will display a list of available styles for your border lines. Select the type of line you want to use for your border.
    • Use the Color drop-down menu to change the line color.
    • Use the Width drop-down menu to change the size of the border line.
  8. Toggle the sides of the border. By default, the border will form a complete box. You can press the buttons around the preview toggle sides off or on.
  9. Click the Options button to change the border distance (optional). If you want the border closer to or farther from the text, the Options button will allow you to change the distance. You can set separate distances for each side of the border.
  10. Click OK to apply your border. The border you've selected will be applied to your highlighted text.

Adding Borders to a Page

  1. Create separate sections to use different borders in one document. Normally, a page border will apply to every page in the document. If you want the border to just apply to specific pages, or want different borders for different pages, you'll need to split your document into "Sections."[2]
    • Place your cursor at the end of the page before the page you want your new section to start on.
    • Open the Layout tab and click the Breaks button. You'll find this in the Page Setup group.
    • Select "Next Page" in the Section Breaks section. This will start the next section on the next page.
  2. Click the Design tab. The Page Borders tool can be found on this ribbon.
  3. Click the Page Borders button. This is on the far-right end of the Design tab, in the Page Background section. The Page Borders window will appear.
  4. Customize your page border style. Use the Style selector to find the line style that you want to use. The Color menu allows you to change the color of the line. The Width line allows you to change the thickness of the line. The Art menu allows you to select from a variety of clip art pieces that will repeat as a border.
  5. Toggle the sides of the border. By default, the page border will go around all of the sides of the page. Click the buttons around the preview to toggle sides off or on.
  6. Select the pages you want to apply the border to. The "Apply to" menu allows you to select between "Whole document" or "This section." If you broke your document into separate sections in the first step, you can use this to apply different borders to different sections.
  7. Click OK to apply your border to your pages. You'll see your border appear immediately.[3]

Creating a Border with Images

  1. Insert the image that you want to use as the border. If you want to use images as a border instead of the built-in line tools, you can insert the images into your document. You can use separate images for each side of the border, or insert a complete border image. There are several ways to do this:
    • Click the Insert tab and select "Pictures." Browse for the border picture that you want to use.
    • Click and drag the image file into your document. This will insert it.
    • Copy an image from a website and paste it into the document.
  2. Select the image and click the Format tab. This will allow you to change the image position and layering.
  3. Click the "Wrap Text" button and select "Behind Text." This will ensure that all of the text appears on top of the image file, which is especially useful for images of complete page borders. It also allows you to move the image around without making the text shift.
  4. Move and resize the image as necessary. You can click and drag your image around until it is in the proper location. Click and drag the boxes on the corners of the image to resize it.
  5. Repeat for any additional border images. If you're building the border from multiple image files, repeat the process until all of the images are in the correct place. If you need to mirror an image (for opposing border sides), click the Rotate button in the Format tab and select Flip Horizontal or Vertical.


Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Add-a-border-to-some-text-dc90dbd4-11ec-4859-91b7-a41a38e73cd3
  2. ↑ http://smallbusiness.chron.com/put-border-around-just-one-microsoft-word-44393.html
  3. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Add-a-border-to-a-page-70e0af47-31c7-47ae-89f3-9ec587f1e49f
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