Buzz
Today, Mytour will show you how to add dotted or dashed lines to any part of your Microsoft Word document. You can quickly use keyboard shortcuts to insert horizontal dotted lines across the page in Word on both mobile and desktop devices. If you want larger, stylized, or differently positioned lines, you can use the Insert menu to add line shapes to your document and format them in various styles.
Steps
Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Open the Word document you want to edit. Locate and double-click the document on your computer, or open the Word app and select the document you wish to edit.
- You can also start with a completely new document.
- This shortcut works on all versions of Word, whether on mobile or desktop.
Click on the location where you want to add the dotted line. You can create a horizontal dotted line anywhere on the page.
Type *** on your keyboard. This shortcut allows you to create a dashed line on the page.
- Alternatively, you can use combinations like ---, ===, ___, ###, or ~~~ for different styles.
Press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return. A dashed horizontal line will appear on the page.
Using the Insert Tool on a Computer
Open the Word document you want to edit. Locate and double-click the document on your computer, or open the Word app and select the document you wish to edit.
- You can also start with a completely new document.
Select the Insert tab from the toolbar. This button is located at the top of the toolbar.
Choose Shapes from the Insert toolbar. This button features icons of triangles, squares, and circles in the toolbar. A menu containing various shapes will appear.
Select the type of line you want to add. You can create a dotted line afterward.
Click and draw the line in the document. Once you've selected the shape, you can use your mouse to draw the line anywhere in the document.
- After drawing, you can click and drag the corners of the line shape to resize, rotate, or reposition it.
- You can also click and drag the line to any location within the document.
Right-click on the line. A context menu with additional options will appear in a dropdown.
Click on Format Shape in the right-click menu. A formatting pane will open on the right side.
Click the Dash type selector in the formatting pane. Options for dots and dashes will appear.
- If you don't see this option, first click the paint bucket icon at the top left of the "Format Shape" pane and select Line from the menu to expand the options.
Choose the type of dots or dashes. The line will transform into the style of dots or dashes you selected.
- Additionally, you can adjust the Width, Transparency, and other properties of the line here.
Using the Insert Tool on Mobile Devices
Open the Word app on your phone or tablet. The app features a blue and white document icon. You can find it on your home screen or app tray.
Select the document you want to edit. The document will open.
- Alternatively, you can create a completely new document.
Tap the "Edit" icon located at the top of the blue toolbar. The editing menu will open at the bottom half of the screen.
- On iPhone/iPad, this button is in the blue toolbar with a white "A" and pencil icon.
- On Android, you may find a similar icon or just a white pencil.
Tap the Home button at the top-left corner of the bottom toolbar. Tool tabs will appear.
Choose Insert from the toolbar menu. Available options will appear.
Select Shape. A menu with available shapes will open.
Select the type of line you want to add. The chosen line will appear in the document.
- You can add dotted lines afterward.
Drag the blue points at the ends of the line to customize if needed. You can adjust the size and position of the line using the blue points at its ends.
- Alternatively, you can do this after adding dashes to the line.
Tap on Shape Style in the Shape menu. Available line styles will appear.
Choose the dashed line style. The selected line will transform into a dashed line. You can freely adjust the size and position of the object.
