You’ve just typed up a document and you’re thinking to yourself—something’s missing here.
Maybe you’re sending out birthday party invitations and want to add a bit of pizazz to incite excitement in your guests. Maybe you learned how to make a brochure, but not how to make it look polished and official. Or maybe your document contains important information that you want to highlight with a box around it. No matter you can learn how to do that in this article.
Borders make a nice finishing touch to Word documents of all sorts. We’ll show you how to add borders to content in your document (a great method for organization) as well as how to add borders to pages (a way to make documents appear either more professional or more fun).
How to make Microsoft Word borders
- Select the content you want to add a border to
- In the “Home” menu, click on the drop-down arrow next to the border icon and choose a border option
- Adjust the border to your liking from the “Borders and Shading” menu
Keep reading for detailed instructions on how to make and customize content borders in Word, or jump ahead for page borders.
How to add borders to content in Word
You can add borders to any content in Word, whether it’s text or images. It’s easier to add borders to content you’ve already entered into your document, although you can edit content within a border too. Once you know what content you want to use a border on in your document, follow these instructions.
1. Select the content you want to add a border to
Use your cursor to highlight the text or image you would like to add a border to in your document.
2. In the “Home” menu, click on the drop-down arrow next to the border icon
Make sure you are in the “Home” menu bar on the top of your screen, then click on the drop-down arrow next to the “Borders” icon (it looks like a square with four quadrants).
From there, you can select an option based on what kind of border you would like for your content. If you’re not sure which one to choose, experiment until you find the right border for your content.
Some options are:
All borders
Outside borders
Inside and right side borders
3. Adjust the border to your liking
If the border is too thick, or you’d like a color besides black, go back to the “Borders” drop-down menu and click on “Borders and Shading.” You can also access this menu from your desktop menu bar by clicking “Format” then “Borders and Shading”
A menu will pop up. Use it to adjust the border settings. In addition to adjusting the color, style, and thickness of the border, you can also add a 3-D or drop shadow effect from the “Borders” section of this menu.
If you’d like to fill in the box with a color, pattern, or tint, select “Shading” at the top of the “Borders and Shading” menu. From there, you can select a fill color and/or pattern. Experiment with it until you find something you like.
Tip: Once you find the ideal settings for your border and click “OK,” those settings can be applied to any content in your document by selecting the content, then pressing the “Borders” icon button on the home menu bar. |
You can get really creative with Microsoft Word borders.
Adjust the border and shading settings to your heart’s desire. You’re a border pro now. If you’re thinking about adding a page border to your document, keep reading and we’ll show you how!
Need a break from creating amazing borders in Microsoft Word? Let G2 know what you think of the software. |
How to add page borders in Word
Page borders are an easy way to emulate the look of custom stationery, so they come in handy for menus, invitations, flyers and more. Follow these simple steps to create and customize a page border in Word.
1. Open the “Borders and Shading” menu
First, you’ll need to open the “Borders and Shading” menu. Make sure you are in the “Home” menu bar, then click the drop-down arrow next to the border icon. You can also access this menu from your desktop menu bar by clicking “Format” then “Borders and Shading.”
2. Click on “Page Border”
From the “Borders and Shading” menu, click on “Page Border” at the top of the menu. This is the menu from which you can set and adjust page borders.
3. Adjust the border to your liking
From the “Page Border” menu, you can adjust the page border to suit your needs. You can pick a basic linear design and adjust the color and width, or use one of Microsoft Word’s “Art” options. Explore and experiment with these settings until you achieve the border of your dreams.
Borderline perfection
The trick to achieving the perfect Microsoft Word border is experimentation. It’s the best way to get a feel for all that borders can do. Don’t worry, if you mess up, just hit cmd/ctrl + Z and try again!
Add a little more flair to your document—here’s how to draw in Word.