Sometimes a horizontal line in a Word document comes in handy, for example to separate pieces of text.
Word has some very simple tricks that are actually quite hidden. One of these is drawing horizontal lines across the full width of your document at lightning speed (but neatly within the set page borders). Such a horizontal line can be useful, for example, to optically separate paragraphs from each other. Or to make a paragraph stand out. Anyway, at least you don't have to reach for the drawing tools. To draw a simple horizontal line, type a - or --- three times followed by pressing Enter: Hopla: a line will appear. But we're not there yet, because other line styles are also possible. If you type *** followed by pressing Enter, you will get a dotted line. And === plus Enter produces a double line. ### plus Enter creates a creative line consisting of a thick centerline interspersed by thin sidelines. Three underscores (or ___) plus Enter make for a slightly thicker line compared to the three minus signs. The trick also works in the mobile versions of Word, although we did notice that you had to tap more than three minus signs to realize a line. The other lines will show up with the three mentioned characters. Removing some lines also proves impossible in the mobile app. Something to keep in mind...
Still drawing?
If you want to insert shapes other than lines, you could of course get started with the drawing tool yourself. Even more convenient - and a lot faster - is using Autoshapes. You can find it in the well-known word processor in the ribbon under Insert after pressing the button Form there. Quickly insert all kinds of pre-baked shapes, including a number of 3D ones. You can quickly drag them larger or smaller and via Shape Styles change color and shading. To customize a shape (even more) click it with the right mouse button, followed by a click (left) on it Format Shape. In the panel that you see on the right, all kinds of things can be realized. Think of shadow, reflection and - in the case of a 3D object - extras in that area. Pre-baked shapes allow you to use graphical elements in your document even if you are bad at drawing.
