Draw Vertical Line In Microsoft Word For Mac

Newer versions Office 2011. Note: A line shape is a line inserted by clicking the Shapes button on the Insert tab. For more about inserting lines, see Add.

Last updated: January 4, 2017

Do you need to add something to your Word 2013 document, but the only way that you can accurately express the information is through a drawing? Fortunately you can draw in Microsoft Word 2013 with the Scribble shape. This will allow you to make a freehand drawing directly in your document. Word will then convert the drawing to a shape object, where you can adjust the appearance of the shape that you just drew.

Note that Word will create a new shape every time that you let go of your mouse with the scribble shape, so you will need to re-select it after letting go. You can also select one of the other shapes on the menu in step 3 below, if your needs require a specific shape or straight lines. The guide below will show you how to draw in Word and provide you with a new way to express your ideas and information that might have otherwise required you to use a different program.

Freehand Drawing in Microsoft Word 2013

The steps in this article will show you how to do freehand drawing in a Microsoft Word document. You will be selecting the “Scribble” shape, which gives you complete control over what is output on your screen. You can also draw freely anywhere in the document, even on top of text that has already been entered.

Please note that drawing in Microsoft Word can be very difficult. If you find that you are having trouble achieving your desired result, then you may have more luck with Microsoft Paint, or with a more advanced tool like Adobe Photoshop.

Step 1: Open a document in Microsoft Word 2013.

Step 2: Click the Insert tab at the top of the window.

Step 3: Click the Shapes button in the Illustrations section of the navigational ribbon, then click the Scribble button in the Lines section.

Step 4: Use your mouse to draw on the canvas. The drawing shape will be completed once you let go of the mouse, which will bring up a new Drawing Tools option. This menu will have options for ways to change the color of the drawing, or to change the fill color.

If you need to draw more, then you can re-click the Scribble shape at the left side of the navigational ribbon, as in the image below.

Summary – How to draw in Word

1. Click Insert at the top of the window.
2. Click the Shapes button, then click the Scribble icon in the Lines section.
3. Click and hold down the mouse button, then move the mouse cursor to draw. The drawing will complete itself once you let go of the mouse button.
4. Click the Format tab under Drawing Tools to make any changes to your drawing.

How to Edit the Shape of an Existing Drawing in Word

This section will show you a way to change the shape of your drawing. This method is a little cumbersome, but can be effective if you only need to make minor adjustments to your drawing.

Step 1: Select your drawing, then click the Format tab under Drawing Tools.

Step 2: Click the Edit Shape button in the Insert Shapes section of the ribbon, then click the Edit Points option.

Step 3: Click on one of the points on your drawing, then drag the point to adjust the shape.

Note that drawing in Microsoft Word can be somewhat difficult, even frustrating at times. If you find that the drawing capabilities of Word are limited, then you might have better luck drawing in Microsoft Paint and inserting the saved Paint drawing into your document. This article will show you how to insert a picture in Word 2013.

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For some documents you may have a need to insert vertical lines. There are actually four or five ways you can do this in Word. The actual method you choose depends on your document needs and which appeals to you the most. The first method involves drawing a line:

1. Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
2. Click the Shapes tool and then click one of the line shapes from the Line group. The mouse pointer changes to a crosshair that looks like a large plus sign.
3. Click at one end of where you want your line, but don't release the mouse button.
4. Drag the mouse to where you want the other end of the line positioned.
5. Release the mouse button.

The second method involves using bar tab stops. You can see how these appear by following these steps:

1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs that you want to contain vertical bars.
2. Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
3. Click the small icon at the lower-right of the Paragraph group. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
4. Click the Tabs button, at the lower-left of the dialog box. Word displays the Tabs dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Tabs dialog box.

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5. In the Tab Stop Position box enter a horizontal measurement that indicates where you want the bar to appear. Thus, if you want it 2 inches from the left margin, you would enter 2 in the box.
6. Click on the Bar radio button.
7. Click on Set.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 to set other bar positions.
9. Click on OK when you are done.

Another method that works well if you want the line to appear beside a paragraph is to use borders:

1. Place the insertion point within a paragraph of text or, if preferred, select the entire paragraph.
2. Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
3. Click the down-arrow next to the Borders tool, in the Paragraph group. Word displays a drop-down list of options.
4. Choose the Left Border or Right Border option, as desired. Word adds the border to either the left or right side of the paragraph, as appropriate.

If you have multiple columns in your document and you want vertical lines between the columns, you can follow these steps:

1. Select the text that you want in columns. (If you don't do this step, then your entire section or document will be formatted into columns.)
2. Display the Page Layout tab of the ribbon.
3. Click the Columns tool in the Page Setup group and then click More Columns. Word displays the Columns dialog box. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. The Columns dialog box.

4. Specify the number of columns into which you want the text formatted.
5. Make sure the Line Between check box is selected.
6. Click on OK.

The final way to create vertical lines is to use tables. While this may seem a bit convoluted, it will work great for small sections of text. To use this method, follow these general steps:

1. Create a table that has a single row but as many columns as you want your text divided into.
2. Select the table.
3. Make sure the Design tab of the ribbon is displayed.
4. Click the Borders tool (in the Table Styles group) and then choose No Border.
5. Again click the Borders tool and then choose Inside Vertical Border.
6. Enter your text in each cell of the table.