The editor of Downcodes brings you a practical guide on how to remove the horizontal line below the header in a Microsoft Word document. Many Word users have encountered this problem. Although it does not affect the content of the document, it affects the appearance. This article will introduce four methods in detail, including adjusting header settings, using border and shading functions, controlling styles, and using document format settings to help you easily remove annoying horizontal lines and improve the professionalism of your documents. We will guide you step by step so that even a newbie in Word can master it easily.

In Microsoft Word, many users will encounter a horizontal line appearing below the header. Although this problem does not affect the main content of the document, it may make people feel complicated or unprofessional from a visual perspective. In essence, this line is the boundary line of the header, and its appearance is Word's default setting. You can remove this line, adjust the header settings, or use style control. Below we will introduce these methods in detail.
First, we will introduce how to remove this line by adjusting the header settings. When you add a header in Word, Word will automatically add a horizontal line below the header. This is actually a form of boundary line presentation, and its purpose is to visually distinguish the header from the body content. But if you think this line does not meet your document design needs, you can remove it by modifying the header's border settings. This process is simple and straightforward and works well for most situations where you need to remove the lines below the header.
To remove the horizontal line below the header, you first need to open the Word document, and then double-click anywhere in the header area to enter the header editing mode. In this mode, you'll notice that the horizontal line below the header becomes more obvious. Immediately following:
Click on the horizontal line below the header and you will find that it becomes selected, indicating that this horizontal line is actually a special border line. After selecting the line, use the Delete key on your keyboard to delete it. After deleting it, you will find that the horizontal line below the header is gone.If the above method cannot remove the horizontal lines, or you want to adjust it in other ways, you can also use Word’s “Borders and Shading” function to achieve the goal of removing horizontal lines:
In your Word document, go to the "Design" tab and find the "Borders" button (or "Borders and Shading" as it may be called in some versions of Word). In the pop-up border and shading settings window, go to the "Page Border" tab. Here, make sure the “None” option is selected and click on the “OK” button.The style function in Word can also be used to remove or control the display of horizontal lines below the header. Styles can not only help you unify the format of your document, but also control the way specific elements in the document are displayed:
Under Word's Home tab, find the Styles pane. In this pane you can see different preset style options. Find the style that applies to the header, then right-click the style and select Edit. In the pop-up dialog box, you can customize the style, including removing the bottom border (that is, the horizontal line below the header).Finally, Word’s document format settings also provide the possibility to remove header lines:
In the Page Layout or Layout tab, find the section related to page setup. Here, you can adjust the document's margins, paper size, and other related settings. In some cases, adjusting these settings may affect the display state of header lines, although this method is not as direct as the previously mentioned method that specifically targets header lines.Through the above four methods, you should be able to effectively remove unnecessary horizontal lines below the header in Word documents. Adjusting header settings is the most straightforward and common method, while using the border and shading features provides more personalization options. At the same time, by controlling styles and using document formatting, you can have more comprehensive control over the overall presentation and style of the document. These four methods can not only help you remove the horizontal lines under the header, but also allow you to better understand and use multiple functions of Word, thereby improving your document editing and design capabilities.
1. Why does an extra line appear under the header in my Word document? In Word, the reason for an extra line below the header may be due to header style settings, paragraph border line settings, or specific settings in the document template. Below you will find several common solutions.
2. How to remove the extra lines under the header in a Word document?
Method 1: Remove lines from the Header and Footer Toolbar. Click the "View" tab in the Word document, in the "Toolbars" group of the "View" tab, check "Header and Footer Toolbars", then select the lines in the header and press "Delete" Just press the key. Method 2: Cancel the lines in the "Paragraph Borders and Shading" settings. Click the "Page Layout" tab in the Word document, select "Border" in the "Margins" group, and then click the "Borderless" option to remove the lines under the header. Method 3: Check the settings of the document template. Some document templates may have preset header underline settings for aesthetic or branding purposes. You can select a different template in the Design tab or select the More button in the Page Layout tab to further customize the template settings.3. What should I do if the above methods cannot solve the problem of lines under the header in Word documents? If you have tried the above methods and still cannot remove the lines under the header, it may be due to other unknown reasons. You can try the following solutions:
Use the shortcut key "Ctrl + A" to select the entire document, and then use "Ctrl + Space" to clear all text formatting; copy the document content to a new Word document, you may be able to eliminate the lines in the old document; save the document as PDF format , and then converting back to Word document format sometimes eliminates some formatting issues.If you still cannot solve the problem, it is recommended to consult professional IT support personnel or seek official Microsoft Office support.
I hope this guide by the editor of Downcodes can help you solve the problem of horizontal header lines in Word and improve your document editing efficiency! If you have any questions, please leave a message in the comment area.