Lines are a useful way to visually separate sections or emphasize content in your Google Docs documents. Whether you want to add a horizontal line across the page or a vertical line to divide columns, it only takes a few clicks.
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn four easy methods to insert horizontal and vertical lines in Google Docs.
Benefits of Using Lines in Google Docs
Before jumping into the how-to steps, let’s review some of the top reasons to use lines in your Docs:
- Visually separate sections – Add lines before and after headings, subheadings, quotes, images, and other key content to make them stand out.
- Divide text columns – Insert vertical lines between text columns so readers can easily distinguish between them.
- Emphasize important points – Lines draw attention to essential sentences and paragraphs to improve scannability.
- Improve aesthetics – Well-placed lines give documents visual appeal and make them more professionally designed.
Method 1: Insert a Horizontal Line
Inserting a basic horizontal line only takes two clicks. Here’s how:
- Open your Google Docs document and place your cursor where you want the horizontal line to appear.
- Select Insert > Horizontal line from the top menu.
A horizontal line will instantly appear in your document at the insertion point.
To delete a horizontal line, simply double-click on it and press the Delete key.
Method 2: Draw a Vertical Line
The drawing tool in Google Docs enables you to add customized vertical lines. Follow these steps:
- Open your Google Doc and select the spot for your vertical line.
- Choose Insert > Drawing > + New.
- In the toolbar, click the Line icon (it looks like a diagonal line with a vertical line next to it).
- Hold down Shift and drag your mouse straight down to draw a perfectly vertical line.
- Adjust the line width, color, etc. using the options at the top.
- Click Save and close when you finish.
The vertical line will now appear in your document wherever you drew it.
Method 3: Add Line Between Text Columns
If you want to divide text into columns with a line between them:
- Highlight the text you want to put in columns.
- Go to Format > Columns and pick the number of columns.
- Check the box for Line between columns.
- Click Apply.
Your text will separate into columns with a vertical line automatically inserted in between.
Method 4: Use Table Borders
Borders created with tables can also add vertical divider lines:
- Click Insert > Table and create a 1 x 2 table.
- Type your text into the two cells.
- Right click the table and choose Table properties.
- On the Borders tab, select which borders to add.
- Click OK to insert vertical and/or horizontal lines around and between table cells.
Adjust the table dimensions if needed to extend your vertical line.
Customizing Lines in Google Docs
Once your lines are inserted, you can edit them to suit your document design:
- Change line width – Wider lines are bolder and attract more attention.
- Modify line color – Use color to coordinate with your theme or make key lines stand out more.
- Adjust line style – Alternate between solid, dashed, or dotted lines.
- Add line padding – Increase padding to move the line further from text.
Take a minute to format your lines so they look just right.
Enhancing Documents Visually with Lines
As you can see, vertical and horizontal lines are easy to add in Google Docs. Use them freely to enhance readability, highlight important content, and make your documents look visually polished.
Experiment with lines of different widths, colors, and padding to find what works best for your particular document. Place them strategically around key sections and pieces of text.
So try sprucing up your next Google Doc with some lines and see how they can take your formatting to the next level!
