Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Drawing Lines.

Drawing Lines

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 11, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


The Drawing toolbar allows you to create a number of shapes that were previously only available through the use of a drawing program. One such shape is a line. To draw a line, follow these steps:

  1. Select a line weight and type by clicking on the Line Style tool on the toolbar.
  2. Click on the line tool.
  3. Position the mouse pointer where one end of the line is to be located.
  4. Click and hold the mouse button.
  5. Drag the mouse until the line is the desired length.
  6. Release the mouse button.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3470) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Drawing Lines.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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