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In desktop Word, go to Design > Page Borders to add, customize, or remove a page border. Borders apply to a section rather than an arbitrary individual page, so isolating a page in the middle of a document requires section breaks. Word for the web preserves existing text borders but cannot add, edit, or delete them.
Add a page border in desktop Word
- Open the document in the Word desktop app and select Design > Page Borders.
- In the Borders and Shading dialog, choose a setting and customize the appearance if needed.
- Select OK to apply the border. To change its distance from the page edge, choose Options, adjust the margin settings, confirm, and then select OK in the border dialog.
Microsoft documents this command for Word for Microsoft 365, Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Word 2024 and 2024 for Mac, Word 2021 and 2021 for Mac, Word 2019, and Word 2016. See Microsoft Support’s page-border instructions.
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Change the border’s appearance or position
In Borders and Shading, use the controls to set the look and placement:
- Setting: choose a preset border treatment.
- Style, Color, and Width: set the line pattern, color, and thickness.
- Art: choose a graphic border.
- Preview: select individual sides to turn them on or off.
- Options: adjust the border’s position relative to the page edge.
Put a border on only one page
Microsoft Support states that “Page borders are applied by section, not individual pages.” To border one page in the middle of a document, make that page its own section with section breaks, then choose the intended scope in the page-border dialog’s Apply to control. Microsoft lists This section – First page only as one available scope.
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- Place the cursor where the target page’s section should begin.
- Choose Layout > Breaks and select the section-break type that fits the layout: Next Page, Continuous, Even Page, or Odd Page.
- Add another section break after the target page so it is separated from the following content.
- Open Design > Page Borders, set the border, and select the appropriate Apply to scope.
For details on section-break types, see Microsoft Support’s section-break guide.
Remove a page border or just some sides
- Choose Design > Page Borders.
- In Apply to, select the page or section whose border you want to change.
- To clear the entire border, choose Setting > None. To remove only certain edges, use Preview to toggle off those sides instead.
- Select OK.
See Microsoft Support’s instructions for removing a page border.
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What Word for the web can and cannot do
Word for the web preserves text borders made in the desktop app, but Microsoft says it cannot add, edit, or delete those borders. Its section-break guidance also says the web app cannot add section breaks. If you need to create a border or isolate a page, choose Open in Word and make the change in the desktop app.
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