Underline text

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Underline text
Applies to: Microsoft Office Word 2003


The quickest way to underline text is to press CTRL+U and start typing. When you want to stop underlining, press CTRL+U again.

You can also underline text and spaces in several other ways:
Underline words and the spaces between them Example of single underline
Underline words, but not the spaces between them Example of underlined words only
Use a double underline Example of double underline
Underline blank spaces Example of underlined blank spaces
Add a decorative underline Example of decorative underline

But, I want to remove underlining
To underline words and the spaces between them

1. Select the text you want to underline.
2. On the Formatting toolbar, click the Underline button Button image .

Note Be sure you are looking at the Formatting toolbar, not the Formatting menu. To see the Formatting toolbar, click the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Formatting so that a check mark appears next to it in the list of toolbars.

I don't see the button …

To underline words, but not the spaces between them

1. Select the text you want to underline.
2. On the Format menu, click Font, and then click the Font tab.
3. In the Underline style box, click Words only.

To use a double underline

1. Select the text you want to underline.
2. On the Format menu, click Font, and then click the Font tab.
3. In the Underline style box, click the double underline.

To underline blank spaces

You can underline blank spaces by pressing SHIFT+HYPHEN (-), but it's difficult to line up the underlines — if you're creating a fill-in form, for example. Also, if the AutoFormat option for changing underscore characters into border lines is turned on, pressing SHIFT+HYPHEN (-) three or more times in a row will result in a line that extends the width of the paragraph, which may not be what you want.

A better way to underline blank spaces is to use the TAB key and apply the underline formatting to the tab characters.

1. On the Standard toolbar, click the Show/Hide ¶ Button image button so that you can see the marks that indicate spaces and tab stops.

I don't see the button …
2. Press the TAB key.
3. Select the tab characters that you want to underline. A tab character looks like a small arrow.
4. Do one of the following:
* Press CTRL+U to apply a simple underline format.
* If you want a different style of underline, click Font on the Format menu, click the Font tab, and then click the style you want in the Underline style box.

To add a decorative underline

1. Select the text you want to underline.
2. On the Format menu, click Font, and then click the Font tab.
3. In the Underline style box, click the style you want.
4. In the Underline color box, click the color you want.

Remove underlining

To remove single underlining from words and spaces, select the underlined text and press CTRL+U.

Note To remove other styles of underlining, press CTRL+U twice.
Find the button

If there isn't room to display an entire toolbar, some of the buttons are hidden. By default, Microsoft Word hides the buttons that you don't use frequently. You can display all of a toolbar's buttons all the time, or you can click the Toolbar Options button Button image, and then click the button that you want. The Toolbar Options button appears at the end of a toolbar when there is not enough room to display the entire to