Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Understanding Underlines.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 7, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365
The easiest way to underline text is to select the text and then press Ctrl+U. Word adds a simple underline. If you want more types of underlines, display the Home tab of the ribbon and use the down-arrow next to the Underline tool in the Font group. This allows you to select 8 or 9 different underlining styles.
If you want the greatest control over underlines, however, you need to display the Font dialog box, which is most easily displayed by pressing Ctrl+D. The dialog box allows you to select from a wide variety of underline types, using the Underline Style drop-down list. The following are the major types of underlines available:
| Underline Type | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| None | Removes any underlining from the selected text | |
| Single | Adds a single underline, the entire length of the selected text | |
| Words Only | Underlines only the words (not spaces or tabs) in the selected text | |
| Double | Adds a double-line underline, the entire length of the selected text | |
| Dots | Same as Single, but uses a line of dots instead | |
| Dashes | Same as Dots, but uses dashes instead of dots |
Remember that these are only the major types of underlines; there are actually many more. In fact, Word offers 18 different types of underlines using the Underline Style drop-down list. Most of these options represent variations on the Single, Dots, and Dashes options mentioned above.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11188) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Understanding Underlines.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!
If you use small caps text in a document, you know that there are several steps involved in properly formatting the text. ...
Discover MoreWant to adjust the size of a text selection? Here's a quick shortcut to increase the size.
Discover MoreSome people use quote marks around text to make it stand out. At some point you may want to treat the quoted text ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2025-06-16 17:43:04
Paula
Underline now signals a link, so underlining anything else is likely to result in unrequited clicking :)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
Comments