Add a border to your entire page in three steps

To add a border around a page in Word, go to the Design tab (or Page Layout in older versions), click Page Borders, choose your style, and click OK. The border appears on all four sides of every page unless you change the settings. This takes about one minute and works the same way whether you use Word on Windows, Mac, or the web version.

The border sits in the margin area outside your text, so it does not shrink the space where you can type. You can make it thicker, change the color, use a dotted or dashed line instead of solid, or apply it to just the first page or specific sections if your document is divided into parts.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Design or Page Layout tab, click Page Borders, and select a line style to add a border to all pages at once.
  • You can change the border color, thickness, and pattern (solid, dotted, dashed) from the same dialog box.
  • To add a border to only the first page or specific pages, create a section break and apply the border to that section only.
  • The border sits outside your text margins, so it does not reduce the space where you can write.

Find the Page Borders option in your version of Word

The location of Page Borders depends on which version of Word you use. On Windows in Word 2016 and newer, click the Design tab at the top of the screen. On Mac, click Design as well. If you use an older version of Word (2010 or 2013), the tab is called Page Layout instead.

Once you are on the correct tab, look for a button labeled Page Borders in the ribbon. It usually sits near other page-related options like margins and orientation. If you cannot find it, use the search box at the top of Word (the box that says "Tell me what you want to do") and type "page borders" — Word will show you the option and take you there.

Choose your border style and apply it

When you click Page Borders, a dialog box opens with three tabs: Borders, Page Border, and Shading. Make sure you are on the Page Border tab (the middle one). On the left side, you will see preset options: None, Box, Shadow, and 3-D. Click Box to add a simple border on all four sides.

Below those presets, you can see a preview of what your border will look like. The Style dropdown shows different line patterns — solid, dotted, dashed, double, and others. Pick the one you want. You can also change the Color (the default is black) and the Width (measured in points; 1 point is very thin, 6 points is noticeably thick). Once you have made your choices, click OK at the bottom of the dialog.

Apply a border to only the first page or specific sections

If you want a border on only the first page — a common choice for a title page — open the Page Borders dialog again and look for a dropdown that says Apply to. Change it from Whole document to This section. Then click OK.

Before you do this, you need to create a section break between your first page and the rest of your document. Go to the Layout tab (or Page Layout in older versions), click Breaks, and choose Next Page. This creates an invisible divider. Now your first page is its own section, and you can add a border to just that section while leaving the rest of the document without a border.

You can use this same method to add different borders to different parts of your document. Create a section break wherever you want the border to change, then apply the border settings to each section separately.

Remove or change a border you have already added

To remove a border from your entire document, go back to Design (or Page LayoutPage Borders, and select None on the left side of the dialog. Click OK and the border disappears.

To change the border without removing it — for example, to make it thicker or change the color — open the Page Borders dialog again, adjust the Width or Color settings, and click OK. Your changes take effect immediately. If you have applied different borders to different sections, you can change each section's border separately by selecting that section first, then opening Page Borders and choosing This section in the Apply to dropdown.

Troubleshoot borders that do not appear or print correctly

If you added a border but cannot see it on the screen, check your zoom level. Borders sometimes do not show clearly when you are zoomed in very far or very far out. Try zooming to 100% to see if the border appears. You can also switch to Print Layout view by clicking the view buttons in the bottom right corner of Word — borders show up in Print Layout but not in other views.

If the border looks right on screen but does not print, the problem is usually your printer settings. Open the print dialog (Ctrl+P on Windows, Command+P on Mac), click Options or Printer Properties, and look for a setting about printing backgrounds or graphics. Make sure it is turned on. Some printers have a separate setting for printing borders specifically. If you still have trouble, try printing to a PDF first to see if the border appears there — if it does, the issue is with your printer, not your document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a border to just one side of the page?

Yes. In the Page Borders dialog, instead of clicking a preset like Box, use the preview area on the right. Click the sides of the preview where you want borders to appear and click away from the sides where you do not. You can also click the small buttons above and below the preview to toggle each side on and off.

Does the page border take up space where I can type?

No. The border sits in the margin area outside your text. Your margins stay the same size, and your text area does not shrink. If you want more space between your text and the border, you can increase your margins from the Design or Page Layout tab.

Why does my border look different on the first page than on other pages?

This usually means you have different section breaks in your document. Each section can have its own border settings. Check that you applied the border to the correct section. Open Page Borders, make sure Apply to is set to Whole document, and click OK to apply the same border everywhere.

Can I use a picture or pattern as a border instead of a line?

Word does not support picture borders on the page itself, but you can use decorative line styles (like wavy or ornamental patterns) from the Style dropdown in the Page Borders dialog. For more complex designs, consider adding a header or footer with a graphic instead.