To hide formatting marks in Word 2013, click the Show/Hide ¶ button in the Paragraph group on the Home tab, or press Ctrl + Shift + 8. The paragraph marks (¶), dots for spaces, and arrows for tabs disappear. If some marks still show, go to File > Options > Display and uncheck them under Always show these formatting marks on the screen.
These steps also work in Word 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365. Formatting marks never print. They only help you see how a document is built.
How to turn formatting marks off
- Click the Home tab.
- In the Paragraph group, click Show/Hide ¶. When it’s highlighted, marks are showing. Click again to hide them.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + 8 on Windows, or Command + 8 on a Mac.
If formatting marks won’t go away
Word can be set to always show certain marks, even when Show/Hide is off.
- Click File > Options.
- Click Display.
- Under Always show these formatting marks on the screen, uncheck any boxes that are checked, such as Paragraph marks or Spaces.
- Click OK.
What each formatting mark means
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ¶ | End of a paragraph (where you pressed Enter) |
| · | A space |
| → | A tab |
| ↵ | A manual line break (Shift + Enter) |
| Dotted line with “Page Break” or “Section Break” | A page or section break |
| Small black square in the margin | Paragraph has a pagination setting like Keep with next |
| Dotted underline | Hidden text |
When formatting marks are useful
- Finding extra spaces or blank paragraphs that cause odd spacing.
- Seeing and deleting page breaks and section breaks.
- Fixing tables and lists that won’t line up.
Related: Remove crop marks in Word.
Frequently asked questions
Do formatting marks print?
No. They only appear on screen.
Why did formatting marks turn on by themselves?
You probably pressed Ctrl + Shift + 8 by accident. Press it again to turn them off.
Can I hide the paragraph mark at the end of a table?
Turn off Show/Hide ¶. Word always keeps a paragraph after a table, but it’s invisible when marks are hidden.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.