Underlining is one of the simplest ways to make text stand out in Word, and there’s more to it than a single line. You can choose double, thick, dotted, dashed, or wavy underlines, change the underline color, underline only the words and not the spaces between them, or create blank lines for people to fill in. This guide covers every method in Word for Windows and Mac.
Quick answer
Select the text and press Ctrl + U (Command + U on a Mac), or click the U button in the Font group on the Home tab. Click the arrow next to the U button for more underline styles and colors.
Method 1: Use the keyboard shortcut
- Select the text you want to underline. Double-click to select a word, or click and drag for more.
- Press Ctrl + U on Windows or Command + U on a Mac.
Press the shortcut again to remove the underline. You can also press it before you start typing to underline new text as you go, then press it again to stop.
Method 2: Use the Underline button
- Select the text.
- On the Home tab, in the Font group, click U.
This applies a single underline. The button stays highlighted whenever your cursor is in underlined text.
Method 3: Choose a different underline style
- Select the text.
- Click the small arrow next to the U button.
- Pick a style: single, double, thick, dotted, dashed, dot-dash, or wavy.
Select More Underlines at the bottom of that menu to open the Font dialog, which lists every available style. For a two-line underline, see our guide on how to double underline in Word. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + D on Windows to apply a double underline directly.
Method 4: Change the underline color
- Select the underlined text.
- Click the arrow next to the U button.
- Hover over Underline Color and pick a color.
The text keeps its own color while the line changes, which is handy for highlighting without a background color. For a custom shade, choose More Colors. The color applies only to the selected text, so select all the underlined text first if you want to change every line at once.
Method 5: Underline words but not spaces
- Select the text.
- Press Ctrl + D (Command + D on a Mac) to open the Font dialog.
- Under Underline style, choose Words only.
- Click OK.
On Windows, Ctrl + Shift + W applies words-only underlining in one step. This style looks cleaner in titles and headings.
Underline blank space for forms
To create a line for someone to write on, such as “Name: ________”, you have a few options:
- Underscores: Hold Shift + Hyphen to type a line of underscores. Quick, but the line length changes with the font.
- Underlined tab: Press Tab a few times, select the tab spaces, and press Ctrl + U. This lines up neatly across multiple rows.
- Table cell border: For forms, insert a table and show only the bottom border of each cell.
Our guide to underlining without text in Word covers these in more detail.
Remove underlining
- Select the text and press Ctrl + U once or twice until the underline disappears. Double underlines may need a second press.
- Or select the text and press Ctrl + Space to clear all character formatting, including bold and italic.
- For hyperlinks, the underline comes from the link style. Right-click the link and choose Remove Hyperlink to remove the link and its underline.
Underline in Word for the web and mobile
In Word for the web, the U button and Ctrl + U work the same way, and the arrow next to the button offers a few styles. In the Word mobile app, select text, tap the formatting icon, and tap U.
When to use underlining
Underlines can look like links in documents that will be read on screen, so use bold or italic for emphasis in digital documents. Underlining still works well in printed forms, legal documents, and headings where a specific style guide requires it.
Related: How to underline text in Google Sheets.
Related: Stop Word from auto-capitalizing.
Frequently asked questions
Why won’t Ctrl + U work?
Another app may be using the shortcut, or the document may be protected. Try the U button on the Home tab instead.
Can I make the underline thicker?
Yes. Choose the thick line style from the underline menu, or make the text bold, which also makes a single underline heavier.
How do I change the space between text and underline?
Word doesn’t offer a direct setting for this. Changing the font or font size changes how far the line sits from the text.
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.