How to Remove a Border in Google Docs (Tables, Paragraphs, Images)

Borders in Google Docs can come from several sources: table borders, borders added to paragraphs, borders around images, or a one-cell table someone used to fake a page border. Each is removed differently. This guide shows how to identify the kind of border you’re looking at and get rid of it.

Quick Answer

For a table border, right-click the table, choose Table properties, open Color, and set Table border to 0 pt. For a paragraph border, select the text and choose Format > Paragraph styles > Borders and shading, then click Reset. For an image border, select the image and set Border weight to 0 or choose Transparent for the border color.

Remove Table Borders

All borders

1. Right-click anywhere in the table and choose Table properties.
2. Expand Color.
3. Set Table border width to 0 pt. The borders disappear (dashed guides may still show on screen but won’t print).

Specific borders

1. Select the cells whose borders you want to change.
2. Hover over a cell edge and click the small down arrow in the top-right of the cell to choose which borders to select (top, bottom, left, right, inner, outer, all).
3. On the toolbar, set Border width to 0 pt, or Border color to white.

Remove Paragraph Borders

1. Select the paragraph with the border.
2. Click Format > Paragraph styles > Borders and shading.
3. Click Reset to remove borders and shading, or set Border width to 0 pt, and click Apply.

If a horizontal line keeps appearing, it may be an inserted horizontal line; click just above it and press Delete.

Remove Image Borders

1. Click the image.
2. On the toolbar, use Border color > Transparent, or Border weight > smallest option combined with transparent color.

For drawings, open the drawing (double-click), select the shape, and set its Border color to Transparent.

Remove a “Page Border”

Google Docs has no built-in page border feature. If your document has a border around the whole page, it’s usually a one-cell table or a drawing/image placed behind the text. Select it and delete it, or set its border to 0 pt as described above, keeping the text inside if you need it.

Want a softer look instead of a border? Learn how to make a picture more transparent in Google Docs.

Troubleshooting

• Dashed lines remain: they’re on-screen table guides. Use View > Print preview (or File > Print) to confirm they don’t print.
• Border comes back when pasting: text pasted from Word or websites carries formatting. Use Ctrl + Shift + V to paste without formatting.
• Can’t select the border: switch to Editing mode (top-right).

Related: get rid of background color in Google Docs.

Related: Add a vertical line in Google Docs.

Related: Remove a horizontal line in Google Docs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I remove borders on mobile?

The Docs app has limited table border controls. Use a computer for the most options.

How do I change a border color instead?

Use the Border color tool on the toolbar with the table cells or image selected. Borders are also one of three ways to put text in a box in Google Docs, alongside drawings and one-cell tables.

Summary

1. Tables: Table properties > Color > Table border 0 pt.
2. Paragraphs: Format > Paragraph styles > Borders and shading > Reset.
3. Images: set the border color to Transparent.
4. Delete one-cell tables or drawings used as page borders.

Kermit Matthews

Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.