How to Add Borders in Google Docs

Customize your Google Docs borders with this easy-to-use guide

Last Updated: March 18, 2023

This wikiHow will teach you how to add a border to a Google Doc. While you are unable to set a border around an entire page, you can create a one-cell table that is as big as your page, then set that border to display or you can create a border around a specific paragraph using paragraph styles.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Adding a Border Around the Page

1
Open your document in Google Docs. You can go to https://docs.google.com and log in then double-click to open the file you want to add a border to. You can also create a new document by clicking the multicolored plus icon.
2
Click Insert. You'll see this tab in the menu above your document space with File, Edit, and View.

Advertisement
3
Hover your cursor over Table. The table size selection will pop out to the right.
4
Click the 1x1 grid. This is usually the leftmost and uppermost square, which designates a 1x1 grid.
- The 1x1 grid will be added to your document where your cursor is.
5
Resize the table. You can click and drag to resize the edges of the table up and down. If you're adding a table to a document that already exists with text, you might have to cut and paste the text to put it inside the table.
6
Use the four icons on the right side of the menu to edit the border. The border will appear on all four sides of the table, but you can change its appearance using the four icons that are towards the right side of the drop-down menu.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If your screen isn't big enough, you'll see a three-dot menu icon on the right side of the formatting menu that's above the document editing space. You'll need to click the three-dot menu icon to see the table's formatting options.
- If you don't see the three-dot menu icon, click inside the table or it's edges.
- The paint bucket icon will allow you to change the color of the background within the table.
- The pencil icon above a color will let you change the color of the border.
- The icon of 3 lines of different widths will let you change the width of your border.
- The icon with 3 lines of different styles lets you change your current border to either a solid, dashed, or dots.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Adding a Border Around a Paragraph

1
Open your document in Google Docs. You can go to https://docs.google.com and log in then double-click to open the file you want to add a border to. You can also create a new document by clicking the multicolored plus icon.
2
Click to place your cursor inside the paragraph you want to add a border to. You'll be able to edit if the border appears at the top, left, right, or below the paragraph.
3
Click Format. You'll see this tab in the menu above your document space with File, Edit, and View.
4
Hover your cursor over Paragraph styles. Another menu will pop out to the right.
5
Click Borders and Shading. This is usually the first listing in the menu.
6
Set the border. You can change which border is displayed by clicking their icon; they will highlight blue to indicate that they are selected. If you don't want that border to display, click it again to make sure it isn't blue.
- If you want a border on all sides of the paragraph, for instance, you'll need to select every border except the last one.
- You can also change the border appearance, if it's dashed or solid, as well as its color and thickness.
7
Click Apply. You'll see this blue button in the bottom right corner of the Borders and Shading window.
- That window will close and you'll see your border around your paragraph. You can repeat these steps as much as you like or edit your existing border by highlighting the paragraph inside the border and going to Format > Paragraph styles > Borders and shading and changing the values on that window.