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You can change the look of a line shape by changing its color, line style, or weight. If you are using Excel, Outlook, Word, or PowerPoint, you can apply a predefined Quick Style to quickly change the look of your line. 

Note: These features are available only in the desktop versions of the programs listed above.

What do you want to do?

Add a Quick Style to a line

Quick Styles for lines include theme colors from the document theme, shadows, line styles, gradients, and three-dimensional (3-D) perspectives. When you position your pointer over a Quick Style thumbnail, you can see how the style affects your line. Try different Quick Styles until you find one that you like.

  1. Select the line you want to change.

    If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold Ctrl while you select the other lines.

  2. On the Format tab, click the Quick Style you want.

    Shows line Quick Styles in Office

    To see more Quick Styles, click the More button .

    Note: If you don't see the Format tab, make sure you've selected the line.

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Change the color of a line

  1. Select the line that you want to change.

    If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.

  2. On the Format tab, click the arrow next to Shape Outline, and then click the color that you want.

    Shows line color options in Office

    Note: If you don't see the Format tab, make sure you've selected the line.

    To use a color that isn't a theme color, click More Outline Colors, and then click the color you want on the Standard tab, or mix your own color on the Custom tab. Custom colors and colors on the Standard tab are not updated if you later change the document theme.

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Make a line dotted or dashed

  1. Select the line you want to change.

    If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold CTRL while you select the other lines.

  2. On the Format tab, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.

    Shows different line styles in Office

    Note: If you don't see the Format tab, make sure you've selected the line.

  3. Point to Dashes, and then click the style you want.

    To create a custom style, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.

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Change the weight of a line

  1. Select the line that you want to change.

    If you want to change multiple lines, select the first line, and then press and hold Ctrl while you select the other lines.

  2. On the Format tab, click the arrow next to Shape Outline.

    Shows different line weights in Office

    Note: If you don't see the Format tab, make sure you've selected the line.

  3. Point to Weight, and then click the line weight that you want.

    To create a custom line weight, click More Lines, and then choose the options that you want.

    Note: To draw a double line, draw a single line, copy and paste a second line next to it, and then group the two lines.

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Format cell borders in Excel

If you want to apply line styles and colors to borders in Excel spreadsheets or tables, see the following articles:

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Work with lines in Project

You need to have a Gantt chart open to follow these steps.

  1. Right-click the line you want to change and click Properties.

  2. Under Line, choose a color from the Color list and a line thickness from the Line list.

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See Also

Draw or delete a line or connector

Format the bar chart of a Gantt Chart view in Project

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