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How to Insert a Vertical Line in Google Docs

Last Updated : 04 Jun, 2024
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Google Docs is a free online document editor provided by Google. Google Docs is used for creating, and editing documents. As a document editor, it has extensive features available free of cost such as image insertion, table insertion, and formatting text in the document by changing its font size, font color, alignment, and more.

Inserting a vertical line in Google Docs is a simple but effective way to add style to your document. It can help you emphasize important points or create a neat layout. Google Docs offers flexible tools to customize your documents, and adding a vertical line is a simple yet effective way to do just that. In this article, we will discuss how to create a vertical line in Google Docs in different ways.

How to Insert a Vertical Line in Google Docs

What is the Vertical Line in Google Docs?

A vertical line in a document separates the document into columns or creates a visual distinction for easy reading. Vertical lines are used in newsletters, reports, resumes, theories explaining differences between anything, and more.

How to Add a Vertical Line in Google Docs

There are many ways to create vertical lines in Google Docs. They are,

How to Insert a Vertical Line in Google Docs using Drawing Tool

Step 1: Open Google Docs and open the document

Open Google Docs and open the document to which a vertical line has to be inserted.
 

Open Google Docs and open the document
Document opened

Step 2: Go to Insert Select Drawing and Click on New

In the menu bar, select 'Insert Tab'. A dropdown appears as you select it, from the drop-down select 'Drawing'. Another sub dropdown appears having options. Select 'New' in it.

Go to Insert Select Drawing and Click on New
Select Insert -> Drawing -> New

Step 3: Click on the line icon from the toolbar of the drawing dialog box

A drawing dialog box appears as you click on New. Click on the line icon from the drawing box toolbar.

Click on the line icon from the toolbar of the drawing dialog box
Click the Line icon from the toolbar

Step 4: Draw a Vertical Straight Line

Draw a vertical straight line in the drawing canvas using the line icon as shown below. Now a vertical line is drawn.

Draw a Vertical Straight Line
Vertical line drawn

Step 5: Customize your Line as per your Choice

Select the Line and Set a Line Color by Clicking the "Line Color" icon in the Toolbar

Customize your Line as per your Choice
Click the Line colour icon

Select the line color from the displayed color box. As you select the color of your choice, the line color gets changed into that color.

Select the line color from the displayed color box.
choose line colour

Select the line width icon from the toolbar of the drawing dialog box.

Select the line width icon from the toolbar
Click the line width icon

Select the line width from the dropdown. Here we are choosing 3px.

Select the line width from the dropdown.
Select line width from the dropdown

Now the width of the line is changed.

 width of the line is changed
Line width changed

Select the 'line dash' icon from the toolbar of the drawing dialog box. Select the line dash of your choice. Here we are choosing the default solid line dash.

Select the 'line dash' icon from the toolbar
select Line dash type

Step 6: Click the 'Save and Close' button

After line settings are done, click the 'Save and close' button at the top rightmost corner of the drawing dialog box.

Click the 'Save and Close' button
click the 'Save and close' button

Step 7: Preview the Added Vertical line in Google Docs

Now the vertical line is added to the document in Google Docs.

Preview the Added Vertical line in Google Docs
Line created and inserted to document in Google Docs

How to Insert Vertical Lines as Text Column Divisions in Google Docs

Using Columns, we can insert vertical lines in Google Docs by splitting some lines of text or paragraphs into 2 or more columns and placing the vertical line between them as a separator to distinguish between the columns.

Step 1: Open Google Docs and Open the Document

Open Google Docs and open the document to which a vertical line has to be inserted.

Open Google Docs and Open the Document
Document opened in Google Docs

Step 2: Highlight the text to be Split into Columns of Text

Select and highlight the text to be split into any number of columns of text in the document.

Highlight the text to be Split into Columns of Text
Highlight the text in the document to split it into columns

Step 3: Go to the Format and Select Columns and Click on More options

Go to the "Format" tab in the menu bar, and select 'Columns' in the dropdown that opens. Now another sub dropdown opens, select "More options" from it.

Go to the Format and Select Columns and Click on More options
Select Format->Columns->More options

Step 4: Select the Number of Columns, Tick the Checkbox, and Click Apply at the Bottom of the Dialog Box

As you click on more options a dialog box is displayed. In the number of columns option, set the number of columns you want to split the highlighted text by selecting the dropdown. We can choose from three options in the dropdown 1 or 2 or 3.

Select the Number of Columns, Tick the Checkbox, and Click Apply at the Bottom of the Dialog Box
Tick the checkbox to insert a line between columns, then click the Apply button

Step 5: A Vertical Line is Displayed between Text Split as Columns

Now the highlighted text is changed to columns, and a vertical line is displayed between the columns.

A Vertical Line is Displayed between Text Split as Columns
Highlighted text changed to columns and a line is added between columns in Google Docs

Step 8: Preview the Added Vertical Line

Preview
Vertical line inserted in Google Docs

How to Add Vertical Lines in Google Docs using Tables

Step 1: Open Google Docs and Open the Document

Open Google Docs and Open the document to which a vertical line has to be inserted.

Open Google Docs
Document opened

Step 2: Go to Insert and Select Table

In the menu bar, select "Insert", and a dropdown is displayed. Select "Table" among the options given in the dropdown. Another sub dropdown opens. Then choose the number of columns for the table.

Go to Insert and Select Table
Select 'Insert' tab -> Table

Step 3: Select the number of rows and columns for the table to insert

Select the number of rows and columns to insert in Google Docs as a table. Here we are choosing a 1x2 table, which means 1 row and 2 columns.

Select the number of rows and columns for the table to insert
Choosing 1 row and 2 columns table to insert

Step 4: Table is inserted to document

Now a table is inserted into the document.

Table is inserted to document
Table inserted

Step 5: Select all Borders of the Table to Disappear by Pressing "Ctrl" key on the Keyboard

Select all the borders of the table that you want to disappear by holding and pressing the "Ctrl" key on the keyboard.

Select all Borders of the Table to Disappear by Pressing 'Ctrl' key on the Keyboard
Borders selected in the table disappear

Step 6: Click Border Width and Set the border Width of the Table as 0 pt.

By default, the border width is set as 1pt. In the dropdown opened, select '0 pt' to change the border width to 0.

Click Border Width and Set the border Width of the Table as 0 pt.
select 0pt in the dropdown

Step 7: Selected borders disappear

Now the selected borders have disappeared because the border width is set to 0pt.

Selected borders disappear
Border width changed to 0 pt

Step 8: Vertical Lines Inserted in the Document

Vertical Lines Inserted in the Document
Vertical lines inserted

How to Insert Vertical Lines in Google Docs using Keyboard Shortcut

Step 1: Open the Document and Place the Cursor

Open Google Docs open the document in which the vertical line is to be inserted and place the cursor in the place where you want to insert the vertical line.

Open the Document and Place the Cursor
Cursor placed in document

Step 2: Press "Shift + |"on the Keyboard

Press the "Shift" key and vertical bar "|" key on your keyboard as a shortcut to insert a vertical line in Google Docs.

Press 'Shift + |' on the Keyboard
Vertical Line Inserted

Step 4: Customize the Vertical Line's Height and Width by Increasing the Font Size

We can customize the height and width of this vertical line by selecting it and changing the font size from the toolbar of Google Docs. Here we are setting the font size as 72.

Customize the Vertical Line's Height and Width by Increasing the Font Size
Customizing the height of vertical line by selecting and changing font size

Step 5: Preview Vertical Line

Preview
Vertical line inserted and customised

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed how to create a vertical line using the Drawing tool in Google Docs. The line properties such as color, width, and dash can be customized by double-clicking the inserted line in the document in Google Docs. Also, we have discussed the different ways to insert vertical lines in Google Docs using Columns, tables, and keyboard shortcuts.


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