How to Insert a Vertical Line in LibreOffice Writer

This beginner’s tutorial will demonstrate how to insert a vertical line in a document using the Shape tool in LibreOffice Writer.

Vertical Line in LibreOffice Writer

Vertical lines are a popular design element that enhances the visual appeal of a document. In addition to traditional horizontal lines, you may need to add vertical lines. Fortunately, similar to MS Word, LibreOffice Writer offers several options for adding vertical lines to your document, such as using the Shape tool or the border property of sections, columns, tables, or pages.

Add Vertical Line Using Borders

One of the easiest ways to add a vertical line next to a paragraph is by adding a border to that paragraph style. To do this, first select a portion of the paragraph, then right-click and go to Paragraph > Paragraph

Or, you can find the option by navigating to Format > Paragraph from the top menu bar. Both options will open the style property dialog for the individual paragraph.

Tip: If you want to apply the vertical border to all matching paragraphs of the style throughout the document, click the Edit Style option after right-clicking on the selection.

Once the dialog opens, navigate to the Border tab, and from the Line arrangement section, select any of the border presets that suit your needs. There are two presets available for vertical lines.

• Left and right only border.
• Left only border.

If you only need to show the right side of the border, you can add it manually using the user-defined section. Once you select which side of the border to show, you can customize its line style, color, width, and shadow if desired, then click OK.

Borders are a common style feature for all elements in a document, including page borders, column borders, section borders, headings and regular paragraphs. To add a vertical line to any of these elements, simply adjust its border properties in the same manner demonstrated in above steps.

Add Vertical Line Using Shape Tool

The Shape tool in LibreOffice Writer offers a lot of customization options for adding a vertical line in your document. You can choose from different types of lines, including simple lines, dotted lines, double lines etc. The line can then be moved and placed anywhere in the document as it’s not attached to any other element.

To draw a vertical line using the Shape tool, go to Insert > Shape > Line or, if you have Tabbed UI enabled, navigate to the Insert tab and select the line icon.

Then, place the cursor where you want the line to start and drag to where you want it to end. Holding the Shift key while drawing the line will produce a straight line.

You can change the style of the vertical line once it has been added to the document. Simply click on the line and press Ctrl + F5 to open the property sidebar.

Tips: If the property tab of the sidebar does not open by default, click the tab to open it. Then, you can experiment with the available customization options, such as adjusting the line weight, angle, color, and style.

Wrapping Up

This is how you can add a vertical line in your document using LibreOffice Writer. I hope this tutorial helps you, if you still have issues understanding, please leave a comment below.