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Word - blank space after horizontal line and above the text

Anonymous
2019-08-07T04:49:54+00:00

Below is the portion of a Word doc I'm having trouble with. Someone else formatted this doc, and I can't edit it properly. I think the line is the problem. I can't get rid of the large white space above the "Professional Experience" text. When I mark it (as if to copy), the blank space is attached to the text rather than the line.

WHAT I'VE TRIED:

*  I have all paragraph settings at zero space above and below.

*  I turned off Orphan/Widow, keep with next, etc.

*  I've tried deleting the existing line and replacing it, but all I can get is a thin line that doesn't match the other lines in the doc. I saw that there were boxes to widen the line I inserted, but they also changed the lines' style.

*  Same result when I added a horizontal line through the table feature. 

*  Paragraph formatting shows 2 small empty boxes above the line

*  I tried AutoFormat,

*  The one time I inserted the correct type and size line, Word moved the text "Professional Experience" above the new line. Even re-typing the text below the line didn't work.  It moved above the line.

*  I tried everything else suggested by help sites, but the large blank space won't go away.

The help of someone who knows how to remove the blank space will be much appreciated. You'll help lots of folks, cause there are a lot of questions about this issue in other forums.

Thanks!

(There's a chart here. It has a small, empty box at the end of the text in each cell, plus at the top right corner before the chart and the bottom right corner after the chart. Then there are 2 small, empty boxes just above the line, and they're located at the beginning of the 2nd and 3rd cells.)

Professional Experience***(There's a para symbol here.)***

Independent Counsel

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

  1. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 322.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2019-08-10T05:12:44+00:00

    Yes, I received the document and advised the user how insert the lines in a way that would give them control over the space before and after the lines - that is by inserting a shape (line) so that it is in-line with text and then format the space before and after the paragraph in which it is located.

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5 additional answers

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  1. Suzanne S Barnhill 277.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2019-08-07T12:24:49+00:00

    You would need to insert a screen shot rather than the actual text, which is almost certainly in a table (most résumés based on Word templates are formatted that way). But to diagnose the problem, we'd need to see the document itself, which you can email (to Doug as he suggested) or post to a file-sharing service such as OneDrive or Dropbox, making it public and posting the link here.

    Your description suggests that the paragraph has a border with a large "Distance from text" set, or that there is an empty table row involved, but it's impossible to tell more without at least a screen shot (inserted using the Insert image button on the editor toolbar).

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-08-08T14:49:39+00:00

    Thank you, Ms. Barnhill. I'm sending it to Doug. It's great that you help strangers with such issues. It's appreciated.

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  3. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 322.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2019-08-07T05:27:21+00:00

    If you send me a copy of the document, referencing this thread in the covering email message, I will investigate the issue.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-08-07T04:56:49+00:00

    When I submitted the question, the trouble-causing line in my sample disappeared. Above "Professional Experience" there's a large white segment. Above that is a thick black bolded line. Above that are the small, empty boxes which follow the table I described in my 1st message.

    Below is the portion of a Word doc I'm having trouble with. Someone else formatted this doc, and I can't edit it properly. I think the line is the problem. I can't get rid of the large white space above the "Professional Experience" text. When I mark it (as if to copy), the blank space is attached to the text rather than the line.

    WHAT I'VE TRIED:

    *  I have all paragraph settings at zero space above and below.

    *  I turned off Orphan/Widow, keep with next, etc.

    *  I've tried deleting the existing line and replacing it, but all I can get is a thin line that doesn't match the other lines in the doc. I saw that there were boxes to widen the line I inserted, but they also changed the lines' style.

    *  Same result when I added a horizontal line through the table feature. 

    *  Paragraph formatting shows 2 small empty boxes above the line

    *  I tried AutoFormat,

    *  The one time I inserted the correct type and size line, Word moved the text "Professional Experience" above the new line. Even re-typing the text below the line didn't work.  It moved above the line.

    *  I tried everything else suggested by help sites, but the large blank space won't go away.

    The help of someone who knows how to remove the blank space will be much appreciated. You'll help lots of folks, cause there are a lot of questions about this issue in other forums.

    Thanks!

    (There's a chart here. It has a small, empty box at the end of the text in each cell, plus at the top right corner before the chart and the bottom right corner after the chart. Then there are 2 small, empty boxes just above the line, and they're located at the beginning of the 2nd and 3rd cells.)

    Professional Experience***(There's a para symbol here.)***

    Independent Counsel

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