How to Insert a Line Break in Word (Not a New Paragraph)

To insert a line break in Microsoft Word without starting a new paragraph, place the cursor where the next line should begin and press Shift+Enter on Windows or Shift+Return on Mac. The text moves to the next line but stays in the same paragraph, so it keeps the paragraph’s formatting and spacing.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. These instructions apply to the Microsoft 365 desktop app for Windows and Mac; Word for the web also supports the line-break shortcut in most browsers.
A keyboard, or an on-screen keyboard that can enter the Shift key combination.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and find the right spot. Click in the text where the new line should start. If you are editing an existing sentence, click between the characters at the intended break point. You do not need to select the text that follows. For a new line after a word or phrase, put the insertion point immediately after it.
Use the line-break shortcut. On Windows, hold down Shift and press Enter. On a Mac, hold Shift and press Return. Release the keys, then continue typing. Word moves the insertion point to the next line while keeping it inside the current paragraph.
Check the result. Type a few words after the break, or look at the text that follows it. The next line should begin directly below the previous one. It should not gain the extra paragraph spacing or a new paragraph-level format that can result from pressing Enter.
Repeat for each line you need. Press the same shortcut at each place where you want text to wrap onto a deliberate new line. This is useful for addresses, poetry, short labels, or lines in a heading that should behave as one paragraph. Avoid pressing the shortcut repeatedly just to push later content down the page; that is usually a job for paragraph spacing or a page break.
Show formatting marks if you want to verify it. On Windows, go to Home > ¶ (Show/Hide) or press Ctrl+Shift+8. On Mac, go to Home > ¶ or press Command+8. A manual line break appears as a bent arrow, while a paragraph mark appears as a pilcrow (¶). Select the Show/Hide button or use the shortcut again to hide these marks.
Save the document. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. The line break is part of the document’s formatting, so it remains when you close and reopen the file.

A manual line break is sometimes called a soft return. It differs from a paragraph break: the soft return starts a new line within the same paragraph, while Enter ends one paragraph and starts another. That distinction matters because paragraph alignment, indentation, spacing, and some list or numbering behaviors apply to the whole paragraph.

Common Mistakes

Pressing Enter instead of Shift+Enter. Enter creates a new paragraph. If you wanted a simple line change, the new paragraph may inherit different spacing, indentation, numbering, or style settings. Undo with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then insert the break with the correct shortcut.

Using a line break to create vertical space. Several soft returns may appear to move text lower on the page, but they can shift unpredictably when you edit or change the page layout. Use paragraph spacing, a page break, or a section break when you need to control document layout rather than split a line.

Confusing a line break with a page break. Shift+Enter only moves text to the next line; it does not start a new page. To begin content on a new page, use Insert > Page Break or the page-break shortcut, Ctrl+Enter on Windows and Command+Return on Mac.

Adding breaks to ordinary paragraphs unnecessarily. Word already wraps text automatically when it reaches the margin. A manual break is for a line ending you want to keep in a particular place, not for every line of a normal paragraph. Extra manual breaks can make text look awkward when the window or page width changes.

Tips

Use a manual line break when line placement carries meaning or is part of the intended appearance. An address is a common example: each address line should appear below the previous one, but the address may still need to remain together as a single paragraph for alignment or spacing. The same approach works for a poem or a short heading with a deliberate second line.

If you need a group of lines to stay together, insert the line breaks within the paragraph and then consider paragraph settings that keep the group intact. For example, Word’s paragraph options include settings such as Keep lines together and Keep with next. These are separate from the line-break shortcut and are useful when page changes could split related content.

Turn on formatting marks while editing a document with many breaks. The symbols are not printed; they reveal whether a line ends with a manual break or a paragraph mark. This is especially helpful if formatting looks inconsistent, or if deleting a line seems to affect the paragraph above it. Turn the marks off before you share the file if you prefer a cleaner editing view, though the marks themselves do not appear in print.

For a list of short lines that should each be separate items, use Word’s list tools rather than a series of line breaks. A numbered or bulleted list gives each item its own paragraph and makes it easier to reorder, indent, or update the list consistently. Choose the structure that matches how you intend to edit the text later.

Troubleshooting

The shortcut creates a new paragraph or seems to do nothing. Check that you are holding Shift while pressing Enter on Windows, or Shift while pressing Return on Mac. Click directly in the document’s text first; the shortcut may behave differently if focus is in a dialog box, search field, comment, or another control. If you are using Word in a browser and the shortcut is intercepted, try it again after clicking the document, or open the file in the desktop app.

The new line has too much space above or below it. Turn on formatting marks and check whether you inserted a paragraph mark instead of a manual line break. If it is a paragraph mark, undo and use Shift+Enter. If the mark is a manual line break but the gap remains, inspect the paragraph’s line spacing and spacing-before or spacing-after settings: those settings affect the paragraph as a whole and may be producing the extra space.

Text after the break has unexpected alignment or indentation. A manual line break keeps the text in the same paragraph, so paragraph alignment and indentation apply to both lines. If you need the next line to use different paragraph formatting, start a new paragraph with Enter instead, then adjust its settings. If you want the same formatting but a different visual position, check the paragraph’s indent settings rather than adding spaces.

The line break moves when the document is edited. A manual break stays at the point where you inserted it, but the surrounding text can change as words are added, fonts change, or margins are adjusted. Remove a break that no longer suits the layout, or let Word wrap the text naturally. For a line that must remain a distinct paragraph, use Enter and format that paragraph separately.

You cannot see which kind of break is there. Turn on Show/Hide from the Home tab. A bent arrow indicates a manual line break; a pilcrow indicates the end of a paragraph. If you accidentally reveal formatting marks, do not worry: they are on-screen editing symbols, not content that will print. Use the same control or keyboard shortcut to hide them again.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the keyboard shortcut for a line break in Word?
Use Shift+Enter in Word for Windows. On Mac, use Shift+Return. The shortcut inserts a manual line break without ending the paragraph.

What is the difference between a line break and a paragraph break?
A line break moves text to the next line but leaves it in the same paragraph. A paragraph break, made with Enter, ends the current paragraph and begins another. Paragraph-level settings such as spacing and indentation can therefore behave differently after Enter.

Will a manual line break show up when I print?
No. The bent-arrow symbol you may see with Show/Hide turned on is a nonprinting formatting mark. The text will print on separate lines, but the mark itself will not.

Can I insert a line break in a Word table cell?
Yes. Click inside the cell at the desired position and use Shift+Enter on Windows or Shift+Return on Mac. This starts another line within the cell without creating a new table row.

How do I remove a manual line break?
Turn on formatting marks if you need to locate it, click immediately before the bent-arrow mark, and press Delete. Alternatively, click immediately after the mark and press Backspace. Check the result afterward because the text on either side will join or wrap according to the available line width.

Should I use a line break or a page break?
Use a line break to continue the same paragraph on the next line. Use a page break when the following content must begin on a new page. In Word, choose Insert > Page Break or use the appropriate page-break shortcut; adding multiple line breaks is not a reliable way to control page placement.

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