Microsoft Word (Win) - Displaying and Hiding Format Characters

This document explains how to show or hide the formatting characters within a Word document.

All Versions

Formatting characters can be easily toggled on and off using the key combination Ctrl + Shift + 8. Otherwise, every version has a button that controls the visibility of formatting characters, the location of which is detailed below:

Microsoft Word 2007/2010/2013

You can toggle between hiding and displaying formatting characters by clicking on the Show/Hide ¶ button in the toolbar.

In newer versions of Word, it will appear under the Home tab in the upper right-hand corner of the Paragraph section

Microsoft Word 2003

You can toggle between hiding and displaying formatting characters by clicking on the Show/Hide ¶ button in the toolbar.

In Word 2003, the button will appear on the right end of the toolbar, just to the left of the page scale menu.

If the Show/Hide ¶ button is not present:

Click the button at the far right end of the toolbar to display more buttons.

If the toolbar is not currently displayed:

Click on the View menu and select Toolbar.