In Word 10 doc. I have a number of lines of tiny black boxes that have appeared when I would hit return to go to the next line. Eventually I figured out that if I immediately hit backspace I could get rid of that line of boxes, but before I figured that out there were several such lines in place, and I can't get rid of those. Can't hit backspace and then return because the line just skips down the page a ways. Can’t highlight and delete. It’s as if the line isn’t there—but it is. ???

Disable in File | Options | Advanced | Show document content the option Show text bounderies.
Cheers
Burkhard

Based on your description of the problem, it sounds like you have an auto replace setting causing the issue rather than a visible text boundary as suggested by G.O.Tuhls

I would ask whether this happens every time you press return at the end of a paragraph or only in special cases when the preceding content is particular text. Does it happen when you put your cursor somewhere earlier in the paragraph and press Enter?

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

It certainly does not usually happen when I hit Return at the end of a paragraph, nor does it happen when I hit Return in the middle of a paragraph. I'm not sure what you mean by "particular text," but all of my text is the same. It *seems* to happen when I'm at the bottom of a page & hit Return to go to the next page. But it doesn't *always* happen then, just sometimes. As I said, I learned that if I immediately hit backspace the line of boxes disappeared, but for those where I just kept going (not knowing what to do to get rid of it) they seem to be permanently implanted.

I went to Show Document Content and Show Text Boundaries was not checked. Nothing was checked except Show Text Animation & Show Drawings & Text Boxes (don't know why those were checked). ??

Can you attach both a sample document with the problem and perhaps a screenshot?
Attach a Sample File Demonstrating the Problem - Here's How

How to attach a screenshot in this forum.

One possibility is that this is AutoFormat As You Type applying a border line. See Troublesome Lines.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional

Stefan Blom, you seemed to have saved me. I investigated the Troublesome Lines link you provided, tried the Bottom Border fix, and sure enough, clicking on that once turned the tiny boxes into a solid line, clicking again, the line disappeared. Thank you. Thanks to everyone else for your suggestions.

You are welcome. I'm glad I could help.

__________________
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional