Paragraph marks in Word are toggled off by clicking the Show/Hide ¶ button in the Home tab or pressing Ctrl+Shift+8.
One wrong tap on the Home tab fills your document with ¶ symbols. The fix is usually one click, but sometimes Word is set to show them permanently. This guide covers the quick toggle and the persistent setting that keeps them coming back, so you can eliminate paragraph marks for good.
What Exactly Is the Paragraph Mark?
The ¶ symbol is a nonprinting formatting character that marks the end of a paragraph. It shows where a hard return has been inserted. Many users mistake it for extra text or a formatting error, but it is simply a hidden character that helps with layout and editing.
The Quick Fix: Toggle Show/Hide ¶
The fastest way to hide paragraph marks is with the Show/Hide button. This is a temporary switch that turns all formatting marks on or off in the current view.
- Open your document in Word.
- Go to the Home tab.
- In the Paragraph group, click the ¶ button. The marks should disappear immediately.
Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac to toggle formatting marks on and off.
The Real Fix: Turning Off Permanent Visibility
If the ¶ symbol keeps reappearing or the toggle does nothing, Word may be set to show it permanently. Change this in the global display options.
- Click File > Options.
- Select the Display tab.
- Under Always show these formatting marks on the screen, uncheck the box next to Paragraph marks.
- Uncheck any other formatting marks you do not want permanently visible, such as tab characters or spaces.
- Click OK to save the changes.
Microsoft’s official support page confirms this is the correct path for both Windows and macOS. Microsoft’s official documentation on the Show/Hide setting provides the full step sequence.
Two Ways to Hide Paragraph Marks Compared
| Method | How to Access | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary Toggle | Home > Paragraph > ¶ button | Quick hide/show while editing a single document |
| Keyboard Shortcut | Ctrl+Shift+8 (Win) / Command+8 (Mac) | Fastest hands-on-keyboard access |
| Permanent Setting | File > Options > Display | Stopping stubborn marks that reappear on every document |
| Find and Replace | Home > Replace > More > Special | Deleting extra hard returns from imported or pasted text |
| Font Size Trick | Select the mark and set font size to 1pt | Hiding a specific paragraph mark that breaks document layout |
Why Won’t the Paragraph Mark Go Away?
If you have tried the toggle and the persistent setting but still see the ¶ symbol, one of these issues is likely the cause.
Troubleshooting Persistent Paragraph Marks
| Symptom | Most Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Marks reappear after toggling off | Permanent setting overrides the temporary toggle | Uncheck Paragraph marks in File > Options > Display |
| Display setting won’t save | Stale or corrupt Word configuration | Close Word, reopen it, and reapply the setting |
| Multiple instances of Word open | Conflicting settings between windows | Close all Word documents and reopen only one |
| normal.dotm template is corrupt | Template fails to apply new display rules | Delete normal.dotm so Word recreates it on restart |
| Layout is still broken | Extra hard returns are actual content | Use Find and Replace to replace paragraph marks with a space or nothing |
For deeply stuck cases, Microsoft community experts recommend restarting Word after clearing the display checkboxes. If the problem persists, closing all Word instances and finding and renaming the normal.dotm template forces Word to build a fresh default configuration.
Make the fix stick.
1. Press Ctrl+Shift+8 to toggle marks off immediately.
2. Go to File > Options > Display and uncheck every box under Always show these formatting marks.
3. Restart Word to lock the changes.
The ¶ symbols are now gone for good.
References & Sources
- Microsoft Support. “Show or hide tab marks in Word” Official documentation for toggling and permanently setting formatting marks.
- Microsoft Learn. “Cannot remove paragraph mark” Troubleshooting guidance for persistent formatting marks.