How Do You Underline in Google Docs?

When you are editing or creating a document in Google Docs you will likely need to apply formatting to some of the text in that document. This can include a variety of different options, so you may be wondering how to underline in Google Docs.

Adding the underline formatting to a selection in a Google Docs document is useful if you want to emphasize something in the document, or if you are formatting something in a bibliography.

But if you haven’t had a reason to underline something before, then you may be wondering how to accomplish it, and how the underline tool in Google Docs works.

Our guide below will show you how to select and underline existing text in a Google Doc document so that you can add a black line underneath some of your text.

How to Underline in Google Docs

1. Open the document.
2. Select the text to underline.
3. Click the Underline button in the toolbar.

Our article continues below with additional information on underlining in Google Docs, including pictures of these steps.

How Do You Underline in Google Docs? (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of the Google Chrome Web browser, but will also work in other desktop Web browsers like Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Step 1: Sign into Google Drive and open the document to which you wish to apply the underline formatting.

Step 2: Use your mouse to select the text to underline.

If you haven’t added the text already then you can skip this step.

Step 3: Click the Underline button in the toolbar above the document.

It’s the button that looks like a “U” with a line under it.

More Information on Underlining in Google Docs

• There is also a keyboard shortcut that you can use instead. When you have your text selected, press the Ctrl + U keys on your keyboard to apply underlining.
• You can also find an underline tool by clicking Format at the top of the window, then selecting the Text option and clicking Underline.
• You can remove underline from text with the same steps. Simply select the text with the underline, then use any of the methods outlined in this article to remove that underline effect.
• Many other word processing applications have underlining options as well, and many of them also employ the Ctrl + U keyboard shortcut.
• The Google Docs mobile app for the iPhone includes an option to underline as well. Open your document in the app, then tap the pencil icon at the bottom-right of the screen. Select the text to highlight, then press the U button above the keyboard.

Additional Reading