Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

1. Check for Page Borders
This is the most common cause for a border around the entire document.

Open your document.
Go to Format > Page Style... [1]
In the "Page Style" dialog box, navigate to the Borders tab.
Under "Line Arrangement," check if any borders are selected.
Ensure "No borders" is selected under "Line Arrangement" or manually remove any active borders by clicking the "No borders" preset icon (the square with no lines).
Click OK.
2. Check for Paragraph Borders
If the border appears around specific blocks of text, it might be a paragraph border.

Select the text that has the border. If the entire document has it, select all text (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A).
Go to Format > Paragraph... [2]
In the "Paragraph" dialog box, navigate to the Borders tab.
Similar to page borders, ensure "No borders" is selected under "Line Arrangement" or remove any active borders.
Click OK.
3. Check for Frame Borders
If you have inserted text frames, images, or other objects, they might have borders.

Click on any suspicious object (image, text box, etc.) to select it.
Right-click on the selected object and choose Properties... (or go to Format > Frame and Object > Properties...).
Look for a "Borders" tab or section within the properties dialog.
Remove any active borders or set the line style to "None."
Click OK.
4. Check for Table Borders
If your document contains tables, their cells or the table itself might have borders.

Click inside a table that exhibits the border.
Go to Table > Table Properties... [3]
In the "Table Format" dialog, navigate to the Borders tab.
Ensure "No borders" is selected or manually remove any active borders.
Click OK.
5. Resetting the Default Template (normal.ott)
If new documents also exhibit the border, your default template might be the culprit.

Close all OpenOffice applications.
Locate your OpenOffice user profile directory. The path varies by operating system:
Windows: C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice\4\user\ [4] (Note: AppData is a hidden folder, you may need to enable "Show hidden files" in File Explorer options).
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/OpenOffice/4/user/ [5]
Linux: ~/.config/openoffice/4/user/ or ~/.openoffice/4/user/ [6]
Rename the user folder to user_old (or user.bak). This effectively resets your user profile.
Restart OpenOffice Writer. It will create a new, clean user profile.
Test by creating a new document. If the border is gone, the issue was with your old profile. You can then selectively copy important files (like custom dictionaries or macros) from user_old to the new user folder if needed.
6. Safe Mode (OpenOffice 4.1.x and later)
OpenOffice 4.1.x and later versions include a "Safe Mode" feature that can help diagnose profile issues.

Close all OpenOffice applications.
Start OpenOffice in Safe Mode:
Windows: Go to the Start Menu, find "Apache OpenOffice," and select "Apache OpenOffice (Safe Mode)."
macOS/Linux: Open a terminal and run soffice --safe-mode [7] (you might need to navigate to the OpenOffice installation directory first).
When prompted, choose to "Continue in Safe Mode."
Open one of your problematic documents or create a new one.
If the border is gone in Safe Mode, it strongly indicates a corrupted user profile. Proceed with step 5 (resetting the default template/user profile).
7. Check for Styles
Borders can also be part of paragraph or page styles.

Go to Format > Styles and Formatting (or press F11).
In the "Styles and Formatting" sidebar, select Paragraph Styles or Page Styles.
Right-click on the style that is applied to your text/page (e.g., "Default Paragraph Style," "Default Page Style") and choose Modify...
Check the Borders tab within the style definition and remove any unwanted borders.
Click OK.
8. Document-Specific Issue
If the border only appears in existing documents and not in new ones after trying the above steps, the border setting is embedded within those specific documents. You will need to open each problematic document and apply the border removal steps (1-4) to them individually.

9. Reinstall with Profile Cleanup (Last Resort)
While you mentioned reinstalling, it's crucial to ensure that the user profile is also removed during the process. A standard uninstall often leaves the user profile intact.

Uninstall OpenOffice through your operating system's control panel/settings.
Manually delete the OpenOffice user profile folder (as described in step 5) to ensure a clean slate.

FJCC wrote: ↑Mon Jan 12, 2026 1:26 am What you are seeing might be the text boundary controlled with the menu item View -> Text Boundaries.


BINGO!! That's the one thing Ask AI didn't recommend. THANK YOU!