How to Add a Line Break

Entering a line break is one of the most basic functions of word processing and HTML. A line break ends the line of text you are writing and begins on the next line, regardless of whether you have reached the maximum line length. Line breaks are useful for creating lists or offsetting paragraphs and thoughts from each other.

Instructions

1. In most applications, simply pressing "Enter" or "Return" will insert a line break.

2. In Microsoft Word, you can insert a "manual line break" (i.e., a line break without any of the paragraph style formatting) by holding "Shift" and pressing "Enter."

3. In HTML, the tag for a line break is "<br>". Insert this tag at the end of each line. There are also some tags, such as <center> and <p> that automatically insert line breaks when they are closed, as in </center> and </p>. For example, you would not need to add <br> after <center> Welcome to my website!</center>.

Tips & Warnings

• The line break HTML tag does not require a closing tag.

References

• Line Break Tips from Harvard University's Help Desk

Resources

• HTML Line Breaks