Removing non-printing characters in Word

Turn on formatting marks first so the hidden characters become identifiable:

1. In Word, on the Home tab, select the ¶ button.
2. Check what appears where the unwanted breaks happen:
   • Degree sign-like symbols indicate nonbreaking spaces.
   • Dots indicate regular spaces.
   • Pilcrow marks (¶) indicate paragraph marks.

Based on the symptoms, the most likely causes supported here are:

• Nonbreaking spaces copied from web content. These can force text to behave unexpectedly. Replace them with normal spaces.
• A paragraph mark or space with different formatting at the end of a line, which can affect the whole line.

If the issue is nonbreaking spaces:

• Open Find and Replace.
• Search for ^s to find nonbreaking spaces.
• Replace them with a normal space.

If the issue is paragraph formatting:

• With ¶ turned on, look for a paragraph mark where the line behavior changes.
• Delete the problematic mark or retype the affected spacing/line ending.

If a word is breaking in the middle across lines, another possible cause is damaged font formatting or nonbreaking spaces in the affected text. Showing nonprinting marks will help confirm that.

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