MS Word displays the horizontal ruler depending upon which view you use. It will be displayed in the Normal, Print, and Web view.
Some folks do not like to have the horizontal ruler visible as it takes up valuable real estate space on their Word screen. It is, however, possible to have the best of both worlds. You can have your horizontal ruler available to you and still have extra real estate space available on your screen.
Even if you turn off the Ruler it is still there represented by a thin gray line. All you need is the proper settings!
- Click the Office button and Word Options. Then select Advanced on the left-hand side.
- In the General Options area, check the Provide Feedback With Animation option.
- Click OK.
With the Ruler unchecked on the View menu and the above setting, you can position your cursor over the gray line below the toolbar and the animation setting will kick in and the Ruler will roll down. When you move the cursor away from the Ruler it rolls back up under the Toolbar.