w:outline (Outline Text Effect)

Renders text as outlined (hollow) characters — the character interior is not filled, only the stroke is drawn.

Parent elements

w:rPr

Description

w:outline is a toggle property that applies an outline rendering effect to text in a run. Characters are rendered as hollow shapes — only the outer stroke of each glyph is drawn, without a filled interior.

It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.3.2.23.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
`w:val`	`ST_OnOff`	`true`, `false`, `1`, `0`, `on`, `off`	Enables the outline text effect. Omit to inherit.

Examples

<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:outline/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>Outlined text</w:t>
</w:r>

new Run(
  new RunProperties(new Outline()),
  new Text("Outlined text"));

<!-- Outline with shadow for classic 3D effect -->
<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:outline/>
    <w:shadow/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>3D Effect</w:t>
</w:r>

new Run(
  new RunProperties(new Outline(), new Shadow()),
  new Text("3D Effect"));

Notes

Legacy effect from older Word formats (pre-OOXML).
Characters rendered as hollow strokes only (interior unfilled).
Can combine with w:shadow for classic 3D look.
Mutually exclusive with w:emboss and w:imprint.
Modern alternative: use DrawingML text effects for richer control.
Rendering appearance processor-dependent; width and color may vary.
All Office versions support outline effect.
Toggle property: w:val="false" cancels from parent style.