How do you do double spacing on word

To double-space the whole document, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing, and choose Double.

Tip: To double-space only part of the document, select the paragraphs you want to change, go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and choose 2.0.

Double-space the entire document

1. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, right-click Normal, and then click Modify.

   

2. Under Formatting, click the Double Space button, and then click OK.

   Formatting for the entire document changes to double spacing.

Double-space the selected text

1. Select the text that you want to change.

2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Line and Paragraph Spacing (Line Spacing in Word 2007) .

3. Click 2.0.

Is this article up to date?

Updated: 05/03/2022 by

When typing in Microsoft Word, you might need to change the line spacing, depending on the document’s style. The steps to enable double spacing differ slightly between versions. Consequently, you may need to use intuition to adapt them for older versions.

Tip

Use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+1 to single space, Ctrl+2 to double space, or Ctrl+5 to set the spacing to 1.5 line spacing on any line, paragraph, or all highlighted text.

Note

When pressing Enter, it starts a new paragraph with extra space between the two paragraphs. If you want to go to the next line without starting a new paragraph, press Ctrl+Enter.

To increase or decrease line spacing or enable double spacing, select a link below and follow the steps.

Enable double spacing for the whole document

Microsoft Word 2016 and 2019 (Office 365)

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing () icon.
3. Select the desired spacing option from the available list.
4. For additional spacing options, select Line Spacing Options in the list.

Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, right-click Normal.
3. Select Modify from the drop-down menu.
4. Under Formatting, click the Double Space button (shown below).

1. Click OK.

or

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. Click the Page Layout tab.
3. Click the down arrow in the bottom right corner next to Paragraph to bring up the Paragraph window.

1. In the Paragraph window, make sure you are on the Indents and Spacing tab.

1. Click the down arrow next to the Line spacing box.
2. Select Double and click the OK button.

Modify line spacing for all or part of an existing document

Microsoft Word 2007 and later

1. Open Microsoft Word and the document you want to modify.
2. Highlight the text where you want to change the line spacing or select all.
3. Right-click the highlighted text, and select Format and then Paragraph, or only Paragraph depending on your version of Word.
4. In the Paragraph window, make sure you are on the Indents and Spacing tab.

1. Click the down arrow in the Line spacing drop-down box.
2. Select Double and click the OK button.

You can double-space all or part of a Word document. To double-space the whole document, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing, and choose Double. Tip: To double-space only part of the document, select the paragraphs you want to change, go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and choose 2.0.

What is the shortcut for double spacing in Word?

Tip: Shortcut for applying line spacing in Word documents

1. Ctrl+1 for single space.
2. Ctrl+2 for double space.

How do you double space twice?

To apply double spacing to one or more paragraphs using the Paragraph dialog box:

1. Select the paragraph(s) to which you want to apply double spacing. If you would like to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
2. Right-click and select Paragraph.
3. From the line spacing drop-down menu, select Double.
4. Click OK.

Which command is used for double line space in paragraph?

Use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + 1 to single space, Ctrl + 2 to double space, or Ctrl + 5 to set the spacing to 1.5 line spacing on any line, paragraph, or all highlighted text.

How do I change spacing in Word?

Change the spacing between characters

1. Select the text that you want to change.
2. On the Home tab, click the Font Dialog Box Launcher, and then click the Advanced tab.
3. In the Spacing box, click Expanded or Condensed, and then specify how much space you want in the By box.

How do you right align?

The alignment keyboard shortcut keys can vary depending on what program is used and the type of computer. However, generally speaking, use Ctrl + L to left align, Ctrl + E to center, Ctrl + R to right align, and Ctrl + J to justify text.

How do I align justified in Word?

Justify text

1. In the Paragraph group, click the Dialog Box Launcher. , and select the Alignment drop-down menu to set your justified text.
2. You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + J to justify your text.

How do you double space in Word for Mac 2021?

How to Double Space Microsoft Word for Mac Documents

1. Open Microsoft Word on your Mac, and then create a new document.
2. To double space the entire document, select Select All from the Edit menu.
3. From the Format menu, select Paragraph.
4. From the Line Spacing menu, select Double.
5. Click OK.

What does it mean for a paper to be double spaced?

Word forms: double-spaces, double-spacing, double-spaced. transitive verb. If you double-space something you are writing or typing, you include a full line of space between each line of writing. Double-space the entire list.

What is double spaced paper?

Double spacing refers to the amount of space that shows between the individual lines of your paper. When a paper is single-spaced, there is very little white space between the typed lines, which means there is no room for marks or comments. This is precisely why teachers ask you to double space.

How do I change from double space to single space in Word 2010?

How to type (create,Change TO) single spacing word 2010? Select the double spaced text, then in the “Paragraph” section click on the “Line & Paragraph Spacing” button drop down arrow and choose 1.0 spacing. Also “Ctrl key + 1 will also change the spacing from double to single.

How do I get rid of double spacing between words in Word?

Remove double line spacing

1. Select the paragraph you want to change, or press Ctrl+A to select all text.
2. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing.
3. Select the line spacing you want.
4. For more exact spacing, select Line Spacing Options, and make changes under Spacing.

How do I change 1.5 line spacing in Word?

To format line spacing:

1. Click Format on the menu bar.
2. Select Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
3. Click the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. In the line spacing drop-down menu, you can select single, 1.5, or double spacing. The default is single spacing.
5. Click OK.

How do I fix the position of text in Word?

Word provides a palette of options you can use to fine-tune an object’s position. Select your object, head back to Layout > Position, and this time click the “More Layout Options” command. The Layout window should open with the “Position” tab selected. Here you can customize to your heart’s content.

How do I create a right-aligned line in Word?

Now, let’s create that right-aligned tab as follows:

1. On the Home tab, click the Paragraph group’s dialog launcher and then click Tabs in the bottom-left corner.
2. Enter 6.5 in the Tab stop position.
3. Click Right in the Alignment section (Figure C).
4. Click Set.
5. Click OK.

How do I align text on the same line in Word?

Flush Left and Flush Right On the Same Line

1. Make sure the paragraph is formatted as left-aligned.
2. Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
3. Click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Paragraph group.
4. Click the Tabs button.
5. What you want to do is to insert a right-aligned tab near the right edge of the line.

How many ways can you align your text in?

There are four main alignments: left, right, center, and justified. Left-aligned text is text that is aligned with a left edge. Right-aligned text is text that is aligned with a right edge. Centered text is text that is centered between two edges.

What is the shortcut for right align?

Ctrl+R
Right-aligned text is text that is aligned with a right edge. You can also right-align your text with the shortcut Ctrl+R (Cmnd+R).

How do you align lines in Word?

Change text alignment

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph, document, or table that you want to align.
2. Do one of the following: To align the text left, press Ctrl+L. To align the text right, press Ctrl+R. To center the text, press Ctrl+E.

How do you double space in Word on iPad 2021?

Change spacing between lines
On your iPad, tap the Home tab, and then tap the Line Spacing icon. at the top of your screen, then in the Home menu, choose Line Spacing. Tap the Line Spacing menu and choose the line spacing you want, from 1.0 to 3.0.

How do I make Word my default double spacing on Mac?

Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing. Select Line Spacing Options, and then choose the options you want under Spacing. To change the spacing before or after the selected paragraphs, select the arrow next to Before or After and enter the amount of space that you want. Select Set as Default.

earning how to double space in Word is a vital skill if you’re planning to send your writing to an editor, publication, or academic journal. As well as making some documents easier to read, double spacing lets editors easily add comments and editing marks above your text. We’ll be walking you through double spacing in Word and Word Online today, as well as explaining what it is and when you should use it. 

What does double spaced mean?

A “Double spaced” document is a text with approximately twice the amount of vertical space between lines when compared to a standard document. In other words, there’s a full blank line between each row of text that an editor can write in. In typography, this space between lines is called “leading”.

Double spacing is a practice that typists have used since the advent of typewriters in the 19th century. In fact, double-spaced documents used to be the standard due to the limitations of typewriters. It was only in the mid-20th century that publications standardized single spacing — primarily to cut the costs of mass printed material.

When you should use double spacing in Word

It’s a good idea to use double spacing in situations where you expect somebody to edit or comment on your text in a professional capacity. This includes when writing an academic piece or essay, sending a novel to an agent or editor, or submitting content to a magazine. Legal documents are also typically doubled spaced.

However, you can also double space in Word if you’re struggling to focus on your text. It’s worth noting, though, that this may not always help. Some studies suggest that the additional spacing between lines can make it easier for readers to lose their place in a text, rather than harder.

Whatever spacing you choose, the important part is that it is consistent. A text with randomly differing leading is likely to confuse the reader’s eyes. It may be acceptable to use double spacing for quote blocks within a text, but different line spacing per chapter or section is almost always a bad idea.

With all that said, let’s get into how to do double spacing in Word:

How to Double Space in Word Online

If you’re sending your document off to a publication, page numbers are often a requirement, too. This is so editors or researchers can easily refer to a part of the text. You can read our full guide on how to add and modify page numbers in Word here.

You may also find it necessary to remove or clear formatting in Word to make your piece consistent. You can do so quickly by following the linked guide. 

Double Space Lines in Microsoft Word Documents

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated January 11, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can double space in Word using the Ribbon, the Paragraph dialog box, a keyboard shortcut or by modifying a style. If you double space a paragraph, you are setting the line spacing of the paragraph to 2.0. Since double spacing is a paragraph format, it’s important to understand that a paragraph in Word is anything with a hard return after it (you pressed Enter or Return).

A paragraph can include text or an inline picture or shape. Line spacing is applied within a paragraph which is different from space above and below a paragraph. To see where paragraphs have been created in a Word document, it’s helpful to turn on Show/Hide ¶ on the Home tab in the Ribbon.

Note that double space or 2.0 spacing is calculated by Word based on the font size of the selected text.

In this article, we’ll review 4 ways to double space in Word:

1. Use commands in the Ribbon
2. Use the Paragraph dialog box
3. Use a keyboard shortcut
4. Modify the Normal style (or another style)

Recommended article: How to Add or Remove Page Breaks in Microsoft Word

You should follow best practices in your Microsoft Word documents if you want to avoid issues with line spacing:

• Use wordwrapping when entering text (don’t press Enter until you reach the end of a paragraph).
• Delete blank paragraphs (often created when users press Enter twice after paragraphs).

Double space using the Ribbon

You can double space using two different tabs in the Ribbon – the Home tab or the Design tab.

To double space a Word document using the Design tab in the Ribbon:

1. Click in the Word document.
2. Click the Design tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click Paragraph Spacing in the Document Formatting group. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Select Double. This will change the entire document to double spacing.

The Paragraph Spacing command appears in the Design tab in the Ribbon as follows:

To double space specific paragraphs using the Home tab in the Ribbon in Word 2016 and later versions:

1. Select the paragraph(s) that you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and then click Line and Paragraph Spacing in the Paragraph group. A drop-down menu appears.
3. Click 2.0 to double space.

The Line and Paragraph Spacing button appears as follows in newer versions of Word (2016 and later):

The Line and Paragraph Spacing drop-down menu offers the following options:

To double space specific paragraphs using the Home tab in the Ribbon in Word 2013:

1. Select the paragraph(s) you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and then click Double in the Paragraph group.

Line spacing buttons appear as follows in Word 2010 or 2013:

Double space using the Paragraph dialog box

To double space one or more paragraphs using the Paragraph dialog box:

1. Select the paragraph(s) you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
2. Right-click and select Paragraph from the drop-down menu. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
3. Click the Indents and Spacing tab if necessary.
4. From the Line spacing drop-down menu, select Double.
5. Click OK.

Below is the Paragraph dialog box:

Double space using a keyboard shortcut

To use a keyboard shortcut to double space one or more paragraphs in a Word document:

1. Select the paragraph(s) you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
2. Press Ctrl + 2 to double space.

If you want to change a paragraph back to single spacing, press Ctrl + 1 to single space.

Double space by modifying the Normal style

When you create a new blank document, it starts out using the Normal style which contains default paragraph and character formatting. You can modify line spacing in the Normal style (as long as another style has not been used for standard paragraphs) and change your entire document. If manual line spacing has been applied to one or more paragraph(s), this overrides the Normal style.

To double space a Word document by modifying the Normal style:

1. Click in a paragraph using the Normal style.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Styles group, right-click Normal and select Modify from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
4. Click Format at the bottom left of the dialog box. A drop-down menu appears.
5. Click Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
6. Click the Indents and Spacing tab if necessary.
7. From the Line spacing drop-down menu, select Double.
8. Click OK.
9. Ensure that Only in this document is selected.
10. Click OK.

Below is the Modify Style dialog box:

You may encounter issues if you modify spacing in the Normal style since other styles are based on this style by default. Cells in tables would likely be affected and so would other styles that are based on the Normal style (such as Header, Footer and Heading styles). Paragraphs using these styles would then also be double spaced (unless spacing has been specifically modified in these styles). If you are comfortable using styles, you could create your own style for double spaced paragraphs or use and modify a different Word style to avoid this issue.

You can right-click other styles and modify the spacing in the same way.

This article was first published on October 24, 2019 and has been updated for clarity and content.

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Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Margarete Lesch

Score: 4.7/5
(36 votes)

You can double-space all or part of a Word document. To double-space the whole document, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing, and choose Double. Tip: To double-space only part of the document, select the paragraphs you want to change, go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and choose 2.0.

How do I turn double spacing?

Remove double line spacing

What is double spacing in Microsoft Word?

Double spacing increases the amount of space between lines of text and can be helpful to a teacher or editor in marking the document or adding comments. Double spacing a Word document will differ depending on which version of Word you have.

Is 2.0 A double spacing?

A 2.0 value will mean double spacing. Remember that the double spacing will take place from whatever part in the text your cursor is positioned. … Everything will be double spaced until you reset it to something else, such as 1.0 for single spacing.

How do I fix double spacing between words in Word?

Change the spacing between characters

15 related questions found

How skilled are you at text formatting? If you are using Word for business or school purposes, you should know how to format your document properly. Content does matter, but the way it is presented in a document is equally important. A well formatted document is easier for reading and reviewing. If you need to send your Word document to your boss or teacher for a review, double check if your text was formatted well. Here you will learn how to double space in Word and have your text presented in a more visible way.

What do you mean by double spaced?

Double space refers to the text formatting option in Microsoft Word, that actually makes space between text lines. For instance, if you want to use the printed version of a Word document, it would be better to make wider space between lines so you write comments under specific part of the text. Also, when there is double space between the lines, your text will be easier to read.

How do you double space words in Word?

For Word 2007 and 2010 users

In the Styles section, right-click with your mouse on the Normal style first.

Next step is to open the Modify option and choose the Double space button and then click OK.

By following these steps you will set double space for the whole document. If you want to format only the part of Word document, first select the text you want to format. Then in the Paragraph section, choose Line Spacing. Once you click on 2.0 option the selected text will have double space.

Note: first set up spacing and then write in a document, so the changes will apply to the whole document. If you want to double space in Word document that already has some text, make sure you have selected the whole document. Only in that way the new settings will be applied to the previously written text.

For 2013 users as well

Click on the Design tab first, which is next to the Insert tab.

Click on the drop-down menu called Paragraph spacing and choose Double option.

Again, if you want to apply these settings to specific paragraphs of the text, first select the part of the text and then do the rest.

How do you double space between paragraphs?

If you want to change spacing between paragraphs, you can use the following guidelines. Have in mind that if you want to apply these settings to one paragraph only, you need to select that paragraph first.

For Word 2007, 2010 users:

Go to the Page Layout tab and in the Paragraph section find Spacing options. You have two fields to fill in, before– if you want to change default spacing before a paragraph and after it.

For Word 2016, 2013 users:

 Again, go to the Design tab and Paragraph Spacing. Then click on the Custom Paragraph Spacing and the window will pop up (see the image below).

In the Paragraph spacing section, fill in the fields “before” and “after”.

Double space between lines in Word

For Word 2007, 2010 users:

If you want to put double space for the whole text, read the first guide above. To double space between lines, select the part of the text and go to Paragraph tab. Click on Line Spacing to put double space between lines.

For Word 2016, 2013 users:

Select the part of the text and then go to Line and paragraph spacing tab. In paragraph spacing and choose 2.0.

How to cancel double space in Word

If you change your mind and want to cancel double space in Word, the settings are the same as explained above. Depending on your Word version, go to line spacing and instead of double (2.0) select single spacing (1.0).

This guide on how to double space in Word is just one tip for using text formatting settings to make your document look professional. Microsoft Word offers a wide range of formatting options and it is only a matter of time and practice when you will adopt all these skills.

Microsoft Word provides various options for changing the line spacing of your document. The line spacing refers to the distance between two consecutive lines of text. The line spacing can be changed depending on the style of the document. For example, you may need double spacing for academic papers, while single spacing may be more suitable for business letters.

To change the line spacing, you can either use keyboard shortcuts or follow a series of steps in the software. The keyboard shortcuts to change line spacing are Ctrl+1 for single spacing, Ctrl+2 for double spacing, and Ctrl+5 for 1.5 line spacing. This can be applied to any line, paragraph, or all highlighted text.

However, if you prefer to use the software, the steps to enable double spacing to differ slightly between versions. In the newer versions of Microsoft Word, you can go to the Home tab, select the Paragraph group, and then click the Line Spacing option. You can choose either Single, 1.5 lines, Double, or At Least from the dropdown menu.

In older versions of Microsoft Word, you can go to the Format menu, select Paragraph, and then click the Indents and Spacing tab. In the Line Spacing section, you can select Double and then click OK.

Note: Pressing the Enter key creates a new paragraph with added space between the previous and the new one. If you want to move to the next line without creating a new paragraph, use the Ctrl + Enter combination instead.

Enable Double Spacing for the Word

Here some ways to double-space in words are:

1. From the Design Dropdown

To double-space a Microsoft Word document using the Design Dropdown, follow these steps:

• Open the Word document you want to double-space.
• Go to the «Design» tab in the main menu.
• In the «Document Formatting» section, click on the dropdown in «Paragraph Spacing».
• From the drop-down menu, select «Double».

This will double-space the entire document, with two spaces between each line and paragraph.

Before:

After:

Keep in mind that this method only allows you to double-space the entire document and not specific text or paragraphs. The purpose of double spacing is to improve the readability of the content.

If you want to choose other spacing options or customize the spacing, you can also select «Custom Paragraph Spacing» from the Paragraph Spacing dropdown.

This allows you to change the font, size, colour, alignment, and spacing manually by providing a set value.

In addition, if you want to apply the same double spacing to future documents, you can check «New documents based on this template». This way, you don’t have to set the spacing for every single document.

2. From Line and Paragraph Spacing

Here are the steps to double-space selected text using the Line and Paragraph Spacing option in Microsoft Word:

• Select the text you want to double-space.

• Go to the «Home» tab in the main menu.
• Under «Paragraph», click on the «Line and Paragraph Spacing» icon.
• From the drop-down menu, select «2.0».

• This will double-space the selected text, adding two spaces between each line.
• If you want to customize the spacing further, you can select «Line Spacing Options» from the Line and Paragraph Spacing dropdown.

This will open a dialog box where you can adjust the line spacing, indentations, and page breaks. You can preview the changes in the Preview pane and set them as the default for other Word documents by clicking on «Set As Default».

3. From Modify Option

• Navigate to Home Tab: Open the word document and go to the Home tab in the main menu.
• Right-click on Style: In the Styles section, right-click on any of the styles. Usually, the Normal style is the default, but you can choose any style based on your document.

• Modify Style: Select Modify from the right-click menu. This will open the Modify Styles dialog box.

• Customize Spacing: You can also customize the before and after paragraph spacings, indentations, and alignments. Additionally, you can make changes to the text or set the changes as a default for other documents.
• Apply to Selected Text: To double-space only a selected part of the text, select the text first and then follow the above steps.

This method of using the Modify option in Styles allows you to set a default spacing for the entire document and customize spacing for specific parts of the text as needed.

4. Using Shortcut Keys

To add double-spacing using shortcut keys, follow these steps:

• Select the text you want to add double spaces too.
• Press Ctrl + 2 on your keyboard.

• The selected text will now be double-spaced.

Note: If you use the shortcut keys without selecting any text, the double spacing will be applied to the paragraph with the cursor. Using the same shortcut keys, you can also add single spacing (Ctrl + 1) or 1.5 spacing (Ctrl + 5).

Modify Line Spacing For All Or Part Of An Existing Document

Microsoft Word 2007 And Later

1. Open Microsoft Word and the document you want to modify
2. Highlight the text where you want to change the line spacing or select all the text
3. Right-click the highlighted text, and select Format, and then Paragraph (or just Paragraph, depending on your version of Word)
4. In the Paragraph window, go to the Indents and Spacing tab
5. Click the down arrow in the Line spacing drop-down box
6. Select Double
7. Click the OK button.

This process will double-space the text you highlighted. If you selected all text, the entire document would be double-spaced. The Line spacing drop-down box will allow you to choose different line spacing options, including Single, 1.5 lines, or At Least, which sets the minimum line spacing but allows it to increase if necessary to accommodate larger text sizes or images.