Word line spacing double

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.

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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.

How to Double Space By Default in Microsoft Word

1. Select the Home tab.
2. Click the Paragraph Settings button at the bottom-right of the Paragraph group in the ribbon..
3. Choose the Line spacing drop down menu in the Paragraph dialog box and choose the Double option.
4. Click the Set as Default button.

How do I change the spacing in Word 2013?

Change Line Spacing

1. Select the text you want to change.
2. Click the Home tab.
3. Click the Line Spacing button arrow, and then click a spacing option. To apply a new setting, click the number you want. To apply the setting you last used, click the Line Spacing button.

How do I manage double spacing in Word?

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 get rid of double spacing in Word 2013?

How to Switch from Double Spacing to Single Spacing in Word 2013

1. Open your document.
2. Press Ctrl + A to select everything.
3. Click the Home tab.
4. Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button.
5. Choose the desired line spacing.

Why is my text double spacing in Word?

Each version of word uses the ‘normal’ style to set defaults on font sizes, page margins, paragraph spacing and more. After you install Word 2007 the default paragraph spacing is set to 10pt after a paragraph, meaning that when you type in any Word document you will appear to have double spacing.

Is 1.5 double line spacing?

When typing in Microsoft Word, you might need to change the line spacing, depending on the document’s style.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.

What is the default line spacing in MS Word 2013 document?

1.15
The default line spacing in Word is 1.15. By default, paragraphs are followed by a blank line and headings have a space above them. , and then choose Line Spacing Options. Under Spacing, choose an option in the Line spacing box.

How do you do spacing on Word?

Change the line spacing in a portion of the document

1. Select the paragraphs you want to change.
2. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing.
3. Choose the number of line spaces you want or select Line Spacing Options, and then select the options you want under Spacing.

How do you do 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 put double spacing between words in Word?

Double Spacing

1. Select the text you want to be double spaced.
2. Click on the Home tab.
3. Look for the Paragraph options.
4. Find an icon that has four horizontal lines, and two arrows pointing in opposite directions. Click the icon to expand.
5. Select 2.0 to double space your text.

How do I get Microsoft Word to double space?

Here’s how to do it.

1. Open Word’s Find and Replace dialog box (Ctrl+H).
2. Click More to show more options. Click More.
3. Select the Use wildcards check box.
4. In the Find what field, type: ([A-Za-z])( {2,9})
5. In the Replace with field, type: 1.
6. Click Find Next to find the next instance of multiple spaces between words.

How do I turn off double spacing?

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.

Is 2.0 double spaced?

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.

What is double line spacing?

1. In text formatting, a double space means sentences contain a full blank line (the equivalent of the full height of a line of text) between the rows of words. By default, most programs have single spacing enabled, which is a slight space between each line of text, similar to how this paragraph looks.

What is double spacing?

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.

What is the shortcut key for 1.5 line spacing?

Ctrl+5
Align and format paragraphs

What is a line spacing in Word?

Line spacing is the distance between lines of text.To change the line spacing, select the lines you want to change. Then go to the Home tab and find the line spacing button in the Paragraph section.

Which line spacing is invalid?

The correct answer is Triple. Line spacing feature in MS word or any other word processing tool gives us the flexibility to adjust the space between two lines of text. To set the line spacing, we need to select the lines of text and go to the spacing option on the ribbon.

How do I change the spacing between lines in Word keyboard?

Changing the line spacing in a Word document is very easy if you remember a few keyboard shortcuts:

1. Pressing Ctrl+5 changes to 1.5 line spacing.
2. Pressing Ctrl+2 changes to double line spacing.
3. Pressing Ctrl+1 will give you single line spacing.

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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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.

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: Ara Streich

Score: 4.7/5
(54 votes)

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 double spaced?

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.

What does 1.5 spaced mean?

1.5 in Word line spacing means that the space between two lines equals 1.5 times the height of the letters.

What is 1.5 double line spacing in Word?

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.

Is 1.5 spacing double spacing?

Press Ctrl+1 for single-spacing, Ctrl+5 for 1.5 spacing, or Ctrl+2 for double-spacing.

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