Word spacing before and after

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.

1. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing , and then choose Line Spacing Options.

   

2. Under Spacing, choose an option in the Line spacing box.

   

3. Adjust the Before and After settings if you want to change spacing between paragraphs.

4. Select Set as Default.

5. Choose All documents based on the Normal template.

   

6. Select OK.

For more info, see Adjust indents and spacing.

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.

1. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing.

   

2. Select Line Spacing Options, and then choose the options you want under Spacing.

   

3. 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.

4. Select Set as Default.

5. Choose All documents based on the Normal template.

6. Select OK.

For more info, see Adjust indents and spacing.

Change spacing between paragraphs

1. Click anywhere in the paragraph you want to change.
2. Go to Layout, and under Spacing, click the up or down arrows to adjust the distance before or after the paragraph. You can also type a number directly.

What is the default spacing before and after a paragraph?

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.

What is the correct spacing after a paragraph?

A space equal to 50–100% of the body text size will usually suffice. The larger the point size, the more space you’ll need between paragraphs to make a visible difference. Word Right-click in the text and select Paragraph → Indents and Spacing . Under Spacing , in the box next to After , enter the measurement.

How a line spacing different from space before or after a paragraph?

Line spacing determines the amount of vertical space between lines of text in a paragraph. By default, lines are single-spaced, meaning that the spacing accommodates the largest font in that line, plus a small amount of extra space. Paragraph spacing determines the amount of space above or below a paragraph.

How do you double space after paragraphs?

To double-space, press Ctrl+2. This setting formats the paragraph with one blank line below each line of text. To use 1-1/2-space lines, press Ctrl+5.

How do you add 72 pt before paragraph spacing?

To format paragraph spacing:

1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to format.
2. On the Home tab, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing command. Click Add Space Before Paragraph or Remove Space After Paragraph from the drop-down menu.
3. The paragraph spacing will change in the document.

How do you insert 1.5 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 you do 24 point spacing before paragraph?

Change the line spacing in a portion of the document
Press Ctrl + A to select all. Select Line Spacing Options and choose an option in the Line spacing box. Adjust the Before and After settings to change spacing between paragraphs. Select OK.

What does 12 point spacing after paragraphs mean?

In Word, line spacing is most commonly measured in multiples of whatever font size the paragraph is using. For example, say you’re using a 12 point font for the text in your paragraph. If you choose single line spacing, the space between lines will be 12 points.

How do you make a space at the beginning of a paragraph?

If you always want first-line indentation, modify the Normal style:

1. Put the cursor anywhere in the paragraph.
2. On the Home tab, right-click the Normal style, and choose Modify.
3. Select Format, and then choose Paragraph.
4. On the Indents and Spacing tab, under Indentation, select First line.
5. Select OK.
6. Select OK again.

How do you add a space after a paragraph in Word?

Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to format. On the Home tab, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing command. Click Add Space Before Paragraph or Remove Space After Paragraph from the drop-down menu.

What is the space before a paragraph called?

A first-line indent is the most common way to signal the start of a new paragraph. The other common way is with space between paragraphs. First-line indents and space between paragraphs have the same relationship as belts and suspenders.

Do you put a space between paragraphs in an essay?

Double space: Your entire essay should be double spaced, with no single spacing anywhere and no extra spacing anywhere. There should not be extra spaces between paragraphs.Indentation: The first line of each paragraph should be indented.

How do you do paragraph spacing?

Change spacing between paragraphs

1. Click anywhere in the paragraph you want to change.
2. Go to Layout, and under Spacing, click the up or down arrows to adjust the distance before or after the paragraph. You can also type a number directly.

How many PT is 1.5 line spacing?

The first is set to “1.5 lines” (which is 21 points per line).

Should I add space before or after paragraph?

Space Before sets the amount of space before the paragraph. Space After sets the amount of space after the paragraph. Following are the sample paragraphs with Space After set to 12 pt.

Why can’t I Add space after paragraph?

A couple of things to check: For the style in question, look at the paragraph formatting and make sure that “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style” is not checked. At Tools | Options | Compatibility, make sure that “Don’t use HTML paragraph auto spacing” is checked.

How do you insert a space after paragraph in Word Mac?

Set paragraph spacing

1. Click to place the insertion point in the paragraph you want to adjust, or drag to select multiple paragraphs.
2. In the Format sidebar, click the Style button near the top.
3. Click the disclosure arrow next to Spacing, then click the arrows for Before Paragraph and After Paragraph.

What is paragraph spacing in computer?

Paragraph spacing determines the amount of space above or below a paragraph. When you press Enter to start a new paragraph, the spacing is carried over to the next paragraph, but you can change the settings for each paragraph.

How do I reduce paragraph spacing in Word?

Change spacing between paragraphs

1. Select the paragraphs you want to change.
2. Click the Page Layout tab, and under Spacing, in the Before and After boxes, click the up or down arrows to adjust the distance before or after each paragraph:

What is the shortcut key for 1.5 line spacing?

Ctrl+5
Pressing Ctrl+5 changes to 1.5 line spacing.

Space Before sets the amount of space before the paragraph. Space After sets the amount of space after the paragraph. Following are the sample paragraphs with Space After set to 12 pt.

Do you change the spacing before or after a paragraph?

Click anywhere in the paragraph you want to change. Go to Layout, and under Spacing, click the up or down arrows to adjust the distance before or after the paragraph. You can also type a number directly.

How do I change the spacing before and after a paragraph in Word?

Change the line spacing in a portion of the document

1. Select one or more paragraphs to update.
2. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing.
3. Select Line Spacing Options and choose an option in the Line spacing box.
4. Adjust the Before and After settings to change spacing between paragraphs.
5. Select OK.

How do you do a manual line break?

Insert a manual line break

1. Click where you want to break a line.
2. Press SHIFT + RETURN . Word inserts a manual line break ( ). Tip: To view manual line breaks, on the Standard toolbar, click .

How do you fix line breaks in Word?

If you need to remove line breaks from text in MS Word you can do the next simple actions:

1. Ctrl+A to select all text.
2. Ctrl+H to open the Find & Replace dialog box.
3. Click on “Replace All”.
4. Do another search and replace.
5. Finally, we will replace the replacement above for two consecutive hard line breaks.

How do you show spacing in Word?

Fortunately, Word allows you to easily see where spaces occur in your documents….Displaying Spaces in a Document

1. Display the Word Options dialog box.
2. Click Display at the left side of the dialog box.
3. Make sure the Spaces check box is selected.
4. Click on OK.

How do I get rid of large gaps in text in Word?

I’m not sure what’s going on, but here’s how I fixed it:

1. Highlight the region of the document that has a problem.
2. Right click.
3. Select “Paragraph”
4. Go to “Line and Page Breaks” tab.
5. Uncheck “Keep with next” and also uncheck “Keep lines together”
6. OK.

How do you show formatting changes?

Word for Windows Select Display from the listing at the left. In the section titled “Always show these formatting marks on the screen”, check or uncheck the appropriate boxes to view the marks of your choice. To show or hide them all, select Show all formatting marks. To save your changes, click OK.

How do you show the formatting marks in a document?

If you always want to see the formatting marks in your Word documents, there’s a setting for that.

1. Click File.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Display.
4. Check the formatting marks you want always shown.
5. Click OK.

Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Put Your Space Before or After?.

It is not uncommon for page layout designs to call for extra spacing between paragraphs. Word allows you to add extra space either before or after a paragraph. The one you choose is up to you. Remember, however, that the spacing is cumulative. For example, if you have a paragraph that is formatted for 12 points of space after it, followed by a paragraph formatted for 15 points of space before it, then there will be 27 points of space between the paragraphs. You will make your design and layout work much easier if you are consistent in where you add the extra space—either before or after a paragraph.

There is a caveat to my statement that «spacing is cumulative.» Word has a configuration option which, under certain circumstances, can turn off the cumulative nature of spacing. This option is actually part of the style definitions you can create within Word. To see this option, follow these steps:

1. Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
2. Click the small down-arrow at the lower-right corner of the Styles group. Word displays the Styles pane.
3. 3 Hover the mouse pointer over a style you want to modify. (As an example, hover over the Normal style.) A down-arrow appears at the right side of the style name.
4. Click the arrow to display some options and then choose the Modify option. Word displays the Modify Style dialog box. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Modify Style dialog box.

5. Click the Format button at the bottom-left of the dialog box. Word displays some categories of things you can specify in the style.
6. Choose Paragraph. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
7. Make sure the Indents and Spacing tab is displayed. (See Figure 2.)



Figure 2. The Indents and Spacing tab of the Paragraph dialog box.

Note the checkbox about two-thirds of the way down the dialog box entitled, «Don’t Add Space between paragraphs of the Same Style.» This setting controls whether spacing is cumulative between any two given paragraphs if the two paragraphs use the same style. You can set the option as desired for any of your styles.

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Introduction

As you design your document and make formatting decisions, you will need to consider line and paragraph spacing. You can increase spacing to improve readability and reduce it to fit more text on the page.

Optional: Download our practice document.

Watch the video below to learn how to fine tune line and paragraph spacing in your documents.

About line spacing

Line spacing is the space between each line in a paragraph. Word allows you to customize the line spacing to be single spaced (one line high), double spaced (two lines high), or any other amount you want. The default spacing in Word is 1.08 lines, which is slightly larger than single spaced.

In the images below, you can compare different types of line spacing. From left to right, these images show default line spacing, single spacing, and double spacing.

Line spacing is also known as leading (pronounced to rhyme with wedding).

To format line spacing

1. Select the text you want to format.

   

2. On the Home tab, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing command, then select the desired line spacing.

   

3. The line spacing will change in the document.

   

Fine tuning line spacing

Your line spacing options aren’t limited to the ones in the Line and Paragraph Spacing menu. To adjust spacing with more precision, select Line Spacing Options from the menu to access the Paragraph dialog box. You’ll then have a few additional options you can use to customize spacing.

• Exactly: When you choose this option, the line spacing is measured in points, just like font size. For example, if you’re using 12-point text, you could use 15-point spacing.

• At least: Like the the Exactly option, this lets you choose how many points of spacing you want. However, if you have different sizes of text on the same line, the spacing will expand to fit the larger text.
• Multiple: This option lets you type the number of lines of spacing you want. For example, choosing Multiple and changing the spacing to 1.2 will make the text slightly more spread out than single-spaced text. If you want the lines to be closer together, you can choose a smaller value, like 0.9.

  

Paragraph spacing

Just as you can format spacing between lines in your document, you can adjust spacing before and after paragraphs. This is useful for separating paragraphs, headings, and subheadings.

To format paragraph spacing:

In our example, we’ll increase the space before each paragraph to separate them a bit more. This will make it a little easier to read.

1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to format.

   

2. On the Home tab, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing command. Click Add Space Before Paragraph or Remove Space After Paragraph from the drop-down menu. In our example, we’ll select Add Space Before Paragraph.

   

3. The paragraph spacing will change in the document.

   

From the drop-down menu, you can also select Line Spacing Options to open the Paragraph dialog box. From here, you can control how much space there is before and after the paragraph.

You can use Word’s convenient Set as Default feature to save all of the formatting changes you’ve made and automatically apply them to new documents. To learn how to do this, read our article on Changing Your Default Settings in Word.

Challenge!

1. Open our practice document.
2. Select the the date and the address block. This starts with April 13, 2016, and ends with Trenton, NJ 08601.
3. Change the spacing before the paragraph to 12 pt and the spacing after the paragraph to 30 pt.
4. Select the body of the letter. This starts with I am exceedingly and ends with your consideration.
5. Change the line spacing to 1.15.
6. When you’re finished, your page should look like this:

   

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While creating a document in MS Word Office application, the space is often used for clearly identifying where each paragraph starts and ends. By default, MS Word places somewhat more space between two paragraphs than it places between two lines in a paragraph. It is possible to increase or decrease this amount of space that shows before and after paragraphs. This can be done entering amounts in the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ fields in the ‘Paragraph’ section of the ‘Page Layout’ tab. For increasing the amount of space before or after each paragraph, one can use the up arrows next to the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ fields. Down arrows can be used for decreasing the amount of space before or after each paragraph.

How to Add Space Before or After Paragraphs?

• First of all, one has to place the cursor anywhere in the second paragraph
• Now, choose the ‘Page Layout’ tab
• The default spacing will appear in the ‘Spacing Before’ field
• User has to click the up arrow next to the ‘Spacing Before’ field for increasing the space before the paragraph
• User has to click the up arrow next to the ‘Spacing After’ field for increasing the amount of space after the paragraph

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While you might have experience changing the formatting for your Word documents to meet the requirements for your school or job, you might encounter a situation where you need to use different settings.

Microsoft Word is full of different tools and menus that let you customize your document, and line spacing is something that you can adjust.

Our tutorial below will show you how to single space in Word, even if you have already written and edited the entire document.

How to Make a Word Single Space Document

1. Open the document.
2. Click inside the document and press Ctrl + A to select everything.
3. Select the Home tab at the top of the window.
4. Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button.
5. Choose the 1.0 option.

Our guide continues below with additional information on how to make a document single space instead of double space in Microsoft Word, including pictures of these steps.

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Document spacing can impact several things, including the number of pages in the document. Microsoft Word includes several different options from which you can select to control the amount of space between the lines in your document.

Many schools and organizations have their own rules and preferences when it comes to the amount of line spacing that you have in your documents. Often they want you to use double spacing, but it’s entirely possible that they might want single spacing to reduce the number of pages in documents.

A document in Microsoft Word can have a lot of different formatting options, including the amount of space between lines.

If your current document is double spaced, or if it appears to have more or less spacing than the single spacing you need, you may be looking for a way to adjust that.

You can make a Microsoft Word single space document by opening the document, selecting all of the text, choosing the Home tab, clicking the Line and Paragraph Spacing button, then choosing the 1.0 option from the drop down menu.

Our guide below will show you how to single space in Word by selecting all of the text in the document and adjusting the line spacing setting.

You can also check out our tutorial on how to select all in Word if you would like to know more about using that option.

How to Use Single Spacing in Word for Office 365 (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed in the Microsoft Word for Office 365 version of the application but will work in most other versions as well.

Step 1: Open your document in Microsoft Word.

Step 2: Click inside the document, then press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select everything.

If this is a new, blank document, you can skip this step.

Step 3: Select the Home tab at the top of the window.

Step 4: Click the Line & Paragraph Spacing button in the Paragraph section of the ribbon.

Step 5: Choose the 1.0 option from the dropdown menu to switch the document to single spacing.

Note that there is a Line Spacing Options button at the bottom of that dropdown menu.

If you select that option, you will be able to customize your document spacing further and set a new default spacing option if you would like.

Our tutorial continues below with additional discussion about how to make a document single spaced in Word.

You can also read our article on how to double space in Word for additional information about Microsoft Word line spacing.

How to Change Default Line Spacing in Microsoft Word

While you can change line spacing in every document that you create or edit in Microsoft Word, you might not want to adjust spacing every time.

But if your Word Normal template is defaulting to double spacing and you need to have single spacing more often, then constantly switching the line spaces can not only be tedious, it can be something that you forget to do.

Fortunately, among all of the different formatting adjustments that you can make for your document, there is a way to set the default line spacing.

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. Select the Home tab.
3. Click Line and Paragraph Spacing.
4. Choose Line Spacing Options.
5. Click the Line spacing drop down.
6. Select your default line spacing preference.
7. Click Set as Default.
8. Choose All documents based on the Normal template.
9. Click OK.

Now any new documents that you create in Microsoft Word that use the Normal template will have the line spacing that you just chose.

this will not affect the line spacing in any of your existing documents.

More Information on How to Apply Single Line Spacing in Word

While we have focused on changing the line spacing setting in an MS Word document, for the entire document, you can also format a document so that only some of it is single spaced.

Rather than selecting the whole document, simply use your mouse to select the part of the document for which you want to change the spacing, then follow the steps above to apply a new line spacing setting to that selection.

Another thing that you can adjust that relates to line spacing is the paragraph space setting. This affects the amount of line spacing that appears before and after your paragraphs.

You can find the paragraph spacing settings by clicking the Home tab, then clicking the small Paragraph Settings button at the bottom-right corner of the Paragraph group in the ribbon. This will open the Paragraph dialog box.

There you can select line spacing options in the “Spacing” section so that you can choose the amount of space before and after a paragraph, as well as determine the line spacing type.

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Make a Document Single Spaced in Word