Word documents are easier to read when you change the line spacing and take notes when printing. Follow the guide below to change the spacing in any version of Word.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Word 2016/2013/Office 365
Step 1. Click the Design tab
You can find it at the top of Word.
Step 2. Click Paragraph Spacing
A space selection menu will open.
Step 3. Double Click
Double spacing will be applied to the entire document.
To double-space a certain area, highlight the area then click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button on the Home tab (marked with 4 horizontal lines and two blue arrows), then select 2.0
Method 2 of 3: Word 2007/2010
Step 1. Set the line spacing before you start
If you decide on a single-space default for the entire document, arrange those lines before you start to save time. If you select nothing, the change will occur starting from the line the cursor is in. To adjust the line spacing, click on the Home or Page Layout tab.
Step 2. Change using the Home tab
On the Home tab, look for the Paragraph section. Click the Line Spacing button to open the Line Spacing drop-down menu. This button has 4 small rows with arrows pointing up and down. From this menu, you can select a general line spacing option.
- If you don't see the space bar button, it's most likely missing because the window isn't big enough. You can access it by clicking the arrow button next to Paragraph. This will open the Paragraph menu.
- In the Paragraph menu, you can adjust the line spacing using the Line Spacing menu option from the Spacing section.
Step 3. Change using the Page Layout menu
On the Page Layout tab click the arrow button next to Paragraph. This will open the Paragraph menu. In the Paragraph menu, you can adjust the line spacing using the Line Spacing drop-down menu from the Spacing section.
Step 4. Change paragraph spacing
In addition to changing the spacing after each line, you can also adjust the amount of space before and after each paragraph. On the Page Layout tab, look for Spacing in the Paragraph section.
- Before will add a space before the paragraph starts.
- After will add a space each time you press Enter to start a new paragraph.
Step 5. Understand the line spacing options
The standard line spacing in Word is not 1 but 1, 15. To have completely single spacing of text, you must select Single from the Line Spacing drop-down menu.
- ”Exactly” to set the exact spacing between lines, measured in points. One inch equals 72 points.
- ”Multiple” to set a larger space, for example three spaces.
Step 6. Change the default spacing
If you prefer automatic spacing other than 1, 15, set it from within the Paragraph menu and then click the Default button. Word will ask to confirm permanent changes to its default template.
Step 7. Change the spacing for certain parts of the text
You can set the spacing for individual parts of the document by selecting the text you want to change and then adjusting the line as described above.
You can change the spacing of the entire document by selecting all the text and then adjusting the spacing settings. To quickly select all text Press Ctrl+A (PC) or Command+A (Mac). This will not affect headers, footnotes, or text boxes. You must select these sections manually to change the spacing in them
Step 8. Learn keyboard shortcuts
If you change the line spacing frequently, learn keyboard shortcuts to save a lot of your time. Use the following command to change the line spacing:
- Select all the text whose spacing you want to change.
- Press Ctrl+2 (PC) or Command+2 (Mac) to double-space.
- Press Ctrl+5 (PC) or Command+5 (Mac) to create a space of 1, 5.
- Press Ctrl+1 (PC) or Command+1 (Mac) to create a single space.
Method 3 of 3: Word 2003
Step 1. Select all the text you want to convert to double space
Press Ctrl + A to select all.