How to Double Space in Word

To double-space text in Microsoft Word, select the text, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. To apply double spacing to the whole document, press Ctrl+A first on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then choose 2.0; you can also use Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac.

Double-space text with the ribbon

The ribbon method is easy to see and works in current desktop versions of Word for Microsoft 365. First select the part of the document you want to change. To select everything in the document body, click in the body and use the select-all shortcut for your computer. Then open the Home tab, find the Paragraph group, and select Line and Paragraph Spacing. Choose 2.0 from the menu. Word applies double line spacing to the selected paragraphs.

If you want to change only a few paragraphs, drag across their text or click in a paragraph without selecting text. Applying a paragraph format while the insertion point is in a paragraph changes that paragraph. To format several separate passages, select them together if possible, or repeat the steps for each passage. The line-spacing control may be shown as horizontal lines with up-and-down arrows; hovering over it can reveal its name.

Click in the document, or select the paragraphs you want to reformat.
Open Home and locate the Paragraph group.
Select Line and Paragraph Spacing.
Choose 2.0.

Use the same menu to return selected text to single spacing by choosing 1.0, or to choose an intermediate option such as 1.5. These are line-spacing settings, not font-size choices.

Choose exactly which text changes

Selection matters because Word applies formatting to paragraphs, not just to the visible characters. If you highlight a few words in the middle of a paragraph and choose double spacing, Word generally changes the line spacing for that entire paragraph. It does not create double spacing only around the highlighted words. If the goal is to double-space one section but leave a heading or other section unchanged, select the paragraphs in that section carefully.

To select one paragraph, click anywhere inside it and apply the spacing setting. To select a continuous range, click at the start, then Shift-click at the end, or drag across the range. For a whole document, use Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac while the cursor is in the main document text. If the document contains tables, headers, footers, or text boxes, check those areas separately: selection and formatting can depend on where the cursor is, and Ctrl+A may select content within a particular area rather than every separate text container.

A practical example is a school paper with double-spaced body text and a single-spaced title. Select the body paragraphs and set them to 2.0, then click the title and choose 1.0 if it also inherited double spacing. This is usually more reliable than selecting the entire document and trying to repair every exception afterward.

What double spacing means

Double spacing means Word uses a line-spacing value of 2.0 for paragraphs. It increases the vertical distance between lines within a paragraph, making text easier to read or mark up. It does not double the font size, insert a blank paragraph after each line, or necessarily create exactly twice as much white space between separate paragraphs.

Word also has a separate setting for space before or after paragraphs. For instance, a document can have 2.0 line spacing and also add 8 points after each paragraph. That combination may look much looser than the double-spaced format a teacher or editor expects. Conversely, a document with single line spacing and an empty line between paragraphs can look open without actually being set to double spacing. When formatting to a required standard, use the line-spacing setting rather than pressing Enter repeatedly to create visual gaps.

This distinction is useful when a document looks too spread out. Double spacing controls the lines inside a paragraph; paragraph spacing controls the gap between paragraphs. You can inspect both in the Paragraph dialog box and adjust them independently.

Set double spacing in the Paragraph dialog

The dialog provides more control than the quick ribbon menu, particularly when you need to remove extra paragraph gaps. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the text, open Home, and click the small dialog box launcher at the lower-right of the Paragraph group. On the Indents and Spacing tab, set Line spacing to Double, then select OK.

While you are there, look at the Spacing fields for Before and After. If you want a conventional double-spaced document without added paragraph gaps, set these to 0 pt, unless your assignment or template specifies otherwise. Do not change indentation or other fields unless you intend to alter them. Word can show a preview in the dialog, which helps you see how the paragraph settings work together.

On Word for Mac, select the text and use Format > Paragraph to open paragraph settings, then choose Double for line spacing. The exact layout of controls can vary slightly by Word version, but the ribbon spacing menu is also available from the Home tab.

Make double spacing the default

If every new document should start double-spaced, changing the current document is not enough; Word normally bases new blank documents on a template and its styles. On Windows, open the Paragraph dialog, set the required line and paragraph spacing, then select Set As Default. If Word asks whether the change should apply only to the current document or to documents based on the Normal template, choose the option that matches your intent. The template-wide choice affects future documents that use that template, so it is not ideal if you only need one double-spaced assignment.

Another approach is to update the Normal style. On Windows, use the Home tab’s Styles group, right-click Normal, choose Modify, and change its paragraph formatting. If you want the style change in future documents, choose the option to apply it to new documents based on the template. Styles matter because ordinary body paragraphs often use Normal, while headings and other elements use different styles and may not inherit every change.

For a single document, changing the Normal style may be more than you need. It can affect paragraphs throughout that document that use the style, but a direct selection-based change is easier to limit to a particular section. On Mac, the names and placement of style controls can differ; the reliable principle is to modify the document’s body-text style and save the change to the template only if you want it to carry forward.

Keyboard shortcuts and Word versions

The fastest Windows shortcut is Ctrl+2, which applies double line spacing to the current paragraph or selected paragraphs. On Mac, use Command+2. The shortcuts do not open a menu, so they are convenient when you already know which text is selected. If the result is not what you expected, use the ribbon or Paragraph dialog to confirm the setting and inspect the selection.

In Word for the web, select the text and use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. The web interface has the main spacing controls, though some detailed formatting and template options available in the desktop app may be limited or presented differently. If you cannot find a setting needed to control a document-wide default, open the file in the desktop version of Word.

Older Word releases may arrange the ribbon differently, but the underlying control is usually called Line and Paragraph Spacing, and the Paragraph dialog has a line-spacing option. If you are following instructions written for another release, look for the setting name rather than assuming every button is in the same position.

Fix common double-spacing problems

If the text still appears crowded after choosing 2.0, check whether the correct paragraphs were selected and whether you changed line spacing rather than paragraph spacing. A mixed selection can also contain paragraphs with different formatting. Select the affected range again and apply 2.0, then inspect the Before and After fields in the Paragraph dialog. If a particular line is part of a table, text box, header, or footer, select that text container and format it separately.

If the document looks excessively spaced, look for both double line spacing and a large After value. Some styles add space after paragraphs automatically. Setting Before and After to 0 pt can remove that extra gap, but only do so when the required format calls for it. A blank paragraph inserted with Enter can also create a larger gap; turn on formatting marks with the Home > Paragraph > Show/Hide button to reveal paragraph marks and remove unintended empty paragraphs.

If only part of the document changes, that may be intentional: Word formats the selected paragraphs, not every page by default. Use Ctrl+A or Command+A from the document body if the whole main text needs the same spacing, then check title pages, tables, footnotes, and text boxes separately. If changes seem to disappear after reopening the file, verify that you saved it and that you are editing the expected document rather than a read-only copy.

Check the result before sharing

Double spacing increases the document’s page count because more vertical space is used. That is expected, but it can move headings, page breaks, footnotes, and tables. Review the document in Print Layout or print preview after changing a long document. Check page breaks and make sure headings have not been left alone at the bottom of a page. Double spacing does not guarantee a specific number of pages because page count also depends on font, margins, paper size, paragraph spacing, and content.

For a submission with detailed formatting rules, compare the finished document against those rules instead of assuming that 2.0 alone is sufficient. The requested font, margins, title-page layout, and paragraph indentation may be separate requirements. Save a copy before making broad changes if the original formatting needs to be preserved.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I double-space an entire Word document?
Click in the document body, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Check separate areas such as text boxes and headers if they also need changing.

What is the shortcut for double spacing in Word?
Use Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac. Select the relevant text first if you do not want to change the paragraph where the cursor is positioned.

How do I double-space only one paragraph?
Click anywhere in that paragraph and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0, or use the platform’s double-spacing shortcut. Word applies line spacing to the paragraph, not just to the word nearest the cursor.

Why is there too much space between my paragraphs?
The document may have both 2.0 line spacing and extra paragraph spacing. Open the Paragraph dialog and check the Before and After values; also look for empty paragraphs created by extra Enter presses.

Does double spacing mean pressing Enter after every line?
No. Double spacing is a paragraph-format setting that controls the distance between lines. Pressing Enter creates a new paragraph and can introduce unwanted gaps or disrupt later editing.

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