How to Double Space in Word: Quick Steps for Any Document

To double-space text in Microsoft Word, select the text—or press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac to select the document—then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. This sets the line spacing to double, adding room between lines without inserting blank paragraphs. You can apply it to a whole document, a selection, or text you type next.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. These steps apply to Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the main ribbon option is also available in current Word for Mac and Word for the web.
Editing permission if the file is shared or protected. If Word opens it in read-only or Protected View, enable editing before changing its formatting.
Nothing else is required. You do not need to add extra paragraph breaks or change the font size.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and decide what to change. Double spacing can be applied to the whole document, a few paragraphs, or only text you enter from now on. If you need a particular section double-spaced while keeping headings or other sections as they are, select just that section. For an existing assignment or report that needs consistent spacing throughout, applying the setting to the full document is usually the simplest approach.
Select the text. To format everything in the main document, click in its body and press Ctrl+A on Windows. On Mac, press Command+A. If only a portion needs the change, drag across the text or click at its start, hold Shift, and click at its end. You can select whole paragraphs by dragging through them or clicking in a paragraph and using the paragraph formatting control in the next step. Check the highlighted range before changing formatting so you do not unintentionally alter a title, table, or other content.
Open the line-spacing menu. On Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, click Line and Paragraph Spacing, the button shown with vertical arrows beside horizontal lines. On current Word for Mac, open Home and use the same Line and Paragraph Spacing control. In Word for the web, select Home and open Line and Paragraph Spacing as well; the menu may look slightly different depending on the browser window width.
Choose 2.0. Select 2.0 in the spacing menu. Word applies double line spacing to the selected text immediately. If you selected the whole document, the paragraphs in the body should now have visibly more vertical room between their lines. The font size, margins, and wording stay the same. The displayed choice may be marked with a check or highlighted to show the active spacing.
Check the paragraph spacing separately. Line spacing controls the distance between lines within a paragraph. It is not the same as the space before or after a paragraph. If you see unusually large gaps between paragraphs, select the affected text, open Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and check for commands such as Add Space Before Paragraph or Add Space After Paragraph. Choose Remove Space Before Paragraph or Remove Space After Paragraph if that extra gap is unwanted. Keep any paragraph spacing your assignment or document design specifically requires.
Use the Paragraph dialog for a precise setting. If you cannot find the 2.0 choice, select the text, then open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab. In Word for Windows, click the small dialog launcher at the lower-right of the Paragraph group. In the Indents and Spacing tab, open the Line spacing list, choose Double, and click OK. In Word for Mac, use the Paragraph dialog from the Home ribbon or Format > Paragraph, choose Double in the line-spacing control, and confirm. This dialog is also useful for checking spacing when the ribbon setting is unclear.
Verify the result and save. Look at several paragraphs, including a paragraph that wraps onto multiple lines. Double spacing should create consistent room between successive lines, not a completely blank line after every line. Save with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If the document will be printed or submitted, use Print Preview or the print layout view to make sure the added spacing has not pushed headings, page breaks, or tables into awkward positions.

Optional keyboard shortcut: In Word desktop, select the text and press Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac to apply double line spacing. Use the ribbon menu if the shortcut behaves differently in your version or if your keyboard settings intercept it. Ctrl+1 applies single spacing and Ctrl+5 applies 1.5-line spacing in Word for Windows; on Mac, the corresponding shortcuts use Command.

Common Mistakes

Adding blank paragraphs instead of changing line spacing. Pressing Enter at the end of each line creates separate paragraphs and can make the document difficult to edit. It also causes uneven gaps when text reflows. Set line spacing to 2.0 instead.
Changing paragraph spacing and assuming it is line spacing. Add Space After Paragraph creates a gap between paragraphs; it does not double-space the lines within each paragraph. If the lines themselves remain close together, choose 2.0 or Double in the line-spacing menu or Paragraph dialog.
Formatting only the cursor position or the wrong selection. If no text is selected, the change generally affects the paragraph containing the insertion point and may affect what you type next. To format existing text, select the intended range first. Recheck the highlight if the document contains sections with different formatting.
Expecting the entire document to look identical after Ctrl+A. A full-document selection can include text with different styles, such as headings, lists, footnotes, or table contents. The spacing setting may apply broadly, but styles and special layouts can affect how the result appears. Review those areas instead of assuming every block was changed in the same way.
Using extra spaces to meet a formatting rule. Increasing font size, changing margins, or adding blank lines can make pages look less consistent and may not satisfy a requirement for double spacing. Use the explicit Double line-spacing setting unless the instructions specify a different format.

Tips

Use a selection for a one-time change. If just the body paragraphs must be double-spaced, select those paragraphs and leave the title, captions, or references alone when their formatting requirements differ. You can format separate ranges one at a time.
Keep line spacing and paragraph spacing intentional. Many documents use double-spaced body text with no additional space after each paragraph. Others use a small paragraph gap for readability. Set each feature according to the document instructions rather than trying to make one setting control both.
Use styles for a consistent document. For a report with many headings and body paragraphs, apply the appropriate Word styles rather than manually changing each paragraph. If you change a style, check the document afterward: the style may be used in places you did not intend to double-space.
Check lists, tables, and footnotes. Double spacing may make a numbered list taller or cause a table row to expand. If a particular part must remain single-spaced, select that part and choose 1.0 after applying the broader document setting, or format it according to the relevant style and requirements.
Keep a copy before large formatting changes. For a long or important document, use File > Save As to create a separate copy before changing the formatting throughout. That gives you an easy way to compare or recover the original layout.

Troubleshooting

The spacing does not change. First make sure the intended text is highlighted. Then select Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0 again. If the ribbon control is unavailable, the document may be protected, opened read-only, or not in editing mode. Enable editing if permitted, or ask the document owner for access. You can also use the Paragraph dialog and choose Double directly.

Some paragraphs still look different. Check whether those paragraphs are in a table, text box, header, footer, footnote, or a section with its own style. Click inside the specific area, select its text, and apply 2.0 there. A heading style may also have its own paragraph settings; if that heading should be double-spaced, format it directly or adjust its style as appropriate. Avoid changing a style globally unless you want every paragraph using that style to change.

There is too much space between paragraphs. The document may have both double line spacing and added space before or after paragraphs. Select the paragraphs and inspect the line-spacing menu for Add Space Before Paragraph or Add Space After Paragraph settings. You can also open the Paragraph dialog and review the Before and After values under Spacing. Set those values to the required amount; do not reduce them if your formatting instructions call for paragraph gaps.

The page count increased or a heading moved. That is a normal possible result because double spacing takes up more vertical space. Use Print Preview to review page breaks. Do not fix the layout by deleting text or shrinking the font unless that is allowed. If only the body needs double spacing, select just the body text rather than applying the setting to headings, captions, or other parts that should retain their existing format.

The shortcut does something else. Use the ribbon menu instead: select the text, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Make sure you are using the Windows shortcut Ctrl+2 or the Mac shortcut Command+2, not the other platform’s key combination. In Word for the web, use the ribbon control if a browser or operating system intercepts the shortcut.

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 select Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Review headings, tables, and other special areas afterward.

How do I double-space only part of a document?
Select the specific sentences or paragraphs, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Text outside the selection should keep its current spacing.

Is double spacing the same as adding a blank line?
No. Double spacing increases the distance between lines in a paragraph. A blank line is a separate empty paragraph, usually made by pressing Enter, and can create inconsistent gaps as the document changes.

Can I double-space a new document by default?
You can change the paragraph settings for the style used for new text, such as Normal, but the exact style controls can vary between Windows and Mac versions. Open the style’s Modify options, find its Paragraph settings, and set line spacing to Double. Check that the change applies only to the documents or template you intend to use; existing documents may need separate formatting.

Will double spacing change my font or margins?
No. It changes the vertical distance between lines, not the font, font size, or page margins. It can increase the number of pages because the text occupies more vertical space.

Can I double-space in Word for the web?
Yes. Select the text, open Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and choose 2.0. The layout may differ slightly from desktop Word, but the setting serves the same purpose.

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