How to Double Space in Word Using Your Keyboard

To double-space text in Microsoft Word on Windows, select the text or place the cursor in the paragraph, then press Ctrl+2. On a Mac, use Command+2. The shortcut changes line spacing in the selected paragraph or paragraphs, making the lines easier to read and leaving room for notes or edits.

You do not need to change the font or insert blank lines between sentences. Word applies double line spacing as paragraph formatting. The steps below cover selected text, a whole document, and keyboard-only selection.

What You’ll Need

A document open in the Microsoft Word desktop app. The instructions are for Microsoft 365 on Windows, with Mac equivalents where they differ.
A keyboard. You do not need to select a menu option or use the mouse for the main shortcut.
To know whether you want to change one paragraph, a section, or the main document text. This determines what you select before pressing the shortcut.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and click or move the insertion point into its text. If you are using the keyboard only, press Ctrl+Home on Windows to move to the start of the document body. On Mac, use Command+Home where available, or press Fn+Command+Left Arrow on keyboards that use that combination to reach the beginning. You can also use the arrow keys to move to the relevant paragraph. Make sure the insertion point is in the document, not in the Search box, a comment, or a header or footer unless that is the area you intend to format.
Choose what to double-space. To change just one paragraph, leave the insertion point anywhere inside it; you do not have to highlight every word. To change a continuous section, select that text. On Windows, hold Shift and use the arrow keys to extend a selection; Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow selects toward the end of the current paragraph and into the next paragraph. On Mac, use Shift with the arrow keys, or Option+Shift+Down Arrow to extend by paragraph, depending on your keyboard settings.
Select the whole main document if that is your goal. On Windows, press Ctrl+A while the insertion point is in the document body. On Mac, press Command+A. In a normal document, this selects the main text so the formatting shortcut can be applied throughout it. If the cursor is in a table, text box, header, or footer, the selection may be limited to that area or behave differently. Click or move into the main body first if you want to format the document text.
Apply double spacing. On Windows, press Ctrl+2. On Mac, press Command+2. Press the keys together once. You should see more vertical room between each line in the affected paragraph or selection. You do not need to hold the shortcut down or press it once per line.
Check the result in more than one place. Look at the start and end of the selected section, especially if it crosses paragraph breaks. If you applied the shortcut with only a cursor in one paragraph, check that paragraph rather than expecting the entire document to change. If you selected text inside a paragraph, Word generally changes the line spacing for the paragraph, not just the highlighted words.
Continue typing or remove the selection carefully. Press an arrow key to place the cursor where you want to continue. New paragraphs created with Enter usually inherit the paragraph formatting of the paragraph you are in, so they may also be double-spaced. If the next section should have different spacing, place the cursor in that section and use its appropriate spacing shortcut or formatting.
Save the document. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. Saving does not affect spacing, but it preserves your formatting changes in the file.

If you want to return text to single spacing, put the cursor in the paragraph or select the relevant paragraphs and press Ctrl+1 on Windows or Command+1 on Mac. For one-and-a-half spacing, the matching shortcuts are Ctrl+5 and Command+5.

Common Mistakes

Using the number row shortcut without the right modifier. The shortcut is the number 2 with Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac. It is not the number 2 by itself, and it is not Ctrl+Shift+2. Use the number key, not a key combination intended to type a symbol.
Expecting a cursor-only shortcut to affect the whole file. With no text selected, Word applies the paragraph setting where the insertion point is located. Select the target paragraphs first if you want to change more than the current paragraph.
Putting the cursor in the wrong area. The shortcut may affect a table cell, a text box, a header, or a footer if that is where the cursor is. Move the insertion point into the main document body before using Ctrl+A and the spacing shortcut for the main text.
Adding blank lines with repeated Enter presses. Pressing Enter creates a new paragraph; it does not set double line spacing. Extra paragraph breaks can make gaps uneven and complicate later editing. Use the spacing shortcut instead.
Confusing line spacing with space between paragraphs. Double line spacing increases the distance between lines within a paragraph. It does not necessarily add a large gap between separate paragraphs. Word has a separate paragraph-spacing setting for space before or after paragraphs.
Thinking only the highlighted characters can change. Line spacing is paragraph formatting. A selection that covers only a few words can still cause the paragraph containing those words to display with double spacing. Check neighboring lines and paragraphs after applying it.

Tips

Use the cursor method for a quick single-paragraph change. Click or move the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph and press the shortcut. Highlighting the entire paragraph is not necessary.
Select a range before formatting a long passage. Move to the start of the passage, hold Shift, and move to its end with the keyboard. You can then apply the shortcut once instead of repeating it paragraph by paragraph. Take care at the selection endpoint so you do not include the following section unintentionally.
Use Ctrl+A only when the scope is right. It is convenient for changing the main body of a simple document, but it can be too broad if you want to preserve a title, a single-spaced reference list, or another specially formatted section. Select only the paragraphs that should change in a mixed-format document.
Remember what happens after a paragraph break. When you press Enter, Word normally carries the current paragraph formatting into the next paragraph. If the next paragraph should be single-spaced, change that paragraph rather than inserting extra line breaks to create a visual gap.
Know the difference between line spacing and paragraph spacing. If the lines within each paragraph are double-spaced but there is still too much or too little space between paragraphs, adjust the paragraph spacing separately. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, the ribbon path is Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing. The same control is on the Home tab in Word for Mac, though the ribbon layout can vary by window size.
Use the shortcut as a formatting command, not a document-wide preference. It changes the paragraph or selection in the current document. If you need every new document to start double-spaced, you may need to change the default paragraph style or template rather than relying on this shortcut each time.

Troubleshooting

The shortcut does nothing. First check that Word has focus and that the insertion point is in editable document text. Press Esc to close a dialog or menu that may be capturing keystrokes, then try again. Confirm that you used Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac. If you are using Word in a browser, a remote desktop, or a keyboard with customized shortcuts, the desktop-app shortcut may be handled differently; use the Home tab’s line-spacing control as a fallback.

Only one paragraph changed. That is expected if you pressed the shortcut with the cursor in one paragraph and did not select other text. Undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac if needed, select the intended range, and apply the shortcut again. If you already made other edits, you can instead select the remaining paragraphs and format them separately.

The spacing looks uneven after applying the shortcut. Check whether some paragraphs were outside the selection or have different paragraph settings. Also look for empty paragraphs created by extra Enter presses and for paragraph spacing before or after. Select the affected paragraphs, apply double spacing again, and remove unintended empty paragraphs. If only the gap between paragraphs is unusual, use the Home tab’s line and paragraph spacing control to inspect or change paragraph spacing.

The title or references changed when you wanted only the body. Undo the change if it was the most recent action, then select just the body paragraphs and apply the shortcut again. For a long document, you can select a specific range using the keyboard rather than using Ctrl+A. Review headings, footnotes, tables, and references separately because they may intentionally use different spacing.

The shortcut behaves differently on a Mac. Use Command+2, not Ctrl+2, in Word for Mac. If a Mac keyboard or system utility has remapped the keys, use the Word ribbon command or check the shortcut assignments in Word’s settings. Do not assume a Windows modifier key works the same way in the Mac app.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the keyboard shortcut for double spacing in Word?
In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+2. In Word for Mac, press Command+2. Apply it with a cursor in a paragraph or after selecting the paragraphs you want to format.

How do I double-space an entire Word document with the keyboard?
Place the cursor in the main document body, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then press the matching double-spacing shortcut. Check the result, since titles, tables, and other document areas may need separate handling.

Does Ctrl+2 change just the selected words?
No. Line spacing is a paragraph-level setting. If selected words are within a paragraph, the paragraph’s lines can become double-spaced even though only part of its text was highlighted.

Will new text stay double-spaced?
Text you type in a double-spaced paragraph generally keeps that paragraph’s spacing. Pressing Enter usually carries the formatting into the next paragraph. A different style or manually applied formatting may change the result.

How can I make spacing single again?
Place the cursor in the paragraph or select the paragraphs, then press Ctrl+1 on Windows or Command+1 on Mac. The Ctrl+5 or Command+5 shortcut applies one-and-a-half spacing.

Does double spacing add space between paragraphs?
It doubles the line spacing within paragraphs; it does not necessarily add extra space after each paragraph. If you want a larger gap between paragraphs, adjust paragraph spacing separately from line spacing.

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