How to Double Space in Microsoft Word on Any Device

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. To double-space just one paragraph, click inside it without selecting anything first. Double spacing adds vertical room between lines, which can make a document easier to read, annotate, or format for submission. You will need Word for Windows, Mac, or the web, and the steps below cover each version.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. The instructions apply to Microsoft 365 Word on Windows and Mac; a separate note explains Word for the web.
Know whether you want to change the whole document, selected text, or only the paragraph where your cursor is placed. You do not need to install anything or change a document-wide setting just to apply double spacing.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and decide what to change. If you want every paragraph in the document to use double spacing, plan to select all the text. If only one section needs it, locate that section and select its paragraphs. To change a single paragraph, clicking inside it is enough; Word applies paragraph formatting to the paragraph containing the insertion point.
Select the relevant text if needed. On Windows, click in the document and press Ctrl+A to select all document text. On Mac, press Command+A. To select a smaller range, drag over it with the mouse, or click at its start, hold Shift, and click at its end. A selection can include several paragraphs, but be sure it does not include text you want to leave single-spaced.
Open the Home tab. Choose Home on the ribbon. In the Paragraph group, find the Line and Paragraph Spacing button. Its icon typically shows horizontal lines with vertical arrows. If the ribbon is narrow, Word may hide the button or show it in a condensed Paragraph group; widen the window or open the group to find it.
Choose 2.0. Select Line and Paragraph Spacing, then click 2.0 in the menu. The selected paragraphs should immediately show more space between lines. If you had clicked inside one paragraph without selecting text, the change applies to that paragraph instead of the entire document.
Check the result in the document. Look at a few lines near the top and bottom of the changed area. Double spacing means the lines within a paragraph have extra vertical separation; it does not necessarily create a blank line between paragraphs. If the page count increases, that is normal because the text now occupies more space.
Change spacing for a different selection, if necessary. Select another passage or click in another paragraph, then repeat Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Word can have different spacing settings in different paragraphs, so changing one passage does not automatically change every unselected passage.
Use the keyboard shortcut if you prefer. Select the text or place the cursor in the paragraph. In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+2 to apply double spacing. In Word for Mac, press Command+2. These shortcuts set line spacing for the selected paragraphs; they are not the same as inserting a blank line by pressing Enter twice.
For Word on the web, use the ribbon menu. Open the document in Word for the web, select the relevant text or click in a paragraph, and go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. The menu may look slightly different in a browser, but choose the option labeled 2.0. If a command is unavailable in the web version, open the file in the Word desktop app and use the desktop steps.
Save the document. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac, unless AutoSave is already saving the file to OneDrive or SharePoint. If you received the document from someone else, save a copy if you want to preserve the original formatting.

Alternative using the Paragraph dialog: If you want to inspect paragraph settings, select the text and open the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, click the small dialog launcher at the lower-right corner, then find Line spacing on the Indents and Spacing tab and choose Double. Click OK. The dialog is useful when the ribbon button does not seem to produce the spacing you expect, because it lets you check the actual line-spacing setting.

Common Mistakes

Pressing Enter twice between every line. This inserts extra paragraph breaks, not true double line spacing. It can make editing awkward and create inconsistent gaps. Use the 2.0 spacing option instead.
Changing only the paragraph where the cursor is. If you want the entire document changed, select all text first. Clicking in a paragraph and choosing 2.0 affects that paragraph, not every other paragraph in the file.
Confusing line spacing with paragraph spacing. Line spacing controls distance between lines inside a paragraph. Paragraph spacing adds space before or after separate paragraphs. If paragraphs still look unusually far apart, inspect the Before and After values in the Paragraph dialog rather than adding more line spacing.
Assuming the whole document is selected when it is not. A selection may stop at a heading, a page break, or a section you missed. Check the highlighted area before applying the setting. Headers, footers, footnotes, and text boxes may need to be selected and formatted separately.
Using the wrong menu item. The spacing menu also offers options for adding space before or after paragraphs. Choose 2.0 for double line spacing, not an option that says to add space before or after a paragraph.
Expecting double spacing to mean exactly two blank lines. Word’s Double setting increases the distance between baselines according to the font and paragraph formatting. It does not insert an empty line between each line of text.

Tips

Apply the setting before writing when you can. If a new document must be double-spaced, set the spacing at the start, then type. New paragraphs created with Enter will generally carry the current paragraph’s formatting, making the document more consistent.
Use styles for documents with headings. Double-spacing the body does not mean every heading must have the same spacing. Word styles can keep titles and headings distinct while you format the main body text. To change a specific style, right-click its style tile on the Home tab and choose Modify; review its paragraph formatting before applying it widely.
Check the document’s requirements. A teacher, publisher, or workplace may specify double line spacing but also set font, margins, or paragraph spacing. Follow those requirements separately; choosing 2.0 does not automatically set the font or margins.
Use undo if you changed too much. Press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac immediately after an unwanted formatting change. You can also reselect the affected text and choose a different line-spacing option.
Consider setting a default only when you want future documents affected. A one-time change to an existing file does not necessarily change the default for new files. In desktop Word, the Paragraph dialog may offer a Set As Default control; use it only if you intend to change the default template, and read the prompt before confirming. Otherwise, set spacing in each document as needed.

Troubleshooting

The lines still look single-spaced. First check that the text was selected when you chose 2.0. If the selection was lost, click in the paragraph and open the Paragraph dialog to see whether Line spacing is set to Double. A font or zoom level can make the difference less obvious, so compare a few lines at a readable zoom.

There is too much space between paragraphs. The 2.0 setting may be combined with extra paragraph spacing. Select the affected paragraphs, open Home > Paragraph dialog launcher > Indents and Spacing, and check the Before and After spacing fields. Set them to the values your document requires; do not change them blindly if your formatting instructions specify paragraph gaps. The spacing menu may also provide commands to remove space before or after paragraphs.

Only part of the document changed. Some content may not have been included in your selection, or it may be in a separate text area. Select the remaining body text and apply 2.0 again. For a header, footer, footnote, or text box, click inside that area and format its paragraphs separately. If the document contains multiple sections, inspect each section rather than assuming one selection covered every element.

The 2.0 option is missing or the ribbon looks different. Make sure you are on the Home tab and look in the Paragraph group. On a compact window, maximize Word or expand the ribbon. In Word for the web, some controls can be arranged differently; use the Paragraph dialog in the desktop app if you cannot locate the control or need more detailed settings.

The document reverts after reopening. Save the file after formatting and confirm that you are editing the correct copy. If it is stored in a shared location, check whether another person or an automated template is applying formatting. Also check whether the affected text uses a style that has its own paragraph settings; modifying the style may be more reliable than repeatedly formatting individual paragraphs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I double-space an entire Word document?
Select the document text with Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Review the selection first if the file contains sections you want to keep single-spaced.

Can I double-space just one paragraph?
Yes. Click anywhere in that paragraph without selecting other text, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Word applies paragraph formatting to the paragraph containing the cursor.

What is the shortcut for double spacing in Word?
Use Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac. Select the relevant text first to change multiple paragraphs, or place the cursor in one paragraph to change only that paragraph.

Does double spacing add a blank line between paragraphs?
No. Double spacing increases the space between lines within a paragraph. Space between paragraphs is a separate setting, usually controlled by Before and After values in the Paragraph dialog.

Can I make all new Word documents double-spaced?
In desktop Word, use the Paragraph dialog’s Set As Default option if it is available, then confirm the choice to apply it to the appropriate template. This affects future documents based on that template, not just the file currently open. If you only need one file double-spaced, do not change the default.

Do these steps work in Word for Mac and Word for the web?
The ribbon method is available in both: select text or click in a paragraph, then use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. The ribbon layout can differ slightly. The common shortcut is Command+2 on Mac; in the web version, using the ribbon menu is the clearest option.

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