How to Double Space in Microsoft Word: Step-by-Step Guide

To double-space text in Microsoft Word, select the text and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. To double-space an entire document, click in its body, select all the text, then apply the same setting. Double spacing adds more vertical room between lines, which can make a document easier to read, annotate, or prepare for a formatting requirement.

You do not need to install anything. The steps below are for Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the Mac and Word for the web differences are included where they matter. If you are formatting an assignment or a work document, check its instructions first: a requested double line spacing may come with separate rules about paragraph gaps, margins, or font size.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. You can work on an existing file or start a new one.
The text you want to format. Decide whether the setting should affect one paragraph, a section, or the whole document.
If you are following a style guide, its spacing requirements. Double line spacing and extra space between paragraphs are different settings.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and identify the scope. Open the file in Word and decide what should be double-spaced. You can format a few paragraphs, a selected section, or the main text throughout the document. If you only need to change one paragraph, click inside it; selecting the paragraph is not usually necessary because line spacing is paragraph formatting. For a specific range, drag to highlight the complete range before changing the setting.
Select the text if you want to change more than the current paragraph. To format the whole document on Windows, click in the document body and press Ctrl+A. On a Mac, press Command+A. This selects the document’s main text, not necessarily text inside separate headers, footers, footnotes, or text boxes. To format only a section, drag across that section instead. Check that the highlight covers the intended paragraphs before continuing; otherwise, Word will change only the paragraphs that are selected or contain the cursor.
Open the line-spacing menu. On the ribbon, select the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, click Line and Paragraph Spacing, the button showing horizontal lines and vertical arrows. If the Word window is narrow, the Paragraph group or its buttons may be condensed; widen the window or look for the spacing icon. Do not use the separate paragraph spacing controls if your goal is to change the distance between lines within paragraphs.
Choose 2.0. In the menu, select 2.0. Word applies double line spacing to the current paragraph or the selected paragraphs. The change is immediate, so you can see the lines spread apart. This is a formatting setting, not a command that inserts empty paragraphs between every line. That distinction matters: inserted blank lines can make editing awkward and can create uneven spacing when the text reflows.
Use the keyboard shortcut if you prefer. In Word for Windows, select the text and press Ctrl+2 to set double line spacing. On a Mac, use Command+2. The shortcut sets the spacing; it is not a toggle between single and double, so pressing it again does not switch back to single spacing. If a shortcut does not work, use the ribbon menu instead, particularly if another app or system setting may be intercepting the keystroke.
Check paragraph spacing separately. Double line spacing does not necessarily remove extra space between paragraphs. If the document looks more widely spaced than expected, select the affected text, open Home > Paragraph dialog launcher (the small arrow in the Paragraph group), and look at the Indents and Spacing tab. Review the Before and After values under Spacing, as well as Line spacing. Keep paragraph spacing if the instructions call for it; if not, adjust those values as appropriate and make sure Line spacing is set to Double.
Review and save the result. Click elsewhere in the document to remove the selection and scan the changed area. Confirm that the correct paragraphs have the larger line spacing and that you have not changed headings or other material that should retain its own formatting. Save with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on a Mac. If the document has strict formatting rules, check a few pages rather than relying only on the first paragraph.

Mac and web notes: In Word for Mac, you can use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0 or the Command+2 shortcut. The Paragraph dialog is also available from the formatting controls, though its location can vary slightly by Mac Word version. In Word for the web, select the text and use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0; using the menu is the clearest option if desktop keyboard shortcuts behave differently in your browser.

Common Mistakes

Adding blank lines instead of setting line spacing. Pressing Enter at the end of each line creates separate paragraphs, not true double spacing. It can cause inconsistent gaps and make later edits difficult. Apply the 2.0 line-spacing setting to the paragraph text instead.
Changing only the current paragraph by accident. If you want the entire document double-spaced but have not selected all of its text, Word may apply the change only where the cursor is. Select the intended range first, then check more than one area afterward.
Confusing line spacing with paragraph spacing. The 2.0 option controls the distance between lines in a paragraph. Before and After settings add space around paragraphs. A page that looks extra airy may have both double line spacing and paragraph gaps.
Assuming the shortcut is a toggle. Ctrl+2 and Command+2 apply double spacing; they do not alternate between double and single. To return to single spacing, select the text and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 1.0.
Forgetting text outside the main body. Selecting all in the document body may not include headers, footers, footnotes, or text boxes. Format those areas separately only if they are meant to follow the same spacing rule.
Applying a different style afterward. Changing a paragraph style or pasting formatted text later can alter spacing in some paragraphs. If the appearance changes after you set 2.0, inspect the affected paragraphs and reapply the required spacing.

Tips

Format the whole document in one pass. If every body paragraph needs double spacing, click in the main text, use Ctrl+A or Command+A, and set 2.0 once. Then inspect headings and special sections, which may have different requirements. This is more reliable than clicking each paragraph one at a time.
Use the dialog when you need precise control. Choose the Paragraph dialog launcher on the Home tab and set Line spacing to Double. The dialog also lets you view the Before and After paragraph values, indentation, and other paragraph settings in one place. This is useful when a rubric specifies double spacing but does not want additional gaps between paragraphs.
Keep styles consistent in longer documents. If you regularly need double-spaced body text, consider changing the relevant paragraph style rather than manually formatting scattered paragraphs. Right-click the style in the Styles gallery, choose Modify, and use the formatting controls to set paragraph spacing. Review the result carefully, because changing a style affects every paragraph using it.
Do not judge spacing from page count alone. Double spacing often increases the number of pages, but the exact change depends on margins, font, paragraph gaps, headings, and page breaks. Compare the actual line spacing and the document requirements instead of trying to force a particular page count by changing unrelated settings.
Save a separate copy if you need to preserve the original layout. For a document that will be submitted in both single- and double-spaced forms, use File > Save As to make a second copy before changing the spacing. That makes it easier to keep the original formatting intact.

Troubleshooting

Only some of the document changed. The selection may not have included every paragraph. Click in the main body, select all with Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, and apply 2.0 again. If text in a header, footer, footnote, or text box is still unchanged, click into that area and format it separately. Be cautious in documents with tables or multiple sections, where selecting and formatting text may require more than one pass.

The text still looks crowded. Confirm that the line-spacing menu shows 2.0 or open the Paragraph dialog and check that Line spacing is set to Double. Also check font size and zoom: zoom changes how the page looks on screen, not the document’s spacing. If lines are double-spaced but paragraphs have little separation, that may be normal. If they look too far apart, inspect the Before and After paragraph values, which may be adding extra space beyond the double line spacing.

There is too much space between paragraphs. Select the affected paragraphs and open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab. On Indents and Spacing, review the Before and After fields. Set them to the values required by your instructions; do not assume that they must be zero. The 2.0 line setting and the paragraph Before/After settings are independent, so changing one does not automatically correct the other.

The menu or shortcut is missing or unavailable. Make sure the document is open in an editable mode and that text is not protected or restricted. If the ribbon is simplified or the window is narrow, maximize Word and look in the Home tab’s Paragraph group. The keyboard shortcut is an alternative on desktop Word, but the menu is preferable if the shortcut is intercepted. In Word for the web, use the ribbon menu rather than assuming every desktop shortcut will behave identically in the browser.

Some paragraphs revert after editing or pasting. Pasted text can bring formatting from its source, while paragraph styles can specify their own spacing. Select the paragraphs that look different and apply 2.0 again, or modify the style if all paragraphs using that style should match. If the discrepancy continues, inspect the Paragraph dialog for the specific paragraph rather than changing the entire document blindly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does double spacing mean pressing Enter twice?
No. Double spacing means the lines within a paragraph have double line spacing. Pressing Enter twice inserts an empty paragraph, which is a different kind of spacing and may lead to uneven results.

How do I double-space the whole document in Word?
Click in the document body, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Review headers, footers, footnotes, and text boxes separately if they also need the setting.

What is the shortcut for double spacing in Word?
Use Ctrl+2 in Word for Windows or Command+2 in Word for Mac. Select the text first if you want to apply it to more than the paragraph containing the cursor.

How do I change double spacing back to single spacing?
Select the affected paragraphs and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 1.0. On Windows, Ctrl+1 also applies single spacing; on Mac, use the ribbon menu if you are unsure whether the corresponding shortcut is available in your version.

Can I make double spacing the default for new documents?
Yes. Open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab, set Line spacing to Double, then choose Set As Default if that option is available. Word may ask whether to apply the change to the current document or to documents based on the Normal template. Choose carefully: changing the template can affect future documents, not just the file you have open.

Why does my double-spaced document have extra-large gaps?
It may have both double line spacing and extra paragraph spacing. Check the Before and After values in the Paragraph dialog, along with the line-spacing setting. Adjust paragraph gaps only to match the document’s requirements.

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