How to Add Double Spacing in Word

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 increases the space between lines without inserting extra blank paragraphs. You can apply it to one paragraph, a section, or the whole document, and adjust paragraph gaps separately if the result looks too spread out.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. The steps below describe Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Word for Mac has the same spacing control, though the ribbon layout may look slightly different.
Decide whether to change the whole document or just part of it. If you are working on an existing document, consider saving a copy first, especially if it contains carefully formatted sections.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and identify the text to change. For double spacing throughout the document, click in the main body of text. For a particular section, locate its first and last lines so you can select just that range. If the document includes a title, headings, tables, footnotes, or text boxes, decide whether those should also be double-spaced; they may need to be selected separately.
Select the text. To select the entire document on Windows, press Ctrl+A. On Mac, press Command+A. You can also drag across a passage with the mouse, or click in a paragraph if you want to change that paragraph only. When changing just one paragraph, selecting every character is not necessary: placing the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph is enough for a paragraph-level spacing setting.
Open the line-spacing menu. Select the Home tab on the ribbon. In the Paragraph group, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button, shown as horizontal lines with vertical arrows. If the Word window is narrow or the ribbon is simplified, the button may be inside a compact Paragraph menu; widen the window or expand the ribbon if you cannot see it.
Choose 2.0. In the menu, click 2.0. Word applies double line spacing to the selected paragraphs. The change should be visible immediately. If you selected only a few paragraphs, the rest of the document remains as it was; if you selected all text, the whole selected body should now have double spacing.
Check the result and clear any unwanted paragraph gaps. Scroll through the changed section and look at the spaces between lines and between paragraphs. Double line spacing controls the distance from one line to the next. Word can also add space before or after a paragraph, so paragraphs may look farther apart than expected. To adjust that extra gap, select the affected paragraphs, open the Line and Paragraph Spacing menu, and choose Remove Space After Paragraph if that option appears. For precise control, use the paragraph dialog described in the next step.
Use the Paragraph dialog for exact settings. Select the relevant text, then on Windows open Home and click the small dialog launcher at the bottom-right of the Paragraph group. In the Paragraph dialog, open the Indents and Spacing tab. Under Spacing, set Line spacing to Double. If you want ordinary double-spaced lines without extra gaps between paragraphs, set Before and After to 0 pt. Click OK to apply the settings. In Word for Mac, use Format > Paragraph to open paragraph settings, then set Line spacing to Double and adjust spacing before or after as needed. Depending on your Mac ribbon layout, the Home tab spacing menu is also available.
Save the document. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If Word changes the appearance of headings or other specially formatted paragraphs, review those parts before sharing or printing. You can undo a recent change with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then select a smaller range and apply the spacing again.

Quick keyboard method: In Word for Windows, select the text and press Ctrl+2 to apply double spacing. On Mac, select the text and press Command+2. These shortcuts apply spacing to the paragraph or paragraphs containing the selection, so use Ctrl+A or Command+A first if you intend to change the entire document.

Common Mistakes

Adding blank lines instead of changing line spacing. Pressing Enter repeatedly creates empty paragraphs. That can make the document uneven and cause extra gaps when you edit or reflow text. Use the 2.0 line-spacing setting instead; it keeps the spacing consistent as lines wrap.
Confusing line spacing with paragraph spacing. Double spacing affects the distance between lines within a paragraph. Space Before and Space After are separate settings that add room around paragraphs. If the document looks like it has a full extra line between every paragraph, check those settings rather than reducing the line spacing.
Forgetting to select the intended range. Choosing 2.0 changes the selected paragraphs, not necessarily every part of the file. A title or a table may remain single-spaced if it was outside the selection. Conversely, pressing Ctrl+A or Command+A can change more text than intended, including headings and lists in the document body.
Changing only the visible lines in a paragraph. Paragraph formatting belongs to the paragraph, not just the characters that happen to be highlighted. If the result is inconsistent, click in each affected paragraph and check its settings, or select the complete paragraphs before applying 2.0.
Assuming double spacing means exactly twice the height on screen. Font size, font design, zoom, and paragraph spacing affect how the page looks. The 2.0 setting is Word’s line-spacing option; it does not guarantee that every pair of baselines will appear as a simple visual doubling at every zoom level.

Tips

Use the shortcut for a quick change. Ctrl+2 on Windows and Command+2 on Mac are convenient when the text is already selected. To compare spacing options, Word also uses Ctrl+1 for single spacing and Ctrl+5 for 1.5 spacing on Windows; the corresponding Mac shortcuts are Command+1 and Command+5.
Check the entire page, not just one paragraph. Review the top, middle, and bottom of the document after applying spacing. This helps catch unselected sections, tables, or headings that still use a different setting. Use Print Layout view if you need to judge how the pages will look when printed.
Keep paragraph gaps intentional. For a conventional double-spaced manuscript, setting Before and After to 0 pt often avoids an additional gap between paragraphs. Other document styles may deliberately use space after paragraphs for readability. Follow the formatting instructions for your assignment or workplace rather than assuming every document needs the same paragraph spacing.
Make a reusable document style if you use this format often. For future documents, set the spacing for the Normal style or create a suitable style, rather than manually changing every new file. In Word for Windows, modify the relevant style from the Styles area on the Home tab; check that the style’s paragraph settings use Double line spacing. Changing a style can affect every paragraph using it, so review headings and other styles separately.
Know what a selection includes. The main document body, headers, footers, footnotes, and text inside shapes can behave as separate areas. Ctrl+A or Command+A may select the text in the current area rather than every text container in every part of the file. If an area stays unchanged, click inside it, select its text, and apply 2.0 there.

Troubleshooting

The text still looks single-spaced. First check that the correct paragraphs were selected and that the spacing menu shows 2.0 for them. Click inside a paragraph that looks wrong and reopen the Paragraph dialog. If it is not set to Double, apply the setting again. If it is set to Double but still looks tight, check the font size, zoom level, and whether you are looking at separate paragraphs with no obvious line wrap.

There is too much space between paragraphs. Double spacing alone may not be the cause. Select the affected paragraphs, open the Paragraph dialog, and inspect Spacing Before and After. Set these values to 0 pt if you want no added paragraph gap, then confirm Line spacing is still Double. Also remove any empty paragraphs created by repeated presses of Enter; turn on formatting marks with the ¶ button on the Home tab if you need to spot them.

Only some of the document changed. This usually means some paragraphs were not selected or are in another text area. Select the remaining body text and apply 2.0. For a table, select its cells or paragraphs and apply the setting while the selection is active. For a header, footer, footnote, or text box, click into that area first and format its text separately.

The layout changed or the document gained pages. That is an expected possibility: double spacing takes up more vertical room, which can push text onto additional pages. If the page count matters, do not shrink margins or font size without checking the document requirements. If you only meant to change one section, undo the change and reapply it to that range instead of the whole file.

The menu or shortcut seems unavailable. Make sure the document is editable and that you are working in Word rather than a preview of the file. In a narrow window, expand the ribbon or use the Paragraph dialog through Format > Paragraph on Mac. If a shortcut triggers a different action because of your keyboard setup, use the ribbon menu to choose 2.0 directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I double-space an entire Word document?
Select the document body with Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Check headers, footers, tables, and text boxes separately if those areas also need the same spacing.

How do I double-space only one paragraph?
Click anywhere in the paragraph and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0, or use Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac. Word applies paragraph spacing to the paragraph containing the insertion point.

Does double spacing add a blank line after each paragraph?
No. It increases the distance between lines within each paragraph. Extra room between paragraphs comes from Before or After spacing, or from empty paragraphs inserted with Enter.

Can I double-space a document before I start writing?
Yes. Set the line spacing for the starting paragraph or Normal style before typing, then check that new paragraphs inherit the setting. For repeated use, modify the style or save a correctly formatted template; changing a style can also affect existing text that uses it.

How do I return to single spacing?
Select the relevant paragraphs and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 1.0. On Windows, Ctrl+1 applies single spacing; on Mac, use Command+1. If gaps remain, check the paragraph’s Before and After settings as well.

Why does double spacing make my document longer?
Lines take up more vertical space, so text can move onto later pages. The number of words has not changed. If you need to meet a page limit, follow the required formatting rules rather than reducing spacing in a way that conflicts with them.

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