How to Choose Double Spacing in Word

To choose double spacing in Word, place the cursor in a paragraph or select the text you want to change, then go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. To double-space the entire document, press Ctrl+A first, then choose 2.0. Double spacing puts more vertical room between lines; you do not need to insert blank lines manually. The steps below are for Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, with Mac notes where the controls differ.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. The instructions apply to the desktop version of Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the current Word for Mac and Word for the web have similar spacing controls.
A decision about which text should be double-spaced: one paragraph, a selected section, or the whole document. If you are following a school, publisher, or workplace format, check whether it also specifies paragraph spacing, margins, font, or a particular style.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and decide what to change. If the whole document should use double spacing, you can select everything in the next step. If only a few paragraphs need it, plan to select just those paragraphs. Remember that line spacing is a paragraph setting: changing a paragraph generally affects all its lines, even if you selected only part of the text within it.
Select the text, if needed. Click in a paragraph to change that paragraph without selecting anything. To select several paragraphs, drag across them, or click at the start of the first and Shift-click at the end of the last. To select all document content, click in the main document body and press Ctrl+A on Windows. Check that the selection covers the intended text before applying formatting; headers, footers, footnotes, and text inside separate objects may need to be selected and formatted separately.
Open the Home tab. On the Word ribbon, click Home. Find the Paragraph group, which includes alignment, bullets, and indentation controls. If the ribbon is collapsed or the Word window is narrow, expand the ribbon or widen the window so you can see the paragraph spacing button. The button typically shows horizontal lines with vertical arrows beside them.
Choose 2.0 line spacing. Click Line and Paragraph Spacing in the Paragraph group, then click 2.0 in the menu. Word applies double line spacing to the current paragraph or to the selected paragraphs. The text may take up more pages, so check page breaks and the document length after the change.
Confirm the result in the document. Look at a paragraph with several lines and confirm the distance between its lines has increased. If you selected only one paragraph, check that nearby paragraphs remain as they were. For a whole-document change, scroll through several pages; a title, table, or footnote can have different formatting from the main body and may not have been included in your selection.
Use the keyboard shortcut if you prefer. Click in a paragraph or select the target text, then press Ctrl+2 on Windows to apply double spacing. On a Mac, use Command+2. These shortcuts change line spacing for the paragraph or paragraphs in the selection; they do not add extra blank paragraphs. If the shortcut appears to do nothing, click in the document body first and try again.
Change spacing on Word for Mac if the ribbon is different. In Word for Mac, select the paragraph or text, open the Home tab, choose Line and Paragraph Spacing, and select 2.0. Depending on the ribbon layout, you can also open Format > Paragraph and set Line spacing to Double. Use Command+2 as the keyboard shortcut. The wording and placement can vary slightly by Word version.
Use Word for the web when that is where the file is open. Select the text or click in a paragraph, go to Home, open Line and Paragraph Spacing, and choose 2.0. The web ribbon may show fewer controls than the desktop app. If a setting is unavailable or the document has complex formatting, choose Open in Desktop App and make the change in desktop Word.

Common Mistakes

Adding blank paragraphs instead of choosing 2.0. Pressing Enter repeatedly creates separate empty paragraphs, not true double line spacing. Those blank lines can move text unpredictably when you edit, and they may not meet formatting requirements. Use the Line and Paragraph Spacing menu to set 2.0.

Changing only the line spacing when paragraph spacing is also present. Word can add space before or after each paragraph independently of the distance between lines. A document set to 2.0 may still look unusually spread out if the paragraphs have extra spacing after them. Conversely, 2.0 does not necessarily mean there will be a completely blank line between every paragraph. Check paragraph spacing separately if the instructions require a particular gap.

Forgetting to select the intended range. If you click inside one paragraph and choose 2.0, Word usually changes that paragraph rather than the whole document. To affect everything, select all text first. To change only a section, make a careful selection and inspect the beginning and end of it afterward.

Assuming every part of the file follows the main body. Headings, text boxes, tables, captions, headers, footers, and footnotes may use their own paragraph formatting. A whole-document selection might not include every separate area, and a style may set different spacing on purpose. Review these elements if the required format applies to them too.

Using 1.5 or a custom value by mistake. The menu offers several choices, and 1.5 spacing is not double spacing. Choose the item labeled 2.0 or Double, depending on the version and dialog you are using.

Tips

Apply spacing before you do final pagination. Double spacing increases the height of the document, which can push paragraphs, figures, and page breaks onto later pages. If you are still drafting, set the spacing early so you can review the document layout as you work.

Use the selection that matches the job. For one paragraph, a click in that paragraph is enough. For a section, select its paragraphs. For a full manuscript, click in the body, press Ctrl+A, and then apply 2.0. This is faster and more predictable than repeating the command paragraph by paragraph.

Check paragraph settings when the result looks too loose. Select the affected paragraphs and open the Paragraph dialog from the small dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. Review the spacing fields for Before and After, as well as the line-spacing setting. If the formatting instructions call for no extra paragraph gaps, set Before and After to the requested values, often 0 pt, rather than adding or deleting empty lines.

Save a separate copy when formatting is important. Before applying a large document-wide change, use File > Save As to preserve an original version. This gives you a straightforward way to compare or restore the earlier layout, especially if the document contains many styles or page breaks.

Use styles for documents you will revise repeatedly. If your body text should always be double-spaced, modify the relevant paragraph style, such as Normal, instead of relying only on a one-time selection. Right-click the style in the Styles gallery, choose Modify, and use the formatting options to set paragraph line spacing. Check the resulting document carefully because changing a style can affect every paragraph that uses it.

Know how to undo a mistaken change. Press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac immediately after applying the wrong spacing. If you have made several changes since then, selecting the text and choosing the correct spacing again may be simpler than undoing unrelated edits.

Troubleshooting

The text did not change. First click inside the paragraph and try Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0 again. If you expected the whole document to change, press Ctrl+A while the cursor is in the document body before choosing 2.0. Check that Word is not showing a read-only file or a protected document; editing restrictions can prevent formatting changes. If you are using the web version, try opening the file in the desktop app.

Only part of the document is double-spaced. This usually means the selection did not include all the text, or that separate areas have their own formatting. Select the remaining paragraphs and set them to 2.0. For tables, click inside the table and select its text or cells before applying spacing. Repeat for text boxes, footnotes, or headers as required. Avoid applying the change to a title or other element if the style guide says it should use different spacing.

The lines are double-spaced, but paragraph gaps look enormous. The extra distance is likely coming from Before or After paragraph spacing. Select the affected paragraphs, open the Paragraph dialog, and inspect those values. Set them to the values required by your assignment or template. Do not assume that changing the 2.0 line setting also resets paragraph spacing; they are separate controls.

The space looks unchanged on screen. Try checking a paragraph with multiple lines, since the difference is easiest to see there. Increase the zoom using the control at the bottom of the Word window, or print-preview the document. Also confirm that you selected 2.0 rather than Single or 1.5. Some fonts and screen zoom levels can make spacing differences less obvious, even though the paragraph setting has changed.

Word keeps reverting to another spacing value. A paragraph style or direct formatting may be reapplying its settings. Select a paragraph and inspect its style in the Styles gallery; then check the Paragraph dialog. If a style is responsible, modify that style or apply the required style consistently. When copying text from another document, use paste options such as Keep Text Only if you want to avoid bringing unwanted source formatting along.

The shortcut types a character or triggers something else. Make sure the cursor is in the document text, not a search box, menu, or another application field. On Windows use Ctrl+2; on Mac use Command+2. If the shortcut is intercepted by your system or a custom keyboard mapping, use the ribbon menu instead, which lets you select 2.0 directly.

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 choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Review separate items such as text boxes and footnotes afterward.

Can I double-space only one paragraph or a few lines?
Yes. Click in one paragraph to change it, or select the paragraphs you want to change, then choose 2.0. Word applies line spacing at the paragraph level, so selecting a few words within a paragraph generally changes the spacing of that whole paragraph.

Is double spacing the same as putting a blank line between paragraphs?
No. Double spacing increases the distance between lines within a paragraph. Pressing Enter to create an empty paragraph inserts an additional paragraph, which can create inconsistent gaps and shift as you edit.

Does double spacing add space after every paragraph?
Not by itself. Line spacing controls the distance between lines; paragraph Before and After settings control extra space around paragraphs. A document can have 2.0 line spacing and still have either zero or additional paragraph spacing.

What is the keyboard shortcut for double spacing?
Use Ctrl+2 in Word for Windows or Command+2 in Word for Mac. Click in a paragraph or select the target paragraphs first. The ribbon menu is an alternative if the shortcut does not work.

Will double spacing change the font or margins?
No. Choosing 2.0 changes line spacing, not the font, font size, or page margins. Those settings need to be adjusted separately if your document requirements specify them.

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