How to Double Space in Word: Windows and Mac Steps

To double-space text in Word, select the text, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. To double-space the entire document, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac first, then apply 2.0 spacing. You can also use Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac. These steps change the distance between lines within paragraphs; they do not necessarily remove extra space between paragraphs.

The directions below are for the Microsoft 365 desktop app. You do not need to install anything or change a document’s settings before starting. If you only need double spacing for a portion of a document, select just that passage rather than the whole file.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac.
Permission to edit the document. If it is read-only, save a copy or ask the owner for editing access.
The text you want to format. If you want to change the whole document, you can select all its text in the steps below.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and decide what to change. Click in the document and identify whether you want double spacing throughout or only in certain paragraphs. If you are following a formatting requirement, check whether it applies to the entire document, including headings, footnotes, and references. A broad selection changes all selected paragraphs, so choosing the scope first helps avoid surprises.
Select the text. To format one paragraph, click anywhere in it; Word applies paragraph spacing to the paragraph even if you have not highlighted every character. To format several paragraphs, drag across the text. To select the main document text, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac while the cursor is in the document body. If the cursor is inside a table, text box, header, or footer, the shortcut may select only that area or its contents; click in the main body and check the selection before continuing.
Open the line-spacing menu. On Windows, go to the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, click Line and Paragraph Spacing, the button showing horizontal lines and up-and-down arrows. On Mac, use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing on the ribbon. If the ribbon is collapsed, expand it or maximize the Word window so the paragraph controls are visible.
Choose 2.0. In the menu, click 2.0. The selected paragraphs should now have double line spacing. If you clicked in just one paragraph without selecting text, that paragraph is the one that changes. Look at several lines in the selection to confirm the increased space is consistent.
Use a keyboard shortcut if you prefer. With the relevant text selected, press Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac to apply double spacing. In Word, the number 2 shortcut means double line spacing; it does not insert the number into your text. Use Ctrl+1 or Command+1 for single spacing, and Ctrl+5 or Command+5 for 1.5 spacing. If a shortcut behaves differently, click in the document body and try the ribbon menu instead.
Check paragraph spacing separately. If the document still has conspicuous gaps between paragraphs, select the affected text, open Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and check the options for adding or removing space before or after paragraphs. Those controls are separate from 2.0 line spacing. Use the setting that matches your instructions; do not remove paragraph spacing automatically if the document’s style requires it.
Review the whole page. Scroll through the document and check that the intended sections changed, including after page breaks. If only part of the document was selected, confirm the boundaries are right. Save the document with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If you are preparing a file for submission, check its appearance in Print Layout or Print Preview as well.

You can use the same ribbon command in Word for the web: select text and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. The browser interface can look slightly different depending on window size, and some paragraph controls may be tucked into a menu. The Windows and Mac keyboard shortcuts above refer to the desktop app.

Common Mistakes

Adding blank lines instead of setting line spacing. Pressing Enter twice after every line or paragraph inserts extra paragraph marks. It can create uneven gaps and makes later editing harder. Apply 2.0 spacing to the paragraph instead of adding empty lines.
Confusing line spacing with space between paragraphs. Double spacing increases the baseline distance between lines in a paragraph. The Before and After paragraph settings control additional gaps at paragraph boundaries. A document can be double-spaced and still have extra paragraph spacing, or have single-spaced lines with large gaps between paragraphs.
Changing only the current paragraph by accident. Clicking in a paragraph and choosing 2.0 changes that paragraph, not every paragraph in the file. Select all the required text first if the format should apply throughout.
Selecting only part of the document. A drag selection can stop midway through a paragraph or skip a section. Check the highlighted area before choosing the spacing setting, and inspect the document afterward.
Using the wrong menu item. Options such as Add Space After Paragraph can make a page look more open without double-spacing its lines. Choose 2.0 for actual double line spacing.
Assuming double spacing means twice the font size. Word adjusts the distance between lines; it does not enlarge the letters. If the text itself looks bigger, check the font size and zoom separately.

Tips

Keep the formatting requirement nearby. Some instructors, publishers, or workplaces specify double spacing only for the main text, while asking for different formatting in block quotations, footnotes, tables, or reference lists. Apply the rule to the specified parts rather than assuming every element must match.
Use styles for consistent documents. If a heading or body paragraph keeps returning to a different spacing, it may be controlled by a style. On Windows, right-click the relevant style in the Home tab’s Styles gallery and choose Modify; on Mac, use the style controls to modify that style. Adjusting a style can change every paragraph that uses it, so verify the result before saving.
Make a reusable default only when appropriate. If every new document should begin double-spaced, open the Paragraph dialog, set line spacing to Double, then choose Set As Default if that button is available. Choose whether the change applies only to the current document or to documents based on the Normal template. This affects future formatting, so avoid changing the template on a shared computer unless that is intended.
Use the ruler and page view for layout checks, not spacing fixes. Zoom changes how large the document appears on screen, not its printed line spacing. If the page count changes after double spacing, that is normal: more vertical room is used for each line.
Save a clean copy before major formatting changes. If a document has complicated sections, tables, or existing styles, use File > Save As to create a copy before applying changes throughout. You can then compare the two files if the layout shifts unexpectedly.

Troubleshooting

The lines still look single-spaced. First confirm you chose 2.0, not 1.0 or 1.15. Click in one of the affected paragraphs and reopen the line-spacing menu to see the active setting. If only one paragraph has changed, select the rest of the intended text and apply 2.0 again. Also make sure you are viewing the document at a zoom level where the line gap is easy to see.

There are large gaps between paragraphs. Double spacing can coexist with extra spacing before or after paragraphs. Select the paragraphs, open the Paragraph dialog from the small dialog launcher in the Home tab’s Paragraph group, and review Spacing values for Before and After. Set them to the values required for your document. If you want no extra paragraph gap, use zero for those fields, but keep the line spacing set to Double.

Some sections did not change. Check whether the selection included them. Headers, footers, text boxes, tables, footnotes, and endnotes may need to be selected and formatted separately. Click inside the relevant area, select its text, then apply 2.0. For tables, you may need to select the cells or paragraphs inside the cells rather than the document body.

The spacing changes back after editing. A paragraph style or direct formatting may be applying a different setting. Select the paragraph and inspect its style in the Styles gallery. If the format keeps reverting, modify the style or apply the required style consistently. Pasting text from another source can also bring its own formatting; use Word’s paste options, such as keeping text only, then apply your document’s formatting.

The shortcut does nothing or triggers another command. Confirm Word is the active app and the cursor is in the document body, then use the ribbon route. On Mac, use the Command key rather than Control. Keyboard layouts and accessibility settings can affect shortcuts, and a laptop may require an extra key for number-row characters. The menu is the reliable alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ctrl+2 double-space the whole Word document?
It applies double spacing to the selected text or the paragraph containing the cursor. To change the entire main document, select its text with Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then use the shortcut.

What is the difference between 2.0 spacing and double spacing?
They refer to the same line-spacing choice in Word. The menu labels it 2.0, while people commonly call that setting double spacing. It changes line distance, not font size.

How do I double-space only one paragraph?
Click inside that paragraph, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0, or press Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac. You do not need to select the whole paragraph when the cursor is in it.

Can I double-space a new Word document by default?
Yes. Set Double in the Paragraph dialog and choose Set As Default if available. Choose the option for documents based on the Normal template only if you want the change to affect future documents, too.

Does double spacing add space after every paragraph?
No. It increases the distance between lines within paragraphs. Space after a paragraph is a separate setting, so check Before and After in the Paragraph dialog if the gaps between paragraphs are too large or too small.

Will changing to double spacing increase the page count?
Usually. Each line takes more vertical space, so text may wrap onto additional pages. The exact change depends on the font, margins, paragraph spacing, and document content.

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