How to Double Space Bullet Points in Microsoft Word

To double-space bullet points in Microsoft Word, select the bullet paragraphs, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. This changes the line spacing within the selected bullets, including wrapped lines. If you want extra room between separate bullet items as well, adjust paragraph spacing after applying double spacing. The instructions below are for Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac steps are included where they differ.

What You’ll Need

A document opened in the desktop version of Microsoft Word. The same basic line-spacing option is available in Word for the web, although some dialog options may differ.
A list of bullet points. You can format an existing list or create the list first and adjust its spacing afterward.
A moment to select the right paragraphs. If you only select part of the document, only the selected paragraphs will change.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and locate the list. Open the Word file and scroll to the bullet list you want to change. Check whether the list is a real Word bulleted list or just lines that begin with typed bullet characters. Word can apply paragraph spacing to either kind of text, but real list formatting is easier to edit and maintain.
Select every bullet paragraph you want to format. Click at the start of the first bullet’s text and drag through the last bullet, or click inside the first item and Shift-click near the end of the last one. Make sure the selection covers all the list items, not just a few words in the first item. You can also click inside one bullet to format only that item. If the list is interrupted by other paragraphs, select and format each bullet group separately.
Open the line-spacing menu. On the Windows ribbon, select the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, select Line and Paragraph Spacing. The button usually shows horizontal lines with up-and-down arrows. If the ribbon is narrow, the button or its label may be hidden in the Paragraph group’s compact controls.
Choose double spacing. Select 2.0 from the menu. Word applies double line spacing to the selected paragraphs. If an item wraps onto a second or third line, those lines will also have double spacing. The bullet symbol itself should remain in place; this command changes paragraph spacing, not the bullet style.
Use the Paragraph dialog for more control, if needed. With the list still selected, open Home and select the small dialog box launcher at the lower-right corner of the Paragraph group. In the Paragraph dialog, open the Indents and Spacing tab. Under Spacing, set Line spacing to Double, then select OK. This dialog is useful when the ribbon menu does not give the exact result you want or you also need to change spacing before or after each item.
Check the space between the bullet items. Double line spacing controls the distance between lines within each paragraph. Word may also add separate paragraph spacing after each bullet, so the gaps between items can look larger than expected. In the Paragraph dialog, look at Before and After under Spacing. If you want a straightforward double-spaced list, set those values to 0 pt unless your document requirements specify otherwise. If you want a little extra separation between bullets, leave a modest value such as 6 pt in After. The exact appearance depends on the font and page layout.
Review the entire list. Click in the document to remove the selection, then inspect the first item, the last item, and any bullet that wraps to multiple lines. Check that the list is readable and that no unrelated paragraph changed. Use Print Layout or print preview if the final page layout matters, since a double-spaced list takes up more room and may move text onto another page.
Repeat for other lists as needed. The spacing change applies to the paragraphs you selected, not automatically to every bullet list in the file. Select another list and repeat the steps. If you want the same spacing in new lists, you can format a sample list and use its paragraph formatting as a starting point, but check each new list because Word may inherit settings from the surrounding text or list style.

Mac difference: In Word for Mac, select the bullet paragraphs, then use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. You can also open Format > Paragraph and choose Double for line spacing. The menu wording can vary slightly with the ribbon layout. The keyboard shortcut for double spacing is Command+2 on Mac; in Windows Word, it is Ctrl+2. Select the relevant bullet paragraphs before using a shortcut so you do not change more text than intended.

Common Mistakes

Changing only one line or one item by accident. Paragraph formatting applies to paragraphs, but a narrow text selection can make it hard to tell what is included. Select the complete group of bullet paragraphs before choosing 2.0, then check the first and last items.
Confusing line spacing with the gap between bullets. Double spacing expands the lines inside each bullet paragraph. It does not necessarily create a large blank gap between separate items. Use the Paragraph dialog’s After setting when you need to control that gap.
Pressing Enter to create extra blank bullets. Enter starts another list item; it is not a spacing control. Adding empty list items can leave unwanted bullets or awkward blank lines. Set paragraph spacing instead. If you need a new line within one bullet without starting another bullet, use Shift+Enter.
Selecting the whole document unnecessarily. Ctrl+A on Windows (Command+A on Mac) selects the document text, so applying double spacing can change ordinary paragraphs, headings, and lists too. Use it only when you genuinely want the entire document to be double-spaced.
Expecting the bullet symbol to move with the text. Line spacing does not normally change the list’s indentation or bullet position. If the bullet alignment looks wrong, adjust the list indentation separately rather than trying to fix it with spacing.

Tips

Decide what you mean by double spacing. If a list item is one line long, double spacing can look like more space between bullets, but it is still line spacing applied to each paragraph. For long, wrapped items, the distinction is especially noticeable: the wrapped lines within one bullet are spaced apart too.
Use the dialog when exact spacing matters. The 2.0 menu option is quick. The Paragraph dialog lets you confirm line spacing and set Before and After values, which is helpful for assignments, reports, or templates with specific formatting rules.
Keep related list items together visually. For a clean list, use double line spacing with little or no added After spacing. If the bullets still feel crowded, add a small amount of After spacing rather than inserting empty bullets. Avoid combining large paragraph spacing with double spacing unless that is the intended design.
Format the list before judging page length. Double spacing can push later content onto another page. This is normal, not a sign that the bullets were converted incorrectly. Review page breaks after formatting and adjust only if the document’s requirements allow it.
Use the ribbon path when precision matters. Ctrl+2 is a fast Windows shortcut for double spacing, and Command+2 is the Mac equivalent. The menu or Paragraph dialog is easier to verify, and it makes it clear which selected paragraphs are being changed.

Troubleshooting

The bullets still look single-spaced. Confirm that the bullet paragraphs were selected when you chose 2.0. Then click inside a bullet and open Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing to see whether 2.0 is active. If the setting is unclear, reopen the Paragraph dialog and explicitly set Line spacing to Double. Also check that the text is not in a table cell or another area where the selection was incomplete; formatting can still be applied there, but selecting the right paragraphs may take more care.

There is too much space between bullets. The list may have both double line spacing and paragraph spacing after each item. Select the list, open the Paragraph dialog, and reduce After to 0 pt or another suitable value. Check Before as well. Do not change Line spacing to Single if you still need double-spaced wrapped lines.

Only some bullets changed. The selection probably missed one or more paragraphs, or the list contains separate sections. Select the unchanged items and apply 2.0 again. If the list uses different formatting in different parts, repeat the change for each section. Clicking a bullet symbol may select or focus the list rather than selecting every paragraph, so verify the text selection before applying the command.

The list looks different after copying or pasting. Pasted text can bring paragraph spacing or list formatting from its original document. Select the pasted bullet paragraphs and set line spacing and Before/After values explicitly. If the bullets themselves have changed, use Word’s list controls to restore the bullet style; line-spacing settings do not repair a changed bullet character or indentation.

The ribbon command is missing or looks different. Maximize the Word window or expand the Paragraph group on the Home tab. If the ribbon is simplified, use the Paragraph dialog launcher or the Format menu on Mac. In Word for the web, select the list and look for the line-spacing control on the Home tab; if a paragraph option is unavailable, open the document in the desktop app to set detailed Before and After spacing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does double spacing add a blank line between every bullet?
No. It doubles the line spacing within each bullet paragraph. Separate paragraph spacing can increase the gap between items, but it is controlled independently by the Before and After settings.

Can I double-space just one bullet list?
Yes. Select only that list’s paragraphs and apply 2.0. Other paragraphs remain unchanged unless they are included in your selection.

Will wrapped bullet points also be double-spaced?
Yes. When a bullet’s text continues onto another line, the lines within that paragraph use the selected line spacing. You do not need to format the wrapped line separately.

What is the quickest way to double-space bullets?
Select the bullet paragraphs and use Ctrl+2 in Word for Windows or Command+2 in Word for Mac. To verify the result or control the gaps between items, use the Home tab’s spacing menu or the Paragraph dialog.

Can I double-space bullets in Word for the web?
Usually, yes: select the list and choose the 2.0 line-spacing option on the Home tab. The web version may offer fewer paragraph-spacing controls than desktop Word. For precise Before and After values, open the file in the desktop app.

Why did double spacing move text onto another page?
Double spacing increases the height of the list, so later paragraphs may flow to the next page. That is expected. Check the document in Print Layout and remove unintended extra paragraph spacing if the list uses more room than necessary.

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