How to Double Space in Word Without the Design Tab

To double-space text in Microsoft Word, select the text, open Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and choose 2.0. You do not need the Design tab: the Home tab has the line-spacing control in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, and a keyboard shortcut is available too. Double spacing puts more vertical room between lines, which can make a draft easier to read, mark up, or prepare for a submission.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Word. These instructions use Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows.
Text in the document, or a plan to set double spacing before you start typing.
If you want to change only part of the document, know which paragraphs you want to format. You can select a sentence, several paragraphs, or the entire document.

The Design tab is optional for this task. Depending on your Word window size or customized ribbon, you may not see every tab or command, but line spacing is available from Home and through the Paragraph dialog.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and click in its main text. If you are changing existing text, click in the document body rather than in a header, footer, comment, or text box unless that is specifically what you want to format. For a change to just one paragraph, placing the insertion point in that paragraph is usually enough. Word applies paragraph formatting to the paragraph where the cursor is, even if you have not highlighted every word in it.
Select the text you want to double-space. To change a range, drag across it or click at its start, hold Shift, and click at its end. To select the whole document on Windows, press Ctrl+A while the cursor is in the document body. If the document includes tables or other content, review the selection afterward; the command can affect selected paragraphs beyond ordinary body text. On a Mac, use Command+A to select all in the document.
Go to the Home tab. On the ribbon, choose Home. Find the Paragraph group, which contains alignment, bullets, indentation, and spacing controls. In a narrow Word window, some controls may be compressed or represented by smaller icons, so maximize the window or expand the ribbon if the group is hard to locate. You do not need to open Design or change the document theme.
Open the line-spacing menu. In the Paragraph group, choose Line and Paragraph Spacing. The icon commonly shows horizontal lines with vertical arrows beside them. If you hover over a command, Word usually displays its name. The menu includes spacing choices such as 1.0, 1.15, 1.5, and 2.0, as well as options for adding or removing space around paragraphs.
Choose 2.0. Click 2.0 in the menu. The selected paragraphs should immediately show double line spacing. If only the cursor was placed in one paragraph, that paragraph changes; if you selected a range, the selected paragraphs change. Click in another paragraph to check whether it remained at its earlier setting before assuming the whole document was updated.
Use the Paragraph dialog if you need a more exact setting. With the relevant text selected, open Home > Paragraph by clicking the small diagonal arrow at the lower-right corner of the Paragraph group. In the dialog, open the Indents and Spacing tab and set Line spacing to Double, then choose OK. This is useful when the ribbon menu is hard to find or when you also need to inspect paragraph spacing before and after the lines.
Set double spacing for new documents only if that is your goal. Changing the selected text does not automatically make every future document double-spaced. In desktop Word for Windows, you can modify the Normal style: on Home, right-click Normal in the Styles gallery and choose Modify, then use Format > Paragraph to set line spacing to Double. In the Modify Style dialog, choose the option to apply the change to new documents based on the template if you want it to carry forward. This alters a default style, so use it only if you regularly want new documents to start double-spaced.

Fast method: In Word for Windows, select the paragraphs and press Ctrl+2 to apply double line spacing. On a Mac, the corresponding Word shortcut is Command+2. If your keyboard or Word settings intercept the shortcut, use the Home menu or Paragraph dialog instead. The menu is also the clearest option when you want to confirm the exact setting.

In Word for Mac, select the text and use the Home tab’s line-and-paragraph-spacing menu to choose 2.0; the Paragraph dialog is also available from the formatting controls. The ribbon layout and dialog appearance can differ from Windows, but the underlying choice is Double line spacing. In Word for the web, look on Home for Line and Paragraph Spacing and choose 2.0. The web ribbon may show fewer options, so use the desktop app if you need to change a style’s default behavior.

Common Mistakes

Changing paragraph spacing instead of line spacing. The menu has both line-spacing choices and commands such as adding space after a paragraph. Double line spacing changes the distance between lines inside each paragraph. Adding space after a paragraph creates a larger gap between paragraphs and may leave lines within each paragraph relatively close together. For a standard double-spaced document, choose 2.0 or set Line spacing to Double.
Changing only the paragraph where the cursor sits. If you did not select multiple paragraphs, Word may format only the current paragraph. This can make the document look inconsistent. Select the intended range first, or use Ctrl+A or Command+A from the document body when the whole document should change.
Expecting every new paragraph to inherit a manual change. Pressing Enter can create a paragraph with different spacing if the next paragraph uses a different style or formatting. If you want a consistent document, select all existing text and consider modifying the relevant style, such as Normal, rather than repeatedly correcting individual paragraphs.
Assuming 2.0 means there will be no paragraph gaps. Line spacing and spacing Before or After are separate settings. A document can be double-spaced and still have extra gaps between paragraphs. If the result looks unusually loose, inspect the paragraph dialog’s Before and After values as well as Line spacing.
Looking only for the Design tab. The Design tab is not where you need to go. It may be hidden, collapsed, or absent in a simplified ribbon, but the Home tab and Paragraph dialog provide the controls needed for double spacing.

Tips

Decide first whether the change should apply to a few paragraphs, all existing text, or future documents. For a quotation or a short section, format only that selection. For a whole draft, select all from the body and check a few sections afterward. For a repeated requirement, modify the style used for body paragraphs so new paragraphs are less likely to revert to a different spacing setting.

Double spacing does not insert blank paragraphs between every line. It changes the vertical distance Word uses to lay out the lines. Avoid pressing Enter repeatedly to create visual gaps: those extra paragraph marks can disrupt page breaks, lists, and later editing. If you want an additional gap between paragraphs as well as double line spacing, use the paragraph Before or After settings deliberately rather than inserting empty lines.

For a clean check, turn on formatting marks with Home > Show/Hide ¶. Paragraph marks reveal where one paragraph ends and another begins; they do not print. This can help explain why a heading, list item, or pasted block appears to have different spacing. Turn Show/Hide off when you are finished if the marks are distracting.

If the document is for a class, workplace, or publication, follow its formatting instructions rather than assuming that double spacing applies to headings, footnotes, references, or tables too. You can format those areas separately. Saving a copy before making broad changes is sensible when the document already has carefully styled sections.

Troubleshooting

You cannot find Line and Paragraph Spacing. Confirm that the Home tab is selected and look in the Paragraph group. Maximize Word or expand the ribbon if the window is narrow. If the command is still hidden, open the Paragraph dialog using the small launcher arrow in the Paragraph group and choose Double under Line spacing.
The text does not appear to change. Check that you selected the intended text and that the document is not protected or restricted from editing. Try clicking in one ordinary body paragraph, then choose 2.0. If that works, select the full intended range and repeat. Also check that you are not viewing a page or text box that was outside your selection.
Some paragraphs change but others do not. The document may use different styles or contain sections with distinct formatting. Select the paragraphs that remain unchanged and apply 2.0 to them, or modify the styles involved. For a whole-document change, click in the body and use Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then apply the spacing again. Check headers, footers, tables, and text boxes separately if they need the same treatment.
There are still big gaps between paragraphs. Open the Paragraph dialog and inspect Before and After. Set those values to the amounts required for your document; do not confuse them with Line spacing. If you want double-spaced lines with no added paragraph gap, remove unwanted extra Before or After spacing and check for blank paragraphs marked with ¶.
The shortcut does something unexpected. Use the ribbon menu as a reliable alternative. Make sure the cursor is in the document body and try Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac. Shortcuts can behave differently with keyboard layouts, remapped commands, or when focus is in another part of Word, such as a search box.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I double-space in Word without the Design tab?
Yes. Use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0, or open the Paragraph dialog and set Line spacing to Double. The Design tab is not required.

How do I double-space the entire document?
Click in the document body, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then choose 2.0 from the Home tab’s line-spacing menu. Review the document because text in headers, footers, or separate text boxes may need its own selection.

What is the shortcut for double spacing in Word?
In Word for Windows, select the text and press Ctrl+2. In Word for Mac, use Command+2. If the shortcut is unavailable on your setup, choose 2.0 from the Home tab instead.

Why is there extra space between paragraphs after I choose 2.0?
Double spacing controls the distance between lines within paragraphs. Separate Before or After paragraph spacing, blank paragraphs, or a style’s settings can add additional gaps. Check those settings in the Paragraph dialog.

Will double spacing apply to text I type later?
It will continue in the same paragraph, but a new paragraph may use a different style or inherited formatting. To make it consistent, apply the setting to the relevant paragraphs or modify the style used for your body text.

Does this work in Word for the web?
Yes. Select the text, open the line-and-paragraph-spacing menu on Home, and choose 2.0. If you need to change the default style for future documents, open the file in the desktop version of Word.

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