How to Double Space in Word: Steps, Tips, and Fixes

To double-space text in Word, select it and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. To double-space a whole document, press Ctrl+A to select its text first, then choose the same command. This adds more vertical space between lines, which can make a document easier to read or meet a formatting requirement. The instructions below are for Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac and Word for the web differences are noted where they matter.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. These steps apply to the desktop app in Microsoft 365 on Windows; most recent desktop versions use similar controls.
The text you want to change. You can select a few paragraphs, a section, or the full document. If you want to change only one paragraph, place the insertion point in it instead of selecting text.
For the keyboard method, a Windows keyboard. On a Mac, use the Command key in place of Ctrl for the shortcuts listed below.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and decide what should be double-spaced. If the requirement applies to everything, you can format the whole document. If it applies only to the body text, select those paragraphs and leave the title, headings, captions, or references unchanged if their instructions specify different spacing. It helps to decide this first: applying a setting to all text can also alter headings and other selected material.
Select the text, if you are changing only part of the document. Drag across the paragraphs, or click at the beginning of the section, hold Shift, and click at its end. You can also place the cursor in a paragraph without selecting anything; Word applies paragraph formatting to the paragraph containing the cursor. To select all document text on Windows, press Ctrl+A while the cursor is in the document body. If Word selects only the current table or section, press Ctrl+A again if needed, and check the highlighted area before continuing.
Open the line-spacing menu. Select the Home tab on the ribbon. In the Paragraph group, select Line and Paragraph Spacing. Its icon usually shows horizontal lines with up-and-down arrows. If the ribbon is collapsed or the window is narrow, maximize Word or open the Paragraph group controls to find the button.
Choose 2.0. In the menu, select 2.0. The selected paragraphs, or the paragraph containing the cursor, should now have double line spacing. The change normally appears immediately, so look at the document before clicking elsewhere. If you selected the wrong text, use Undo with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, make the correct selection, and apply 2.0 again.
Use the shortcut when you want a faster method. On Windows, select the text or place the cursor in the paragraph and press Ctrl+2. In Word for Mac, use Command+2. These shortcuts apply double line spacing; they are not the same as typing the number 2 or changing the font size. To return the selected text to single spacing, the corresponding shortcuts are Ctrl+1 on Windows and Command+1 on Mac. Ctrl+5 on Windows applies 1.5 spacing.
Check the full result and save. Scroll through the changed section and confirm that every intended paragraph is included. Then save with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If the document must follow a formal style guide, compare the result with its requirements; double line spacing may be required along with separate settings for margins, font, or paragraph spacing.

To double-space the entire document: click in the document body, press Ctrl+A on Windows (Command+A on Mac), and choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Check the selection before applying the command, especially if your file contains tables, footnotes, or text in headers and footers. If headings should remain single-spaced, select and format the body paragraphs instead of selecting everything.

To use the Paragraph dialog: select the relevant text, then open the Home tab and select the small dialog box launcher in the lower-right corner of the Paragraph group. In the Indents and Spacing tab, open the Line spacing list, choose Double, and select OK. This route is useful when you want to see the setting clearly or need to adjust line spacing alongside indentation and paragraph spacing. On Mac, open the Paragraph settings from the Home tab or use Format > Paragraph, depending on the ribbon layout.

In Word for the web, select the text, open the Home tab, and choose Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. The available controls can vary slightly with the browser window and Word interface. If you cannot find a setting or need more detailed paragraph options, open the file in the desktop app using the available editing command, then use the desktop steps above.

Common Mistakes

Adding blank lines instead of setting line spacing. Pressing Enter between every line creates separate paragraphs with extra paragraph breaks. That can make editing awkward and produce uneven gaps. Use the 2.0 line-spacing setting instead; it changes the spacing within the paragraph without inserting extra text or paragraph marks.

Confusing line spacing with space after a paragraph. Double line spacing controls the distance between lines in the same paragraph. Spacing Before and After controls the gap around separate paragraphs. If the lines within a paragraph are still close together but there is a large gap after each paragraph, you may have changed paragraph spacing rather than line spacing. The Paragraph dialog lets you inspect both settings.

Changing more text than intended. Applying the setting with no selection changes the paragraph under the cursor, not automatically the whole document. Conversely, Ctrl+A can include headings and other content you meant to leave alone. Look for the selection highlight and check a few paragraphs afterward. If the result is wrong, undo promptly and repeat with a more precise selection.

Expecting the page count to stay the same. Double spacing uses more vertical room, so a document will often become longer and may break across pages differently. This is expected. Do not try to force the original page count by shrinking the font or margins unless the document instructions allow those changes.

Tips

Format only what the instructions require. If an assignment asks for the body to be double-spaced, that does not necessarily mean the title, footnotes, tables, or bibliography should use the same spacing. Follow the specific directions. When there is no special exception, applying one consistent setting to the main text is usually clearer than adjusting each line manually.

Use paragraph marks to diagnose odd gaps. On the Home tab, select the paragraph mark button (¶) to show formatting marks. A paragraph mark at the end of every visual line can reveal that Enter was pressed repeatedly. Turn the marks off with the same button when you are done. These marks do not print; they help show where paragraphs and manual breaks are located.

Remember that line spacing does not change font size. A 12-point font remains 12-point after you choose 2.0. If text looks larger, check whether the font-size control changed or whether the spacing between paragraphs makes the page seem more open. Avoid using repeated spaces or blank paragraphs to imitate a spacing setting.

For repeated documents, consider the paragraph style. If you regularly create documents that need double-spaced body text, you can modify the style used for that text rather than reformatting each paragraph. In desktop Word, right-click the relevant style in the Styles gallery on the Home tab, choose Modify, and use the formatting controls to set double spacing. Apply the style to body paragraphs, and verify that headings still use their intended styles. Changing a style can affect every paragraph using it, so review the document before saving.

Check the document after pasting text. Text copied from websites, email, or another document can bring its own formatting. If only some paragraphs ignore your setting, select those paragraphs and apply 2.0 again. You can also use the Home tab’s formatting controls to clear unwanted direct formatting, but check the result because clearing formatting may also remove font emphasis, colors, or other styling you want to keep.

Troubleshooting

The spacing menu is missing. Make sure the Home tab is selected and look in the Paragraph group. If Word’s window is too narrow, some ribbon controls may be hidden or grouped into a smaller menu. Maximize the window, expand the ribbon if it is collapsed, or use the Paragraph dialog launcher. In Word for the web, check the Home tab and widen the browser window if the ribbon has condensed.

Only some lines changed. The selection may have missed paragraphs, or the paragraphs may use different formatting. Select the entire intended section again and apply 2.0. If you used Ctrl+A, verify that you are editing the document body and not a table cell or text box. For a long document, work section by section so you can confirm the result without accidentally changing unrelated content.

There is still a large gap between paragraphs. The lines may be double-spaced correctly, with additional Before or After paragraph spacing on top. Select the affected paragraphs and open the Paragraph dialog from Home. Check the Spacing fields for Before and After; adjust them only if the requirements call for a smaller gap. Double line spacing and paragraph spacing are separate settings, so changing one does not automatically reset the other.

The document looks unchanged. Check that the text was selected or that the cursor was inside the paragraph you intended to format. Then use the Paragraph dialog to confirm that Line spacing is set to Double. If the document is in a restricted or read-only view, switch to editing mode first. A page with only one short line may not make the visual change obvious, so check a paragraph with several lines.

The shortcut types a character or does something unexpected. Click inside the document text first, then try the platform-specific shortcut: Ctrl+2 on Windows or Command+2 on Mac. Some keyboards or other applications may intercept shortcuts, and Word for the web may behave differently depending on browser focus. Use the ribbon menu as a reliable alternative. If you use a numeric keypad, try the number row above the letters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ctrl+2 double-space a whole Word document?
Not by itself. It changes the paragraph containing the cursor or the text currently selected. To change the whole document, select the document text with Ctrl+A first, then press Ctrl+2 or choose 2.0 from the line-spacing menu.

How do I double-space just one paragraph?
Click anywhere in that paragraph, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0, or press Ctrl+2 on Windows. You usually do not need to select the entire paragraph because paragraph formatting applies to the paragraph under the cursor.

Is 2.0 the same as double spacing?
Yes. In Word’s line-spacing menu, 2.0 represents double line spacing. It increases the vertical distance between lines within a paragraph; it does not mean that Word inserts a blank line after each line of text.

How do I double-space in Word on a Mac?
Select the text or click in the paragraph, then use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. You can also press Command+2. To format the whole document, press Command+A before applying the setting, then check that the selection includes only the text you want to change.

Will double spacing change my margins or font?
No. Line spacing is a separate paragraph setting, so it does not automatically change the font, font size, or page margins. It can increase the number of pages because the lines take up more vertical space, but the other formatting settings stay as they were.

Can I make double spacing the default for new documents?
Yes. You can modify the Normal style or another style used for body text, then save that style change to the template if Word offers that option. Be careful: changing a style can affect every paragraph based on it, and the exact template choices depend on the Word version and document setup.

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