How to Double Space in Word: A Step-by-Step Guide

To double-space text in Microsoft Word, select the text, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. To format the whole document, press Ctrl+A first. You can also use Ctrl+2 on Windows. Double spacing adds vertical room between lines, which can make a document easier to read, annotate, or prepare for submission. The steps below apply to Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac differences are noted where they matter.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. These instructions are for the desktop app; the ribbon may look slightly different in Word for the web.
Text to format. You can double-space the entire document, a selection, or just the paragraph where your cursor is.
If you are changing a document with special formatting, consider saving a copy first. Changing line spacing is reversible, but it can affect page count and layout.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and decide what should be double-spaced. If the requirement applies to the complete document, plan to select all of its main text. If it applies only to a section, identify the paragraphs to change. You do not have to highlight an entire paragraph before formatting it: placing the cursor anywhere inside a paragraph is usually enough to apply paragraph spacing to that paragraph. For several separate paragraphs, select all of them together before choosing the spacing.
Select the text you want to change. To select the document body in Word for Windows, click in the document and press Ctrl+A. If you only need a few paragraphs, drag across their text, or click at the start, hold Shift, and click at the end. Check that your selection does not include headings, captions, or other content you intend to leave single-spaced. Ctrl+A can behave differently if you are editing a header, footer, text box, or other separate area, so click back into the main document first if the wrong region is selected.
Open the line-spacing menu. On the ribbon, choose the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, select Line and Paragraph Spacing. The button generally appears as horizontal lines with up-and-down arrows. If the Word window is narrow, the ribbon may collapse the group or display the button in a compact layout; expand the ribbon or look within the Paragraph controls.
Choose 2.0. In the menu, click 2.0. Word applies double line spacing to the selected paragraphs. If only one paragraph was selected, or if the cursor was simply inside a paragraph, only that paragraph may change. Look at several lines in the formatted area to confirm that the gap between lines is visibly larger.
Use the keyboard shortcut if you prefer. In Word for Windows, select the text and press Ctrl+2 to apply double spacing. The shortcut can also format the paragraph containing the insertion point when no text is selected. On Word for Mac, the equivalent shortcut is generally Command+2. Keyboard shortcuts can conflict with custom settings or other software, so use the ribbon menu if the shortcut does not produce the expected result.
Check paragraph spacing as well as line spacing. Double line spacing controls the distance between lines within a paragraph. It is not the same as adding extra space before or after each paragraph. If paragraphs look unusually far apart, select the affected text, open Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and check whether Add Space Before Paragraph or Add Space After Paragraph is active. Choosing Remove Space After Paragraph can reduce an extra gap, but do this only if the document should not have that paragraph spacing.
Apply double spacing to text you add later, if needed. Formatting selected text does not necessarily change the default for new paragraphs elsewhere in the document. To set a default for a document, open the Paragraph dialog using the small diagonal arrow in the lower-right corner of the Home > Paragraph group. Under Indents and Spacing, set Line spacing to Double. If the dialog offers Set As Default, use it only after deciding whether the change should apply to the current document or to documents based on its template. The wording of the confirmation options can vary by Word version.
Review the document after formatting. Scroll through a few pages and check the beginning, middle, and end. Look for sections that remain single-spaced, lines that moved to a new page, and headings or lists that now have unexpected gaps. A changed page count is normal because double spacing takes up more vertical room. If the document must meet a specific assignment or workplace standard, compare the result with those instructions before saving or submitting.
Save your changes. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. If you are editing a shared document or a file stored online, confirm that Word has finished saving before closing it. If the layout is not right, you can use Undo immediately, or select the relevant text again and choose the intended spacing setting.

Common Mistakes

Adding blank lines instead of changing line spacing. Pressing Enter repeatedly creates additional paragraphs, not true double spacing. This can leave uneven gaps, make editing awkward, and cause pagination problems. Remove the extra empty paragraphs, then select the intended text and choose 2.0 from the line-spacing menu.

Changing paragraph spacing instead of line spacing. Commands such as Add Space After Paragraph create a gap between paragraphs. They do not set the distance between each line in a paragraph. If lines within a paragraph are still close together, choose 2.0 rather than adding space before or after paragraphs.

Formatting only the current paragraph by accident. Clicking in a paragraph and choosing 2.0 may change that paragraph alone. For an entire document, click in the main body, press Ctrl+A, and apply 2.0. Then check whether headers, footnotes, text boxes, or other separate elements also need a change; they may not be included in the main selection.

Assuming every element must be double-spaced. Some instructions require double spacing only for body text and specify different formatting for block quotations, footnotes, tables, captions, or headings. Follow the exact style guide or assignment directions instead of changing every component automatically.

Using the shortcut without confirming the platform. Ctrl+2 is the Windows shortcut, while Command+2 is the usual Mac equivalent. If a shortcut is intercepted or customized, the ribbon menu is a reliable alternative. Also make sure the document has focus before pressing the keys.

Tips

Format after selecting the right scope. Decide whether the requirement covers a paragraph, section, or whole document before applying the setting. This avoids having to restore exceptions one by one.
Use the status of the ribbon as a quick check. Click in a paragraph and open the line-spacing menu. The selected option or the paragraph dialog can help you see what setting applies at the cursor. If a selection contains mixed formatting, Word may not show one simple setting for every paragraph.
Check the document’s instructions, not just its appearance. Double spacing is often required for drafts and academic work, but a style guide may also specify margins, font, paragraph spacing, or exceptions. Line spacing alone does not guarantee that a document follows a required format.
Expect pagination to change. Doubling the spacing can move headings, tables, and paragraphs onto later pages. Review page breaks after the change, and avoid inserting manual page breaks merely to restore the old page count unless the document’s layout calls for them.
Use the dialog for precise formatting. The Paragraph dialog is useful when you need to set line spacing alongside indentation and paragraph spacing. On Windows, open it from the small launcher arrow in the Home tab’s Paragraph group. On Mac, use the paragraph-formatting controls available from the Home ribbon or the Format menu; labels and placement can differ between releases.
Keep a clean original when formatting a high-stakes file. Save a separate copy before making broad changes to a long report, shared template, or document with complex tables. That gives you an easy way to compare layouts or return to the original if the change affects more than expected.

Troubleshooting

Nothing changes after choosing 2.0. Confirm that the correct text is selected and that you are editing the document body rather than a header, footer, or text box. Try clicking inside a paragraph and choosing 2.0 again. If the ribbon is collapsed, make sure you used the line-spacing control rather than a nearby paragraph-spacing command.

Only some of the document is double-spaced. A selection may have covered only part of the text, or separate regions may use independent formatting. Click in a section that looks wrong and inspect its line-spacing setting. Select that section and apply 2.0, then check headers, footnotes, tables, and text boxes separately if your requirements include them.

The gaps between paragraphs are too large. This usually means paragraph spacing is also applied. Select the paragraphs, open Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and remove extra space before or after if appropriate. For more control, open the Paragraph dialog and inspect the Before and After values under Spacing. Do not change these values if the document deliberately uses paragraph gaps.

The pages look different or the document is much longer. That is expected: double spacing increases the height of the text, so lines and paragraphs flow onto later pages. Review page breaks and headings. If the page count must stay within a limit, do not reduce spacing contrary to the instructions; check whether the requirements allow other layout adjustments.

The keyboard shortcut does not work. Click in the document body and try the ribbon path instead. Use Ctrl+2 on Windows and Command+2 on Mac, not the other platform’s key combination. On a laptop, check whether a function or accessibility setting is affecting keyboard input. Word for the web may also have different shortcut behavior depending on the browser and keyboard settings, so use its Home tab spacing menu if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I double-space an entire Word document?
Click in the document body, press Ctrl+A on Windows (Command+A on Mac), then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 2.0. Review separate elements such as footnotes or text boxes if they are part of the requirement.

Can I double-space only one paragraph?
Yes. Click anywhere in the paragraph and choose 2.0 from the line-spacing menu. You usually do not need to select every word in the paragraph. To format several paragraphs, select them together first.

What is the keyboard shortcut for double spacing?
In Word for Windows, select the text and press Ctrl+2. On Mac, Command+2 is generally the equivalent. If it does not work, choose 2.0 from the Home tab’s line-spacing menu.

Is double spacing the same as adding space after paragraphs?
No. Double spacing increases the space between lines within paragraphs. Space after paragraphs adds a separate gap between paragraphs. A document can use either setting or both, depending on its formatting requirements.

How do I make new paragraphs double-spaced too?
Set the line spacing to Double in the Paragraph dialog, then use Set As Default if Word offers it. Choose carefully whether the default should apply just to the current document or to documents based on its template. For a single document, selecting all its existing body text and applying 2.0 is often the simplest approach.

Does double spacing change the font size?
No. It changes the vertical distance between lines, not the font size. If the text itself looks larger, check the font-size setting separately; line spacing can make the page look more open without changing the characters.

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