How to Fix Double Spacing in Word

To fix double-spaced lines in Word, select the affected text, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 1.0. If the problem is two spaces between words or sentences, press Ctrl+H, find two spaces, replace them with one, and choose Replace All. First identify which kind of spacing you are seeing: the fixes are different.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, or Word for Mac if you are using a Mac. The ribbon names are similar, but a few shortcuts and dialog paths differ.
The document you want to correct. If it is important, save a separate copy before making changes across the whole file.
A few minutes to check the result. Formatting changes can affect headings, lists, tables, or other sections differently from ordinary paragraphs.

Step-by-Step

Work out what “double space” means in your document. Double-spaced lines have extra vertical space between lines of the same paragraph. Extra paragraph spacing creates a larger gap after one paragraph and before the next. Repeated spaces appear horizontally between words or after punctuation. A blank paragraph is an extra empty line. These problems can look similar at a glance, so check a short sample before changing the whole document.
Show formatting marks if the cause is not obvious. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8; on Mac, press Command+8. You can also select Home > ¶ Show/Hide. Dots appear where ordinary spaces are, and paragraph marks appear at the ends of paragraphs. An empty paragraph has a paragraph mark on a line by itself. These marks do not print. Select the Show/Hide button or use the shortcut again when you want to hide them.
Choose the text you want to fix. To change one paragraph, click anywhere inside it. To change a few paragraphs, drag across them or use the keyboard to select them. To change the main body of a document, click in the document and press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac. If the file contains headings, lists, tables, or sections that should keep different spacing, select only the relevant body text instead of applying a change to everything.
Set line spacing to single. With the relevant text selected, go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing and choose 1.0. In Word for Mac, use the Home tab’s Line and Paragraph Spacing control as well; depending on the window layout, you may need to expand the Paragraph group or ribbon to see it. This setting changes the distance between lines within each paragraph. It does not remove spaces between words or delete empty paragraphs.
Check paragraph spacing separately. If lines within a paragraph look normal but there is still a large gap between paragraphs, open the Paragraph settings. In Word for Windows, select the small dialog box launcher in the lower-right corner of the Home > Paragraph group. In Word for Mac, use Format > Paragraph. Under Spacing, check the Before and After values. If the document should have no added paragraph gap, set both to 0 pt; if it uses a designed gap, choose an appropriate value rather than removing it automatically. Check that Line spacing is set to Single if that is what you want, then select OK.
Remove repeated spaces between words or after sentences. Press Ctrl+H on Windows to open Find and Replace. In Word for Mac, open Edit > Find > Replace. In the Find what box, type two ordinary spaces. In the Replace with box, type one ordinary space, then choose Replace All. This changes runs of two spaces to one space. If the original text has three or more spaces in a row, run Replace All again until Word reports that there are no more matches. Review the document afterward, especially if spaces were used for layout.
Remove unwanted blank paragraphs by hand. If Show/Hide reveals paragraph marks on otherwise empty lines, click at the start of the empty line and press Backspace, or click at the end of the paragraph above and press Delete. Remove only the extra empty paragraphs; a paragraph mark separates real paragraphs, so deleting the wrong one can join text that should remain separate. Check the surrounding text after each deletion.
Inspect the result in more than one place. Look at a paragraph near the start, one in the middle, and one near the end. Check headings, bullet lists, and table cells if you included them in your selection. Save the document when the spacing is right. If only some paragraphs remain different, select those paragraphs and repeat the relevant formatting step rather than resetting the entire file.

Common Mistakes

Changing the wrong kind of spacing: Setting Line spacing to 1.0 will not remove two spaces between words. Likewise, replacing repeated spaces will not alter the vertical distance between lines. Identify whether the gap runs horizontally, between lines, or between paragraphs before choosing a fix.

Selecting the whole document without checking its structure: Ctrl+A or Command+A is convenient, but it can also change spacing in headings, captions, lists, and tables. Those parts may intentionally use different formatting. If the document has several layouts, make a targeted selection or correct one section at a time.

Confusing paragraph spacing with line spacing: A paragraph set to single spacing can still have a large After value, which leaves a visible gap before the next paragraph. Check both the Line spacing setting and the Before and After values in Paragraph settings.

Using spaces to align text: Some documents use repeated spaces to make columns or position text. Replacing every double space can break that layout. Use a table, tabs, or paragraph alignment for reliable positioning, and review any formatted lists or forms before applying Replace All.

Deleting paragraph marks indiscriminately: Paragraph marks are structural, not just visual clutter. Removing one can merge two paragraphs, change a list, or alter a heading. Turn on Show/Hide and delete only the empty paragraph marks you do not need.

Tips

Use a small test selection first. Before changing a long report, select one affected paragraph and set its line or paragraph spacing. If the result is right, apply the same correction to the rest of the relevant text. This makes it easier to notice if a style or section has a different layout.

Distinguish a manual line break from a new paragraph. With formatting marks visible, a paragraph ends with ¶, while a manual line break is shown by a bent arrow. A manual line break moves text to a new line without starting a new paragraph. If the unwanted gap follows a manual break, inspect the paragraph formatting and the break itself rather than deleting paragraph marks that are not there.

Use styles for documents you will keep editing. If every paragraph in a document has the same unwanted spacing, the Normal style or another style may be responsible. Select a paragraph and look at the Styles gallery on the Home tab to identify its style. For a recurring document, adjusting the relevant style is more consistent than manually fixing each new paragraph. Make sure you understand which paragraphs use that style before changing it.

Keep a copy before large replacements. Replace All can make hundreds of changes at once. Save a copy first when the document is a template, a form, or a file where spacing may be used deliberately. Word’s Undo command can reverse recent changes, but a separate copy gives you a safer fallback if you continue editing afterward.

Remember that Word may inherit formatting when you paste. Text copied from a web page, email, or another document can bring its own spacing and paragraph settings. If only the pasted section looks different, select that section and correct it, or use Word’s paste options to choose whether to keep source formatting or match the destination formatting.

Troubleshooting

The lines still look double-spaced after choosing 1.0. Reopen Paragraph settings and check whether the selected text actually includes the affected lines. Then inspect Before and After spacing, and use Show/Hide to look for empty paragraphs. If the line-spacing value is still set to Multiple or Exactly, change it to Single. You may need to repeat the correction in another section if the document contains section breaks or separately formatted text.

Only some paragraphs change. The remaining paragraphs may have a different style or may not have been included in the selection. Click inside one that did not change, check the style shown on the Home tab, and review its Paragraph settings. Select that group and apply the correction directly. Avoid changing unrelated styles if only a few paragraphs are affected.

Replace All does not remove every repeated space. If three or more spaces were in a row, replacing two spaces with one can leave another pair to match. Run the replacement again. Confirm that the Find what field contains two actual spaces and the Replace with field contains one; do not type the words “two spaces.” If Word finds no matches, the visible gap may be paragraph spacing, a tab, or another formatting mark instead.

The text becomes crowded after the fix. The document may have been designed with added space between paragraphs, or the selected text may include headings and lists. Undo the change with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then select only the text that should be single-spaced. You can also restore a modest Before or After value instead of setting both to zero.

The spacing changes when you add new text. New paragraphs often inherit formatting from the paragraph above or from the active style. Correct the style or the paragraph you are continuing from, then test by pressing Enter and typing a short line. If the problem occurs only after pasting, check the paste options and choose a format that matches the destination text.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make an entire Word document single-spaced?
Click in the document, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 1.0. Check Paragraph settings for unwanted Before or After spacing. Review headings, lists, and tables because they may need different spacing.

How do I remove two spaces after a period?
Use Find and Replace: find two ordinary spaces and replace them with one. Choose Replace All, then repeat if some runs had three or more spaces. Review the document if spaces were used for alignment.

Does single spacing remove the gap between paragraphs?
No. Single spacing controls the distance between lines within a paragraph. To reduce paragraph gaps, check the Before and After values in the Paragraph settings, and look for empty paragraphs with Show/Hide turned on.

Why does Word look double-spaced even when it says Single?
Extra paragraph spacing, blank paragraphs, or a manual line break can create a larger-looking gap. Show formatting marks, then inspect the paragraph’s Before and After settings as well as its line spacing.

Can I fix double spacing in Word for Mac?
Yes. Use the Home tab’s Line and Paragraph Spacing control to select 1.0. Open Format > Paragraph to review paragraph spacing, and use Edit > Find > Replace to change repeated spaces. The main difference in the steps above is the Mac keyboard shortcuts.

Will changing spacing affect how the document prints?
Yes. Line spacing and paragraph spacing change the document’s layout and can affect page breaks and page count. Check Print Layout or print preview after making broad changes, especially if the document has page limits, forms, or carefully placed headings.

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