How to Insert a Blank Line in Word: Keyboard and Layout Tips

To insert a blank line in Microsoft Word, place the cursor where the gap should go and press Enter. If you are separating two paragraphs that already exist, click at the start of the paragraph that should come after the gap and press Enter once. This creates an empty paragraph between them. Use Shift+Enter instead when you want a new line without starting a separate paragraph.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. These steps apply to Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the Enter and Shift+Enter keys work similarly in Word for Mac and Word for the web.
A keyboard, or access to Word’s on-screen editing controls. No add-in or special setting is required.

Step-by-Step

Choose where the blank line belongs. Find the two paragraphs, lines, or pieces of text you want to separate. Decide whether you need an empty paragraph, which creates a true blank line, or only a visual gap created by paragraph spacing. For an ordinary empty line between text paragraphs, use the Enter key.
Click at the start of the paragraph that should follow the gap. Put the insertion point immediately before its first character. Check that the cursor is in the right place: it should be before the text, not in the middle of a word or at the end of a different paragraph.
Press Enter once. Word inserts an empty paragraph above the paragraph where the cursor was. The text that was below the cursor moves down, leaving a blank line between the paragraphs. Click elsewhere in the document to confirm that the gap is where you intended.
Use a different cursor position if you are adding text as you go. If you have just finished typing a paragraph and want to leave a blank line before the next one, press Enter twice. The first press ends the current paragraph; the second creates an empty paragraph. Start typing after the second press. If the following paragraph already exists, do not automatically press Enter twice at the end of the previous paragraph, or you may create two empty paragraphs. In that case, one press at the start of the following paragraph is enough.
Use Shift+Enter for a line break inside one paragraph. Place the cursor where the next line should begin, hold Shift, and press Enter. This moves the following text to a new line without making a separate paragraph. It is useful for addresses, short headings, or lines of a poem that should stay together as one paragraph. It does not create an empty paragraph by itself; to leave an empty line, press Shift+Enter twice.
Check the result and save your document. Read the surrounding text to make sure the blank line is between the intended items and that the next text has not become part of an unwanted list or changed formatting. Save with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac.

The simplest method is usually best for a one-off gap. A blank line made with Enter is an actual paragraph, so Word can apply paragraph formatting to it. If you want consistent spacing throughout a report or letter, paragraph spacing may be a better choice than adding empty paragraphs; the Tips section explains when to use it.

Common Mistakes

Pressing Enter in the middle of a sentence. Enter splits the text at the cursor and starts a new paragraph, so it can interrupt a sentence if the cursor is not at the intended boundary. If the goal is to separate two existing paragraphs, click before the first character of the lower paragraph before pressing Enter. If you accidentally split a sentence, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac immediately, then reposition the cursor.

Using Shift+Enter when you need a blank paragraph. Shift+Enter creates a line break, not a new paragraph. The line may look separated, but it remains part of the paragraph above it and can behave differently when you change alignment, spacing, or styles. For a proper blank paragraph between two sections of text, use Enter.

Adding several empty paragraphs to make a large gap. Repeated Enter presses can push later content around when text is edited or the page layout changes. They may also create uneven gaps that are hard to remove. Use one empty paragraph for a simple blank line; use paragraph spacing or page layout controls for a larger, consistent gap.

Confusing a blank line with paragraph spacing. Word can leave extra space before or after a paragraph without adding an empty paragraph. That space is a formatting setting, not a line containing no text. If you are trying to match a template or make all paragraphs evenly spaced, check the spacing settings before adding more Enter presses.

Pressing Enter at the wrong end of a list item. In a bulleted or numbered list, Enter usually starts another list item. If you need a blank line within a list item, Shift+Enter makes a line break without creating a new bullet. To end the list, press Enter twice after the last item, then continue with regular text.

Tips

Show formatting marks to see what Word inserted. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+8, or select the paragraph-mark button (¶) on the Home tab. On Mac, press Command+8 or select the ¶ button on the Home tab. A paragraph mark on an otherwise empty line indicates an empty paragraph; a bent arrow indicates a manual line break. These marks are not printed. Toggle the button or shortcut again to hide them.

Use paragraph spacing for a polished, repeatable layout. If you want the same amount of breathing room after every paragraph, select the relevant paragraphs and open the Paragraph dialog from the Home tab using its small dialog-box launcher. On Windows, use the Indents and Spacing tab and adjust Before or After under Spacing. In Word for Mac, open Format > Paragraph and adjust the spacing controls. Applying spacing to a style is helpful when the document has many paragraphs that should look alike.

Try the built-in spacing command for a quick visual gap. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the paragraph, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > Add Space After Paragraph. The command changes formatting; it does not insert an empty paragraph. The menu can also offer Remove Space After Paragraph if you need to reverse the change. On Mac, use Format > Paragraph to adjust paragraph spacing if the same ribbon command is not available in your version.

Keep related lines together when appropriate. Shift+Enter is useful for a postal address because the lines remain in one paragraph and can share the same paragraph formatting. For a new section or a new thought, use a separate paragraph instead. This distinction helps with consistent indents, spacing, and navigation in longer documents.

Use Undo rather than trying to repair a string of mistakes. If you added too many lines or altered the paragraph by accident, Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac reverses the last action. You can press it more than once to undo a few recent changes, then insert the gap again at the correct position.

Troubleshooting

The blank line does not appear. Turn on formatting marks with the ¶ button on Home, or use Ctrl+Shift+8 on Windows or Command+8 on Mac. If there is no empty paragraph mark at the intended position, click at the start of the paragraph below the gap and press Enter. If an empty paragraph is already there but looks compressed, check the paragraph’s line spacing and font size, and verify that it is not hidden by a layout or formatting issue.

The gap is much larger than one line. You may have inserted multiple empty paragraphs, or the paragraph above or below may have extra spacing. Show formatting marks and remove surplus empty paragraphs by placing the cursor in them and pressing Backspace or Delete. If there is only one empty paragraph, select the surrounding paragraphs and inspect the Before and After spacing settings in the Paragraph dialog.

Enter starts a bullet or number instead of making the layout you expect. The cursor is probably inside a list. If you want another list item, Enter is correct. If you want a new line within the current item, use Shift+Enter. If you want to leave the list, press Enter twice after the last item, then continue typing outside the list. You can also use the list controls on the Home tab to turn bullets or numbering off.

Text moves to another page after adding the gap. A blank paragraph takes up space, so it can push text onto the next page. Remove extra empty paragraphs first. If you only need a subtle visual separation, reduce the paragraph spacing or use a smaller amount of spacing after the preceding paragraph. Avoid adding repeated blank lines to force a heading or paragraph onto a particular page; use Word’s page-break or paragraph pagination options when the page placement must be deliberate.

The spacing changes when you paste or format text. The empty paragraph may have inherited a style or formatting from nearby content. Click in that paragraph and inspect the font, line spacing, and paragraph spacing on the Home tab. You can apply the surrounding paragraph’s style or clear unwanted direct formatting, then add the blank line again if needed. When pasting text from another source, use Word’s paste options to keep the document’s formatting consistent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is pressing Enter once enough to insert a blank line?
It depends on where the cursor is. At the start of an existing paragraph, one press inserts an empty paragraph above it. At the end of text when you are still composing a paragraph, press Enter twice if you want an empty paragraph before you continue typing.

What is the difference between Enter and Shift+Enter in Word?
Enter starts a new paragraph. Shift+Enter makes a line break within the same paragraph. Choose Enter for a true blank paragraph and Shift+Enter when the lines should remain grouped as one paragraph.

How do I insert a blank line between two existing paragraphs?
Click immediately before the first character of the paragraph that should come after the gap, then press Enter once. Word creates an empty paragraph above it. Turn on formatting marks if you want to confirm that the empty paragraph is there.

Can I add spacing without inserting a blank line?
Yes. Adjust paragraph spacing in the Paragraph dialog, or use Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > Add Space After Paragraph in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows. This creates a visual gap through formatting rather than an empty paragraph.

Will a blank line print?
The empty paragraph itself has no text to print, but it takes up vertical space and affects where the surrounding text appears on the page. Formatting marks such as ¶ are editing aids and do not print.

Do these steps work in Word for Mac and Word for the web?
Enter and Shift+Enter work for the same basic purposes in both. Ribbon and menu locations can vary slightly by version. On Mac, use Format > Paragraph for spacing controls; in Word for the web, look for paragraph spacing on the Home ribbon or open the document in the desktop app for more detailed controls.

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