Essays, manuscripts and drafts for review often need double spacing. Rather than digging through Paragraph settings, one shortcut changes the spacing of everything you've selected.
Step by step
- Select the text, or press Ctrl+A to select the whole document.
- Press Ctrl+2 for double spacing.
- Press Ctrl+5 for 1.5 line spacing, or Ctrl+1 to go back to single spacing.
Tips & troubleshooting
- Use the number keys on the main keyboard, not the number pad.
- Line spacing applies to whole paragraphs, so you only need the cursor inside a paragraph to change it.
Line spacing and paragraph spacing are separate
Line spacing is the gap between lines within a paragraph. Paragraph spacing is extra room before or after each paragraph. Word's default is 1.08 line spacing with 8 points after every paragraph, which is why a new document already looks roomier than single spacing.
This matters when you are asked for double spacing. Ctrl+2 doubles the line spacing but leaves the 8 points after each paragraph, so the gaps between paragraphs look larger than between lines. For a strictly uniform result, also set Spacing After to 0.
Other ways to change spacing
- Home tab: the Line and Paragraph Spacing button offers 1.0, 1.15, 1.5, 2.0 and more, and can add or remove space before and after a paragraph.
- Paragraph dialog: click the small arrow in the corner of the Paragraph group for exact values, including At least and Exactly settings in points.
- Ctrl+0 (zero) adds or removes one line of space before the current paragraph.
- Design tab: Paragraph Spacing changes the whole document in one click with presets such as Compact, Tight, Open and Double.
Make your choice the default
To have every new document start with your spacing, open the Paragraph dialog, set the values you want and choose Set As Default, then All documents based on the Normal template. In an existing document, it is better to modify the Normal style than to select everything, so later text follows the same rule.
On a Mac
In Word for Mac the shortcuts are Cmd+2 for double, Cmd+5 for 1.5 and Cmd+1 for single spacing.