How to Double Space in Word (4 Ways)

Double Space Lines in Microsoft Word Documents

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated January 11, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft^®Word^® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can double space in Word using the Ribbon, the Paragraph dialog box, a keyboard shortcut or by modifying a style. If you double space a paragraph, you are setting the line spacing of the paragraph to 2.0. Since double spacing is a paragraph format, it's important to understand that a paragraph in Word is anything with a hard return after it (you pressed Enter or Return).

A paragraph can include text or an inline picture or shape. Line spacing is applied within a paragraph which is different from space above and below a paragraph. To see where paragraphs have been created in a Word document, it's helpful to turn on Show/Hide ¶ on the Home tab in the Ribbon.

Note that double space or 2.0 spacing is calculated by Word based on the font size of the selected text.

In this article, we'll review 4 ways to double space in Word:

Use commands in the Ribbon
Use the Paragraph dialog box
Use a keyboard shortcut
Modify the Normal style (or another style)

Recommended article: How to Add or Remove Page Breaks in Microsoft Word

You should follow best practices in your Microsoft Word documents if you want to avoid issues with line spacing:

Use wordwrapping when entering text (don't press Enter until you reach the end of a paragraph).
Delete blank paragraphs (often created when users press Enter twice after paragraphs).

Double space using the Ribbon

You can double space using two different tabs in the Ribbon – the Home tab or the Design tab.

To double space a Word document using the Design tab in the Ribbon:

Click in the Word document.
Click the Design tab in the Ribbon.
Click Paragraph Spacing in the Document Formatting group. A drop-down menu appears.
Select Double. This will change the entire document to double spacing.

The Paragraph Spacing command appears in the Design tab in the Ribbon as follows:

To double space specific paragraphs using the Home tab in the Ribbon in Word 2016 and later versions:

Select the paragraph(s) that you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and then click Line and Paragraph Spacing in the Paragraph group. A drop-down menu appears.
Click 2.0 to double space.

The Line and Paragraph Spacing button appears as follows in newer versions of Word (2016 and later):

The Line and Paragraph Spacing drop-down menu offers the following options:

To double space specific paragraphs using the Home tab in the Ribbon in Word 2013:

Select the paragraph(s) you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and then click Double in the Paragraph group.

Line spacing buttons appear as follows in Word 2010 or 2013:

Double space using the Paragraph dialog box

To double space one or more paragraphs using the Paragraph dialog box:

Select the paragraph(s) you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
Right-click and select Paragraph from the drop-down menu. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
Click the Indents and Spacing tab if necessary.
From the Line spacing drop-down menu, select Double.
Click OK.

Below is the Paragraph dialog box:

Double space using a keyboard shortcut

To use a keyboard shortcut to double space one or more paragraphs in a Word document:

Select the paragraph(s) you want to double space. If you want to select all paragraphs, press Ctrl + A.
Press Ctrl + 2 to double space.

If you want to change a paragraph back to single spacing, press Ctrl + 1 to single space.

Double space by modifying the Normal style

When you create a new blank document, it starts out using the Normal style which contains default paragraph and character formatting. You can modify line spacing in the Normal style (as long as another style has not been used for standard paragraphs) and change your entire document. If manual line spacing has been applied to one or more paragraph(s), this overrides the Normal style.

To double space a Word document by modifying the Normal style:

Click in a paragraph using the Normal style.
Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
In the Styles group, right-click Normal and select Modify from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
Click Format at the bottom left of the dialog box. A drop-down menu appears.
Click Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
Click the Indents and Spacing tab if necessary.
From the Line spacing drop-down menu, select Double.
Click OK.
Ensure that Only in this document is selected.
Click OK.

Below is the Modify Style dialog box:

You may encounter issues if you modify spacing in the Normal style since other styles are based on this style by default. Cells in tables would likely be affected and so would other styles that are based on the Normal style (such as Header, Footer and Heading styles). Paragraphs using these styles would then also be double spaced (unless spacing has been specifically modified in these styles). If you are comfortable using styles, you could create your own style for double spaced paragraphs or use and modify a different Word style to avoid this issue.

You can right-click other styles and modify the spacing in the same way.

This article was first published on October 24, 2019 and has been updated for clarity and content.

Subscribe to get more articles like this one

Did you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, JOIN our email list.

More resources

How to Create a Hanging Indent in Word

How to Insert a Line in Microsoft Word (3+ Ways)

How to Check Word Count in Microsoft Word (4 Ways)

How to Use Kerning in Microsoft Word to Adjust Letter Spacing

How to Insert or Type an Em or En Dash in Word (4 Ways with Shortcuts)

Related courses

Microsoft Word: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft Excel: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft Word: Long Documents Master Class

Microsoft Word: Styles, Templates and Tables of Contents

Microsoft Word: Designing Dynamic Word Documents Using Fields

VIEW MORE COURSES >

Our instructor-led courses are delivered in virtual classroom format or at our downtown Toronto location at 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some in-person classroom courses may also be delivered at an alternate downtown Toronto location). Contact us at info@avantixlearning.ca if you'd like to arrange custom instructor-led virtual classroom or onsite training on a date that's convenient for you.

How to Insert or Type A with an Accent Mark in Word (À, Á, Â, Ä, à, á, â, or ä)

You can insert or type a with an accent mark in Word using built-in tools or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The letter a can be inserted with an accent in both upper or lower case. The following are common accents in upper or lower case – À, Á, Â, Ä, à, á, â, or ä.

10 Word Shortcuts to Select Text Using a Keyboard

You can use several shortcuts in Word to select text in your documents using only your keyboard. When you select text, it will typically be highlighted in grey. After you select text, you can cut, copy, or delete the selected text or apply character or paragraph formatting.

How to Generate Random Text in Word

If you are creating a Microsoft Word document, template or mockup and you want to create placeholder text, you can generate random text using the built-in RAND function or LOREM function (which generates Latin or Lorem ipsum text).

How to Double Space in Word (4 Ways)