There are several ways to adjust line spacing in Microsoft Word. Today’s tutorial explains the basic method using the ribbon and a more advanced method using the Paragraph dialog box.
See the Quick Tip at the bottom of this tutorial to learn how to single-space an entire document from the Paragraph dialog box.
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The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365).The steps are the same in Word 2019 and Word 2016 and similar for Word 2013 and Word 2010. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.
Basic Method: Adjust Line Spacing from the Ribbon
- Select the Home tab in the ribbon.
- (Optional Step) Select the Show/Hide button in the Paragraph group to show paragraph break symbols and other formatting that may affect line spacing.
- Select the text with the line spacing that needs to be changed.
- Select the Line and Paragraph Spacing button in the Paragraph group.
- Select an option from the drop-down menu:
A. Numbers 1.0 through 3.0 add space between lines.
B. Add Space Before Paragraph adds space before paragraphs but not before the lines within them.
C. Remove Space After Paragraph removes space after paragraphs but not after the lines within them.
These three options are based on your current font size with 1.0 being the equivalent of single-spacing.
Your changes will be applied immediately.
Note that you can apply the individual line spacing (the numbers 1.0 through 3.0) and the paragraph spacing to the same text to further customize your results.
- (Optional Step) Select the Show/Hide button again to hide paragraph symbols and other formatting (see figure 2).
Now, let’s move on to an advanced method offering additional spacing options.
Advanced Method: Adjust Line Spacing from the Paragraph Dialog Box
- Select the Home tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
- (Optional Step) Select the Show/Hide button in the Paragraph group to show paragraph break symbols and other formatting that may affect line spacing (see figure 2).
- Select the text with the line spacing that needs to be changed (see figure 3).
Pro Tip: PC users can press Ctrl + A to select the entire document if all the line spacing needs to be changed. However, this includes items you may not want to alter, including headings, tables, table titles, figure captions, tables of contents, footnotes, endnotes, and reference lists.
- Select the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group.
- Make changes in the Spacing section of the Paragraph dialog box:
A. The Before and After boxes represent the spaces before and after paragraphs measured in points with one point being 1/72 of an inch tall. Use the increment arrows to choose a whole number or enter a number with a decimal (e.g., 2.75) directly into the box.
B. The Line spacing drop-down menu offers six options:
1. Single—Creates single-spacing based on your current font size.
2. 1.5 Lines—Creates a space and a half as large as your current font size.
3. Double—Creates double-spacing based on your current font size.
4. At Least—Determines the minimum amount of space between lines based on the number of points entered in the At box.
5. Exactly—Creates space between lines based on the number of points entered in the At box.
6. Multiple—Creates spacing multiplied by the number entered in the At box. For example, if you enter four in the At box, your spacing will be four times as large as your current single-spacing.
C. Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style—For many users, this will remove spaces between all paragraphs because general documents commonly have only one paragraph style.
Note that the Preview box updates as you make adjustments in the Spacing section.
- Select the OK button to close the Paragraph dialog box.
- (Optional Step) Select the Show/Hide button again to hide paragraph symbols and other formatting (see figure 2).
Quick Tip: Single-Space an Entire Document from the Paragraph Dialog Box
- Select the Home tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
- Select the entire document. (PC users can press Ctrl + A.)
- Select the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group (see figure 7).
- Enter 0 in the Before box in the Paragraph dialog box (see figure 8).
- Enter 0 in the After box in the Paragraph dialog box (see figure 8).
- Select Single in the Line spacing drop-down menu (see figure 8).
- Select the OK button (see figure 9).
Related Resources
Three Ways to Indent Paragraphs in Microsoft Word
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