How to Double Space in Word

You can change the amount of space between your lines and paragraphs to give documents structure and improve readability.

Change Line Spacing

1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to adjust.
2. Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button.

A list of line spacing options appears. The options here range from 1.0, which adds no extra space between lines, to 3.0, where the spacing for each line is triple that of a single-spaced line.

3. Select a spacing option.

   For more spacing options, select Line Spacing Options to open the Paragraph dialog box.

The spacing between the selected lines is changed.

Change Paragraph Spacing

If you want to add space above or below the paragraph, adjust the paragraph spacing.

1. Click the Paragraph dialog box launcher.
   
2. Adjust the settings in the Spacing group.
• Before: Adds space above the paragraph.
• After: Adds space below the paragraph.
3. Click OK.
   

Additional space will be added before or after the selected paragraph.

You can quickly add or remove 12 pts of spacing before or after the selected paragraph by clicking the Line and Paragraph Spacing button on the Home tab, then selecting Add/Remove Space Before Paragraph or Add/Remove Space After Paragraph.

Double spacing is a formatting technique commonly used in word processing to increase the amount of vertical space between lines of text. When applying double spacing, each line of text is followed by an additional blank line, creating a clear and legible appearance. This formatting style is often preferred in academic and professional documents such as essays, research papers, and manuscripts. By utilizing double spacing, readers can easily distinguish between individual lines of text, making it easier to read, review, and annotate the document. Additionally, the increased spacing allows for ample room for handwritten notes or corrections. Overall, double spacing is a valuable feature in word processing applications like Microsoft Word that enhances document clarity and readability.