The quickest way to change line spacing in Word

Open your document in Microsoft Word. Highlight the text you want to change — or press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all text at once. Then go to the Home tab at the top of the screen, find the Paragraph group, and click the icon that looks like horizontal lines with arrows pointing up and down. A menu will appear with preset options: 1.0, 1.15, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and Line Spacing Options at the bottom.

If you want a spacing that is not in the preset list — say, 1.25 or 1.75 — click Line Spacing Options at the bottom of that menu. A dialog box opens. Under Spacing, find the dropdown that says Line spacing and select Exactly or At least, then type the number you want in the box next to it. Click OK.

Key Takeaways

  • Select the text you want to change, or press Ctrl+A to select the whole document.
  • Click the line spacing icon in the Paragraph group on the Home tab to see preset options like 1.5 or 2.0.
  • For custom spacing that is not in the preset list, click Line Spacing Options and choose Exactly or At least, then enter your number.
  • The same steps work whether you are using Word on Windows, Mac, or the web version.

Where to find the line spacing button

The line spacing button sits in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. It looks like four horizontal lines with a double-headed arrow on the right side. If you are using Word on the web, the button is in the same place — click Home, then look for the Paragraph section.

If you cannot find it, you can also reach line spacing through the menu. Click Format at the top, then select Paragraph, and the same dialog box will open. This route works the same way on Windows, Mac, and the web.

Understanding the preset spacing options

Word offers six preset line spacings: 1.0 (single spacing, the tightest), 1.15, 1.5, 2.0 (double spacing, the loosest), 2.5, and 3.0. Most academic papers ask for 2.0. Most business documents use 1.15 or 1.5. Single spacing (1.0) is rarely used in formal writing because it is hard to read on screen or in print.

The number refers to the height of the space between lines, measured as a multiple of the font size. So if your font is 12 points and you choose 2.0 spacing, the space from the bottom of one line to the bottom of the next line is 24 points. Changing the font size does not change the spacing ratio — a document set to 2.0 stays at 2.0 even if you make the text larger or smaller.

How to set custom line spacing

If the preset options do not match what you need, click the line spacing button and select Line Spacing Options at the bottom. The Paragraph dialog box opens. Under the Spacing section, you will see a dropdown labeled Line spacing. Click it and choose Exactly if you want a fixed distance between lines, or At least if you want Word to use that spacing as a minimum but expand it if the text is too tall to fit.

Type your number in the box to the right. You can enter decimals — 1.25, 1.75, or any other value. Click OK when you are done. The spacing applies only to the text you selected. If you selected all text, the whole document changes.

Changing spacing for a single paragraph

You do not have to select multiple lines to change spacing. Click anywhere inside a paragraph, then use the line spacing button or menu. Word will change the spacing for that paragraph only. This is useful if you want most of your document at 1.5 spacing but need one section — like a block quote or a table — at single spacing.

If you want to change spacing for multiple separate paragraphs that are not next to each other, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click inside each paragraph you want to change. Then explore the spacing. All selected paragraphs will change at once.

Saving your spacing choice as a default

If you always use the same line spacing — say, 1.5 for all your writing — you can set it as your default so every new document starts with that spacing. Open the line spacing menu, click Line Spacing Options, choose your spacing, then click the button labeled Set as Default at the bottom left of the dialog box. Word will ask you to confirm. Click Yes, and from that point on, all new documents will use that spacing.

This change affects only your computer and your account. If you share a computer with someone else or use Word on a different device, that device will still use Word's original default (1.15 spacing) unless you set a new default there too.

Line spacing in Word Online versus the desktop version

Word Online (the free web version you access through Office.com or your browser) has the same line spacing options as the desktop version. The button is in the same place on the Home tab. However, Word Online does not let you set a custom default the way the desktop version does. If you need to change spacing in Word Online, you have to do it manually each time you open a document.

If you use both versions, keep in mind that spacing you set in the desktop version will carry over when you open the same document in Word Online, and vice versa. The spacing itself does not change — only the way you set the default differs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing line spacing affect the page count of my document?

Yes. Tighter spacing (like 1.0) fits more text on each page, so your document will have fewer pages. Looser spacing (like 2.0) spreads the text out, so the same content takes up more pages. If you have a page limit, changing spacing is one way to adjust how much content fits.

Can I change spacing for just one line?

No. Line spacing applies to the space between a line and the next line, so it always affects at least two lines at once. If you need extra space around a single line, use the spacing before and after options in the Paragraph dialog instead — those let you add space above or below a paragraph without changing the spacing within it.

What if my document looks different on someone else's computer?

Line spacing should look the same across computers if you are both using the same font and font size. However, different screen sizes, zoom levels, and printer settings can make spacing appear different. If the document will be printed, check it on the printer you will actually use, because that is where the spacing matters most.

How do I change spacing between paragraphs instead of between lines?

Click in the paragraph, open the line spacing menu, and select Line Spacing Options. Under Spacing, you will see two fields: Before and After. These control the space above and below the paragraph. Enter the number of points you want, then click OK.