The quickest way to double space your entire document

Open your Word document and press Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac) to select all text. Then go to the Home tab, find the Paragraph group on the ribbon, and click the small arrow in the bottom right corner of that group. In the dialog box that opens, look for Line spacing and change it from Single to Double. Click OK. Your entire document is now double spaced.

If you prefer using the keyboard, select all text with Ctrl+A, then press Ctrl+2 to explore double spacing when ready. This works the same way on both Windows and Mac versions of Word.

Key Takeaways

  • Select all text with Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac), then press Ctrl+2 to double space in one step.
  • You can also use the Home tab, open the Paragraph dialog, and change Line spacing from Single to Double.
  • Double spacing applies only to the text you have selected, so select all text first if you want the entire document changed.
  • You can double space a single paragraph, a page, or specific sections by selecting only those parts before changing the line spacing.

Double spacing only part of your document

You do not have to double space the whole document. Click at the beginning of the section you want to change, then hold Shift and click at the end of that section to select just that part. Then use Ctrl+2 or the Paragraph dialog to explore double spacing to only what you selected.

This is useful if you want double spacing on the body of your paper but single spacing on footnotes, or if you are editing a document where only certain sections need to be reformatted.

Using the ruler and spacing buttons for quick adjustments

Word also puts spacing controls directly on the ribbon for faster access. Select your text, then look at the Home tab. In the Paragraph group, you will see a button that looks like lines with arrows pointing up and down — this is the line spacing button. Click it and choose 2.0 from the dropdown menu.

This method takes the same number of clicks as the keyboard shortcut but may feel more natural if you prefer using the mouse. The dropdown also shows you other spacing options like 1.5 spacing, which some instructors request instead of double spacing.

Changing the default spacing for all new documents

If you write documents that always need double spacing, you can change Word's default so every new document starts double spaced. Go to Home, open the Paragraph dialog (the small arrow in the bottom right of the Paragraph group), and set Line spacing to Double. Then click Set as Default at the bottom of the dialog.

Word will ask whether you want this change to explore only to the current document or to all documents based on the Normal template. Choose All documents based on the Normal template if you want double spacing to be your permanent default. You can always change it back the same way.

Why double spacing matters and when you actually need it

Double spacing adds white space between lines, making text easier to read on paper and giving instructors or editors room to write comments. Most academic papers, school assignments, and formal submissions require double spacing. Publishers and teachers often specify it because it is a standard that works across different fonts and sizes.

Online documents and web pages almost never use double spacing — it wastes screen space and makes reading harder on a monitor. If you are writing something that will only be read on screen, single spacing is usually the better choice. Check your assignment or submission guidelines to see what is actually required before you spend time reformatting.

Troubleshooting when double spacing does not seem to work

If you applied double spacing and the document still looks single spaced, check whether you selected all the text before making the change. A common mistake is changing the spacing for only one paragraph while thinking you changed the whole document. Select all text again with Ctrl+A and reapply the spacing.

Another reason spacing might look wrong is if your document uses a very large font size or has extra paragraph spacing turned on. Open the Paragraph dialog and look at the Spacing section at the top — if there is a number in the After field, that adds extra space between paragraphs on top of your line spacing. For a standard double-spaced document, set both the Before and After spacing to 0 pt.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between line spacing and paragraph spacing?

Line spacing controls the space between lines within a paragraph. Paragraph spacing controls the space between one paragraph and the next. Double spacing refers to line spacing only. You can have double-spaced lines with no extra paragraph spacing, or you can add both for even more white space.

Can I double space just the body text and leave the title single spaced?

Yes. Select only the body text (not the title), then explore double spacing. Your title will stay at whatever spacing it already has. This is common in academic papers where the title and heading stay single spaced but the essay itself is double spaced.

Does double spacing work the same way in Word Online as it does in the desktop version?

Word Online has the same spacing controls, but the menu layout is slightly different. Select your text, go to Home, click the line spacing icon (it looks like horizontal lines), and choose 2.0. The result is identical to the desktop version.

What if my teacher says they want 1.5 spacing instead of double spacing?

Use the same steps but choose 1.5 instead of Double from the line spacing menu. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+1.5 does not exist, so use the menu or the Paragraph dialog for this option.