How to Double Space in Microsoft Word

Learn to change line spacing in Word

By
Amanda Derrick
Amanda Derrick
Amanda Derrick
Freelance Contributor
  • University of Utah
  • Florida Tech
Amanda Derrick is a mechanical engineer, business strategist, and former Lifewire writer who has also written for USAF Civil Service, ATK, and Boeing.
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Updated on June 24, 2022
Reviewed by
Lisa Mildon
Lisa Mildon
Reviewed by Lisa Mildon
  • Southern New Hampshire University
Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications.
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What to Know

  • To double space an entire document, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing > Double.
  • To double space a selection, select the text and go to Home > Line Spacing > 2.0.
  • Alternatively, select the text, right-click, and select Paragraph > Line Spacing > Double > OK.

This article explains how to double space in a Microsoft Word document. Instructions apply to Microsoft Word 2010 and later.

Double Space a Whole Document in Microsoft Word

Here's how to double space your Microsoft Word document and get some extra space between all those words in Microsoft 2019, 2016, and 2013.

  1. Go to the Design Ribbon.

    Selecting the Design tab in Microsoft Word 2019.

  2. Select Paragraph Spacing.

    Selecting Paragraph Spacing in Microsoft Word 2019.

  3. Choose Double.

    The Double Space option in Microsoft Word 2019.

Double Space a Whole Document in MS Word 2010

For 2010 version of Word, this process differs slightly.

  1. On the Home tab, go to the Styles group and right-click Normal.

  2. Then select Modify to open the Formatting window.

  3. Select Double Space and click OK.

This process double spaces your entire document. If the double spacing is more white space than you're looking for, set the spacing at 1.15 or 1.5 lines, or create custom spacing that meets your needs.

Editing the document spacing at this level preserves the text format types throughout the document, which is especially important when working with a large file.

Double Space a Selection in a Word Document

There are two ways to change the spacing for a subset of a document. You can either change the spacing by using the right-click menu or the line spacing option on the Ribbon. See both processes below.

Double Space Via Right-Click Menu

  1. Highlight the text that you want to double space.

    Highlighted text in Microsoft Word 2019.

  2. Right-click, and in the menu that appears, click Paragraph.

    Right-click context menu with Paragraph highlighted in Microsoft Word 2019.

  3. Under Line Spacing, select Double.

    Line spacing settings in Microsoft Word 2019.

  4. Select OK.

    Confirming changing a paragraph to double space in Microsoft Word 2019.

Double Space Via the Ribbon

The other way to double space a selection in Word 2013 and later is by using the Home Ribbon. Below are the steps to accomplish this.

  1. Select the text you want double spaced.

    Highlighted text in Microsoft Word 2019.

  2. Under the Home Ribbon, select Line Spacing to reveal available line spacing settings.

    The Line Spacing option in Microsoft Word 2019.

  3. Select 2.0 from the spacing options for double spacing.

    Selecting 2.0 for line spacing in Microsoft Word 2019.

Double Space a Selection in MS Word 2010

To double space a selection in Microsoft Word 2010, you follow a similar process. See the steps below.

  1. Select the text you want to double space.

  2. Go to the Home tab and find the Line and Paragraph Spacing selection within the Paragraph group.

  3. Select 2.0 for double spacing.

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