How to Double Space in a Word Document (All Versions & Platforms)
Double spacing is one of the most commonly requested formatting changes in Microsoft Word — whether you're submitting an essay, formatting a business report, or following a style guide like APA or MLA. The good news: it takes about 10 seconds once you know where to look. The less obvious part is that how you apply it, and which setting you actually need, varies depending on your version of Word, your device, and what you're trying to achieve.
What Does "Double Spacing" Actually Mean?
Line spacing controls the vertical distance between lines of text. Single spacing keeps lines tight. Double spacing inserts a full blank line's worth of space between each line of text — making documents easier to read, annotate, and edit on paper.
Word measures line spacing in a few ways:
- Multiples — "2.0" means double spacing; "1.5" means one-and-a-half
- Exactly — a fixed point value (e.g., 24pt for double-spaced 12pt text)
- At least — a minimum value that expands if needed
For most users, selecting "2.0" from the line spacing multiplier is the correct interpretation of double spacing.
There's also a separate (and often confusing) setting: "Add space before/after paragraphs." This controls the gap between paragraphs, not between lines. Style guides like APA typically want true double spacing throughout — not extra paragraph spacing stacked on top.
How to Double Space in Microsoft Word on Windows 🖥️
Method 1: The Home Tab (Quickest Route)
- Select your text — highlight the paragraphs you want to change, or press Ctrl + A to select everything
- Go to the Home tab on the ribbon
- In the Paragraph group, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing icon (it looks like lines with arrows)
- Select 2.0 from the dropdown
That's it. This applies double spacing instantly.
Method 2: The Paragraph Dialog Box (More Control)
- Select your text
- Right-click and choose Paragraph, or go to Home → Paragraph → the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the group
- Under Spacing, find the Line spacing dropdown
- Choose Double
- While you're here, check the Before and After fields under Spacing — set both to 0pt if your style guide requires no extra paragraph gaps
- Click OK
Keyboard Shortcut
Select your text, then press Ctrl + 2. This immediately applies double spacing. (Ctrl + 1 returns to single spacing; Ctrl + 5 applies 1.5 spacing.)
How to Double Space in Word on Mac 🍎
The process is nearly identical, but keyboard shortcuts differ slightly:
- Select your text
- Go to Format → Paragraph in the menu bar
- Under Line spacing, choose Double
- Click OK
Mac keyboard shortcut:⌘ + 2 applies double spacing to selected text.
The ribbon-based method (Home tab → Line Spacing icon → 2.0) also works the same way on Mac as on Windows.
How to Double Space in Word for the Web (Office 365 Browser Version)
Word's browser version has a slightly simplified interface:
- Select your text or use Ctrl + A
- Click the Home tab
- Find the Line spacing button in the Paragraph group
- Select 2.0
The full Paragraph dialog box is also available via Format → Paragraph in the top menu — useful if you need to control spacing before/after paragraphs.
How to Double Space in the Word Mobile App (iOS & Android)
The mobile app tucks formatting options behind a few more taps:
- Select your text
- Tap the formatting icon (the A with lines) at the top or bottom of the screen
- Tap Home and scroll to find Paragraph
- Tap Line Spacing and select 2.0
The mobile interface varies slightly between iOS and Android versions of the app, and between phone and tablet layouts — but the Paragraph spacing controls are present in all current versions.
Setting Double Spacing as Your Default
If you always want documents to open with double spacing already applied:
- Open the Paragraph dialog box (right-click → Paragraph)
- Set Line spacing to Double
- Click Set As Default at the bottom-left
- Choose whether to apply this to the current document only or all documents based on the Normal template
This changes your default going forward — useful for students or writers who work in double spacing constantly.
Common Double Spacing Mistakes
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Spacing looks like 2.0 but paragraphs still have extra gaps | "Space After Paragraph" is set to 8pt or 10pt | Set After to 0pt in Paragraph settings |
| Only part of the document changed | Text wasn't fully selected before applying | Use Ctrl + A first |
| Spacing reset after pasting text | Pasted text carried its own formatting | Use Paste Special → Keep Text Only |
| Style guide says "double spaced" but it looks wrong | Line spacing set to "Exactly" instead of "Double" | Switch to the Double or 2.0 multiplier setting |
What Changes Between Word Versions and Devices
The core double spacing feature has been in Word for decades and works consistently. What changes across versions and platforms:
- Where to find the controls — the ribbon layout differs between Word 2013, 2016, 2019, Microsoft 365, and the web/mobile apps
- Default templates — newer versions of Word ship with default paragraph spacing that adds space after paragraphs, which can make documents look double-spaced when they aren't (and vice versa)
- Style interactions — if your document uses heading styles or custom paragraph styles, those styles may override your manual spacing changes
Whether you're working on a Windows desktop with a full Microsoft 365 subscription, using Word through a browser on a Chromebook, or editing on an iPhone between meetings, the underlying setting is the same — but the path to reach it, and how your existing document styles interact with it, is where individual results can vary.