How to Adjust Spacing in Word (Lines, Paragraphs and Letters)

To adjust spacing in Word, select the text and go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing (the icon with up and down arrows). Choose a number such as 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 to change the space between lines, or Remove Space After Paragraph to tighten gaps between paragraphs. For exact control, open Line Spacing Options. To change the space between letters, use Font > Advanced > Spacing.

Applies to: Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows and Mac, and Word for the web.

Line spacing (space between lines)

1. Select the text, or press Ctrl+A for the whole document.
2. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing.
3. Choose 1.0 (single), 1.15 (Word’s default), 1.5, 2.0 (double), 2.5 or 3.0.

Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+1 for single, Ctrl+5 for 1.5 and Ctrl+2 for double spacing. Writing a school paper? Double spacing in Word covers the usual requirements.

Exact line spacing

Select Line Spacing Options. Under Line spacing, choose:

• Multiple and type a value such as 1.2 for in-between spacing.
• Exactly and a point size, such as 14 pt, for a fixed line height. Large images or symbols may get cut off with this setting.
• At least to set a minimum that grows for larger text.

Paragraph spacing (space between paragraphs)

1. Select the paragraphs.
2. Go to the Layout tab.
3. Under Spacing, set Before and After in points. 0 pt removes the gap; 6 pt is a small gap; 12 pt is about one blank line at 12-point text.

If paragraphs of the same style still have a gap, open Line Spacing Options and untick or tick Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style. Gaps spread across a whole document are easier to clear by removing extra space in Word. If you’d rather separate paragraphs with a first-line indent than with extra space, see how to indent in Word.

Character spacing (space between letters)

1. Select the text.
2. Press Ctrl+D to open the Font box, then select the Advanced tab.
3. Set Spacing to Expanded or Condensed and enter an amount, such as 1 pt.
4. Tick Kerning for fonts to tighten awkward letter pairs in headings.
5. Select OK.

Word spacing (space between words)

Word has no word-spacing setting. Uneven gaps between words usually come from Justify alignment, double spaces, or a font issue. Try Align Left (Ctrl+L), or use Find and Replace to replace two spaces with one. If the gaps persist, work through the fixes for weird spacing between words in Word.

Spacing for common document types

• APA and MLA papers: double spacing (2.0) everywhere, with 0 pt before and after paragraphs.
• Business letters: single spacing (1.0) with one blank line, or 12 pt after, between paragraphs.
• Resumes: 1.0 to 1.15 line spacing with 4 to 6 pt after each paragraph, so sections stay compact but readable.
• Reports read on screen: Word’s default 1.15 with 8 pt after is easy on the eyes.

Spacing in lists and tables

Bulleted and numbered lists use the same paragraph spacing as other text. If the items look too far apart, select the list, open Line Spacing Options and tick Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style. In a table, the space around text is set by cell margins: select the table, go to Table Layout > Cell Margins, and lower the top and bottom values. Row height can also hold rows open, so set Height to a smaller value or At least on the Table Layout tab.

Change the default spacing for new documents

1. Go to Home, right-click the Normal style and select Modify.
2. Select Format > Paragraph and set the line and paragraph spacing.
3. Select OK, choose New documents based on this template, and select OK.

Or use Design > Paragraph Spacing to pick a preset like Compact or Double, then Set as Default.

Troubleshooting

Spacing doesn’t change

The text may use a style with fixed spacing, or Exactly is set. Open Line Spacing Options and switch to Multiple or Single.

Lines are uneven within a paragraph

Something on that line, such as an inline picture, equation or larger font, is taller than the rest. Use Exactly spacing or make the item smaller. Other ways to reduce the gap between lines can help too.

There’s a big gap at the bottom of a page

That’s usually a page break or Keep with next setting, not spacing. Check Line and Page Breaks in the Paragraph dialog. If the paragraphs are instead spread evenly from the top margin to the bottom, the page is probably set to Justified, which you can switch back to Top by changing vertical alignment in Word.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between 1.0 and 1.15 spacing?

1.15 adds 15% more room between lines than single spacing, which makes screen reading easier. Word uses it by default.

How do I see where spacing comes from?

Select text and press Shift+F1 to open Reveal Formatting, which lists the exact spacing settings.

Can I adjust spacing in Word for the web?

Yes, line spacing and paragraph spacing are on the Home and Layout tabs. Character spacing needs the desktop app.

Related: deleting blank lines in Word, turning on automatic hyphenation and setting multiple tabs.