Line spacing controls the space between lines inside a paragraph. Paragraph spacing controls the space before and after paragraphs. Word treats them separately, which is why spacing can look wrong even after choosing Double.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, and Word 2019 on Windows or Mac when a document needs single spacing, 1.5 spacing, double spacing, or exact spacing for school, work, or submission rules.
Set standard line spacing
Use the quick presets for most documents.
- Select the text to change, or press Ctrl+A on Windows or Cmd+A on Mac for the whole document.
- Open the Home tab.
- Click Line and Paragraph Spacing in the Paragraph group.
- Choose 1.0, 1.15, 1.5, 2.0, or another preset.
If nothing changes, make sure text was selected or the cursor is inside the paragraph you meant to change.
Set an exact custom spacing value
Use this when a style guide asks for a specific value.
- Select the text.
- Click the small arrow in the Paragraph group, or right-click and choose Paragraph.
- Under Spacing, open the Line spacing dropdown.
- Choose Exactly for a fixed point size or Multiple for a multiplier such as 1.75.
- Enter the value in the At box.
- Check Before and After paragraph spacing in the same dialog.
- Click OK.
More control
Set default spacing
Open the Paragraph dialog, choose your line spacing and paragraph spacing values, click Set As Default, then choose whether it applies only to this document or all documents based on the Normal template.
MLA and APA usually need paragraph spacing at zero
Academic double spacing usually means Line spacing: Double with Before and After set to 0 pt. Leaving Word default space after paragraphs can make the document look too loose.
Fix one section that will not match
Pasted text may carry paragraph overrides. Select that section directly and reapply the spacing values to override the imported formatting.
Show hidden paragraph marks
Use Home > Show/Hide or Ctrl+Shift+8 to reveal paragraph marks and manual line breaks. This helps distinguish blank paragraphs from actual spacing settings.
Sources
- Microsoft Support – Change the line spacing in Word (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Adjust indents and spacing (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Change the default line spacing in Word (2024)