Change the line spacing in word

You can control the vertical space between the lines of text in your document by setting the line spacing. Or, you can change the vertical space between paragraphs in your document by setting the spacing before or spacing after paragraphs. You can also choose to keep lines of text together or keep paragraphs together on a page.

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Change the line spacing in an entire document

1. Go to Design > Paragraph Spacing.

2. Choose an option. To single space your document, select No Paragraph Space.

To return to the original settings later, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing and choose the option under Style Set. This may be Default or the name of style you're currently using.

Change the line spacing in a portion of the document

1. Select one or more paragraphs to update. Press Ctrl + A to select all.

2. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing

3. Select Line Spacing Options and choose an option in the Line spacing box.

   

4. Adjust the Before and After settings to change spacing between paragraphs.

5. Select OK.

For more info, see Adjust indents and spacing.

Change the line spacing in an entire document

1. Go to Design > Paragraph Spacing.

   

2. Choose the option you want. If you want to single space your document, choose No Paragraph Space.

This overrides the settings of the style you're currently using. If you decide later to return to the original settings, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing and choose the option under Style Set. The option might be Default, as shown above, or it will show the name of style you're currently using.

Change the line spacing in a portion of the document

1. Select the paragraphs you want to change.

2. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing.

   

3. Choose the number of line spaces you want or select Line Spacing Options, and then select the options you want under Spacing.

   

4. To change the spacing before or after each of the paragraphs in the text you selected, click the arrow next to Before or After and enter the amount of space that you want.

5. Select OK.

Keep all lines in a paragraph together

1. Select the paragraph whose lines you want to keep together.

2. Go to Format > Paragraph >Line and Page Breaks.

3. Select Keep lines together.

Keep paragraphs together on a page

1. Select the first of the two paragraphs that you want to keep together.

   Tip: If you want to keep more than two paragraphs together, select all but the last paragraph.

2. Go to Format > Paragraph.

3. Go to Line and Page Breaks.

4. Select Keep with next.

5. Select OK.

1. Select the paragraphs you want to change, or press Ctrl+A to select everything.

2. Go to Home > Line Spacing.

   

3. Choose the number of line spaces you want, or select Line Spacing Options and then select the options you want in the Paragraph dialog box under Spacing:

   

Tip:  If you want to change the spacing before or after the selected paragraphs, select the arrows in the Before or After boxes, or type a number directly.