You should find your text is now double-spaced.


Proofread Spacing Post-Edit
Double-check spacing after major document edits. Scan for inconsistencies or unintended format changes that may affect readability and document appearance.


Mastering double spacing in Microsoft Word is a valuable skill that enhances document readability and presentation. By understanding how to adjust line spacing, users can ensure their documents meet professional and academic standards. Whether using the Paragraph Settings or the Formatting Toolbar, these simple techniques offer flexibility and precision. Addressing common spacing issues and applying best practices further ensures a clean, professional look. With these tools and tips, users can confidently create documents that are both aesthetically pleasing and functionally effective.

Alternatively, you can click the Line and Paragraph Spacing icon in the Word toolbar and select the option “2.0” for double spacing. This is ideal if you want only a portion of your paper to be double-spaced but not the entire document.

These days, no word processor is without a double-spacing option.

To set double spacing in Google Docs, go to the toolbar before you begin writing. Click on the Line and paragraph spacing icon, which looks like a double-sided vertical arrow and three stacked horizontal lines. This icon may be hidden, so if you can’t see it, click the three vertical dots at the end of the toolbar for more options.

Double spacing in Microsoft Word is a setting that creates a full blank line between each line of text. This format improves readability, facilitates annotations and revisions, and ensures documents meet specific academic or professional formatting guidelines, such as those required by APA or MLA styles.

Instead, use built-in formatting options that automatically adjust your paper correctly, even when you make revisions. Below, we explain how to set up double spacing in Word and Google Docs.

You can apply double spacing using the Formatting Toolbar by selecting the text, clicking on the line spacing icon, and choosing “2.0” or “Double” from the drop-down menu. This method provides a quick way to apply desired line spacing to sections of text in your document.


Here's how to double space in Word:

To apply double spacing to an entire document, select all text by pressing (Windows) or (Mac), then go to the Paragraph group under the Home tab and select “2.0” or “Double” from the line spacing options. This ensures uniform spacing throughout the document.

Here are some examples of double spacing in APA and MLA formats:

Generally speaking, single spacing is preferred for business correspondence, like emails or cover letters. Double spacing is typically only required for academic assignments, as well as professional manuscripts submitted for review or publication.

Watch this short video to learn how to Double Space in Word

Yes, the keyboard shortcut for double spacing in Word is (Windows) or (Mac). This shortcut provides a quick method to apply double spacing, making document editing more efficient for users familiar with Word’s keyboard commands.

The entire document is double-spaced.

If double spacing is necessary, as with many academic assignments, it’s best not to do it manually, i.e., hitting the enter button twice after each line. This makes it much more difficult to later, when the ends of your lines change.

The entire document is double-spaced.

If you’d like to double-space the whole document, there’s no need to highlight specific sections — Word will automatically double-space the entire text.

To double space your essay in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

Hello to the Canvas Community. Thank you for posting your question. If you are using the to type text as part of an online assignment, that editor is not the same as writing a document in Microsoft Word, for example. When you are typing text online, it's being converted into HTML code ... whereas in Microsoft Word, it doesn't do that. The Tab key, for example, can indent paragraphs in Word, but the Tab key is used for navigation in a web environment. You might be able to use the Shift+Enter keyboard combination a couple to get the double-spacing you desire, but you will have to play around with that to see if it is what you want. There are also some options on the top row of the tools of the RCE that increase/decrease indents, but you'll have to play around with those as well.