Line spacing is the distance between two lines of text in a document.
The default line spacing differs in various versions of MS Word. Earlier versions of Word had single spacing, but in 2007, Microsoft changed it to 1.5. In later versions, they reduced the default line spacing to 1.08.
Using a line spacing of 1.0 or single spacing compresses the lines and makes the document difficult to read. You can change the default value to be 1.5 or even 2.0 depending on your requirements.
Increasing the line spacing makes a document easier to read. But keep in mind that it also increases the length of the document.
3 Methods to change single spacing in Microsoft Word:
You can easily set line spacing in your MS Word document by:
- Adjusting the line spacing
- Adjusting the paragraph settings
- Default line setting for a new document
We will show you all the methods in simple, step-by-step instructions.
Let us begin.
Method #1: Adjust the Line Spacing
This method is useful for setting the line spacing within a paragraph.
Step #1: Open a Word document
Open an existing Word document.
Place the cursor in the paragraph where you want to change the line spacing.
For this example, we are using a document with a line spacing of 2.0.
Step #2: Change the paragraph settings
In the top menu bar, click on the Home tab to change the ribbon.
Within the Paragraph group, click on the Line and Paragraph Spacing icon.
A menu will open, listing various line spacing.
Click and select the 1.0 option.
The paragraph changes to single line spacing.
Method #2: Set Single Spacing with Paragraph Settings
This method is useful for setting line spacing within, and spacing before and after the paragraph.
Step #1: Open a Word document
Open an existing Word document.
Place the cursor in the paragraph where you want to change the line spacing.
For this example, we are using a document with a line spacing of 2.0.
Step #2: Change the paragraph settings
In the top menu bar, click on the Home tab to change the ribbon.
Click on the down arrow on the bottom right side of the Paragraph group.
This opens a Paragraph dialog box.
In the section Spacing, click the down arrow below Line Spacing:.
A menu will open.
Click on Single.
Enter the spacing value you want for Before: and After: the paragraph in the section Spacing.
Click on the OK button at the bottom to close the dialog box.
The paragraph now has single line spacing, and other settings according to your choice.
Method #3: Default Line Setting for a New Document
This method sets the default line setting and paragraph settings for a new document.
Step #1: Open a new Word document
Open a new document.
Step #2: Set the Line and Paragraph settings
In the top menu bar, click on the Home tab to change the ribbon.
Click on the down arrow on the bottom right side of the Paragraph group.
This opens a Paragraph dialog box.
In the section Spacing, click the down arrow below Line Spacing:.
A menu will open.
Click on Single.
Enter the spacing value you want for Before: and After: the paragraph in the section Spacing.
Click on the Set as Default button at the bottom of the dialog box.
Another dialog box will open with two choices:
- This document only — Your chosen settings will affect only the current document.
- All documents based on the Normal template — Your chosen settings will change the Normal template. This will affect all new documents you open from now on.
Select the choice you want.
For this example, we have selected the first choice.
Click on the OK button at the bottom to close both dialog boxes.
Now, when you type in the new document, all paragraphs will follow your settings.
Conclusion
We have shown you three quick methods of how you can set single spacing in MS Word documents.
We have also shared how to set single spacing as a default for a new document. Use our simple methods to your best advantage.