How to Turn Off Double Spacing in Word 2013

Depending on your version of Word, the default spacing for your document might be double spaced, or something other than single-spaced text.

While the amount of space between the lines in your document might not seem important, many organizations have specific requirements for this setting.

Our tutorial below will show you how to change double-spaced documents to single-spaced ones by adjusting a setting in the Paragraph group on the ribbon.

How to Switch from Double Spacing to Single Spacing in Word 2013

  1. Open your document.
  2. Press Ctrl + A to select everything.
  3. Click the Home tab.
  4. Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button.
  5. Choose the desired line spacing.

Our article continues below with additional information on changing the default line spacing. Sections below also include pictures for these steps if you are having difficulty finding some of the settings we discuss.

Some documents that you create in Microsoft Word will need double spacing, and some will need single spacing.

Depending on your application’s current setting, or the spacing option chosen for an existing document, switching the line spacing can present some challenges, especially if you need to change it for an entire document.

Line spacing is also one of the biggest factors that contribute to the length of a document. If you are using double spacing by default, then any document you create can be almost twice the length that it would be if you were using single spacing instead.

If the copy of Microsoft Word 2013 on your computer is set to double space by default, then you can adjust this setting to use a different sized line spacing. Follow our short guide below to find out how you can change your default line spacing in Word 2013.

The next section outlines how to adjust the default line spacing setting in Word.

How to Get Rid of Default Double Spacing in Word 2013 (Guide with Pictures)

This tutorial will assume that the default line spacing in your copy of Word 2013 is set to double spacing, and that you want to change it to single spacing.

If you simply want to change the spacing on an existing document, and do not want to change the default settings, then you can read this article. This can be a good option if your school or place of employment requires double-spacing, but you have a single document that you want to modify.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word 2013.

Step 2: Click the Home tab at the top of the window.

click the home tab

Step 3: Click the small Paragraph Settings button at the bottom-right corner of the Paragraph section of the navigational ribbon.

how to turn off double spacing in word 2013

Step 4: Click the drop-down menu under Line spacing, then select the Single option. Note that you can select any other line spacing option that you prefer.

select the preferred line spacing

Step 5: Click the Set as Default button at the bottom of the window.

click the set as default button

Step 6: Click the button to the left of All documents based on the Normal template, then click the OK button.

choose to set it for all documents, then click OK

Any new document that you create in Word 2013 will now use the line spacing that you just selected.

Summary – How to change default line spacing in Word 2013

  1. Click the Home tab.
  2. Click the Paragraph Settings button in the Paragraph section of the ribbon.
  3. Click the drop-down menu under Line Spacing, then select the desired line spacing.
  4. Click the Set as Default button.
  5. Click the circle to the left of All documents based on the Normal template, then click OK.

If you have an existing document that is double-spaced, and you would like to change it to single spacing, then you can follow the steps in the section below instead.

How to Single Space in Word 2013 (Guide with Pictures)

Step 1: Click anywhere inside the document, then press Ctrl + A to select the entire document.

select the entire document body

Step 2: Click the Home tab at the top of the window.

click the Home tab

Step 3: Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button in the Paragraph section of the ribbon, then click the 1.0 option.

how to single space in word 2013

Summary – How to remove double spacing in an existing Word document and switch to single spacing

  1. Click inside the body of the document, then press Ctrl + A to select the whole document.
  2. Click the Home tab.
  3. Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button, then click 1.0.

Note that you don’t need to select everything in the document if it’s a blank, new document. You can simply change the setting on the Line and Paragraph spacing menu.

Would you like your new documents to save to a different location? Learn how to change the default Word 2013 save location and start saving your documents in the location of your choosing.

If you only want to single space part of a document then you can use your mouse to select that part of your Microsoft Word document, then click the Line and Paragraph Spacing icon in the Paragraph group of the ribbon and choose the 1.0 option from the dropdown menu.

Frequently Asked Questions About Double Line Spacing in Microsoft Word

Do I need to create a new document if I need single spaces and my current document has double spaces?

No, fortunately, Microsoft Word allows you to set line spacing for both new Word documents and for existing documents.

You can quickly remove double spaces by selecting the double-spaced part of the document (or pressing Ctrl + A to select all the text in the document) then you can click the Home tab, followed by the Paragraph and Line Spacing button and choosing the 1.0 option.

How do I open the Paragraph dialog box in Microsoft Word?

if you are trying to make changes to a blank document or an existing one, then you might have read something about opening the Paragraph dialogue box.

This can be tricky to find, because it involves clicking on a small icon that you may not even realize is clickable.

If you select the Home tab at the top of the window, you can then look for the Paragraph group on the ribbon.

At the bottom-right corner of that section is a small button that looks like a square with a diagonal arrow on it. Click that button to open the Paragraph dialog box.

Why are my old documents still double spaced after I changed the default line spacing?

When you change some of the default options in Microsoft Word it will only affect future new documents that you create.

It won’t change any of the settings for documents that you have previously created, nor will it change the settings for documents that other people share with you.

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