Change the default line spacing in Word

Applies To
Word for Microsoft 365 Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac Word 2024 Word 2024 for Mac Word 2021 Word 2021 for Mac Word 2019 Word 2016

The default line spacing in Word is 1.15. By default, paragraphs are followed by a blank line and headings have a space above them.

  1. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing Line and Paragraph Spacing button  and then choose Line Spacing Options.

    Options to change line spacing in Word

  2. Under Spacing, choose an option in the Line spacing box.

    Line spacing options

  3. Adjust the Before and After settings if you want to change spacing between paragraphs.

  4. Select Set as Default.

  5. Choose All documents based on the Normal template.
    Default line spacing dialog

  6. Select OK.

For more info, go to Adjust indents and spacing.