Configuring Line Spacing

Ever find yourself placing two spaces between each paragraph in your document? The default doesn't provide the space you need, so you improvise. In this lesson, we'll learn how to set your spacing between each paragraph or line to avoid adding extra spaces with the enter key.

To create custom line and paragraph spacing, do the following:

1. Select the Home menu on the ribbon
2. Find Paragraph and select the arrow toggle

This should open the Paragraph configuration window. You can control all the following from this window:

• General settings for text alignment and outline level
• Indentation of left and right margins
• Spacing before and after paragraphs, and line spacing

The default spacing for paragraphs is usually before: 0 pt., and after: 8 pt. If you find yourself hitting enter twice between paragraphs, considering increasing the after setting until the spacing is to your liking. This will help you avoid having to remove those spaces from an exported PDF and will make navigation better for assistive technology.

For Mac Users

1. Open Format on the Word Menu
2. Select Paragraph
3. Make changes

You can also use option+command+m to open the Paragraph settings.