Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 16, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365
On the Home tab of the ribbon Valerie can use the Line and Paragraph Spacing tool (in the Paragraph group) to choose some standard line spacing options such as 1.0, 1.15, 1.5, etc. She would like to include some other line spacing options that she uses quite a lot, such as 1.2, 1.23, 1.25, etc. She wonders if there is a way to modify the options shown in the tool.
There is no way to modify the options available on that particular tool's drop-down list, at least not as far as I've been able to determine. However, there may be an easier way to accomplish your desire instead of trying to modify the tool—just use styles.
The whole idea behind styles is to consistently apply common formatting to your text. Thus, if you commonly want to have paragraphs that use 1.2 line spacing, you could create a style for that formatting need and apply it where you need it. Styles can also be associated with keyboard shortcuts, which means that you'd be able to apply them very quickly. If you prefer, you could also add your custom style to the Style Gallery that appears on the Home tab of the ribbon. (How you create styles, associate them with shortcut keys, and add them to the gallery have been covered in other issues of WordTips. Just do some judicious searching on the WordTips website and you'll find all the info you need.)
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12912) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365.
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2021-01-17 18:29:43
Karen
Also, rather than using variations on 1.15 spacing, you can use "Exactly." This gives you incredible control over how close together the lines are. In "Exactly" you specify how many points you want between lines. "Single" spacing for 12 point type might be comparable to "exactly 15 points." As Allen notes, you can make the setting easily accessible by using Styles. And as a reminder, each Style dialogue box offers the possibility of setting up a keyboard shortcut for that style, such as, for example ALT + t.
2021-01-16 04:45:20
Simon Freeman
If you select the "Multiple" option for line spacing you can type in your choice e.g 1.85. I appreciate this isn't saved and then available later but it is pretty useful.
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