Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Understanding At Least Line Spacing.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 27, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
There are several methods Word can use for line spacing. Typically, the default spacing type (as specified in the Line Spacing field of the Paragraph formatting dialog box) is Single. This means line spacing will be adjusted, automatically, as a "single" line. Word's definition of "single" means that the spacing is 120% of the largest font size or element on each individual line. Thus, if the largest font size used on a particular line is 20 pt, then the line spacing for that line will be 24 pt.
The effect of the default setting is that if you end up with a line that has nothing but small type on it, then the spacing for that line will be less than for the other lines in the paragraph. If you don't want this to occur, you can use the At Least line spacing setting. This setting allows you to specify the minimum line spacing for the paragraph. Word is free to increase spacing beyond what you specify, but it cannot reduce it.
To change this setting, follow these steps:
Figure 1. Adjusting to use At Least line spacing.
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2021-04-17 05:14:30
Timothy Rylatt
Word's definition of "single" means that the spacing is 120% of the largest font size or element on each individual line.
Sorry, that is simply incorrect. Word's definition of single spacing is whatever line spacing is defined in the font. For Times New Roman that is 120%, but for other fonts it will generally be a lot less, e.g. Arial is approx 115%
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
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