Double spacing documents in Google Docs is easy and can be done in just a few clicks. Whether you need to double space for a school paper, formatting guidelines at work, publishing requirements, or personal preference, this guide will walk you through the exact steps.
Why Double Space Documents?
Before jumping into the step-by-step instructions, let’s first cover why you may want to double space a document in Google Docs. Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Academic papers and essays – Many style guidelines for academic writing, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago, require double spacing. This leaves room for editors and professors to make notes and corrections.
- Publishing standards – Fiction and nonfiction books, newspapers, magazines, and scientific journals often require submissions to be double spaced. This makes editing and formatting easier for publishers.
- Readability – The extra space between lines can increase readability and reduce eye strain for those reviewing or reading long documents.
- Formatting flexibility – Double spacing gives you more flexibility with formatting options like text size, margins, headers/footers, page numbers, etc.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Web
Follow these simple steps to double space Google Docs when you’re using the web browser on a computer or laptop:
- Open the Google Docs document you want to edit or create a new blank document.
- Select the text you want to double space. If changing the spacing in a new blank document, you can skip this step.
- Click on the “Format” menu at the top.
- Select “Line & Paragraph Spacing” from the drop-down menu.
- Choose the “Double” option.
The selected text, or entire document if newly created, will now be formatted with double line spacing.
Google Docs double space menu
Changing line spacing options in Google Docs.
You can adjust the spacing further or revert changes at any point by following the same steps and choosing another value like “Single” or “1.5”.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Mobile
Need to double space while on the go from your phone or tablet? Here are the steps for mobile:
- Open the Google Docs app on your Android or iOS device.
- Select the text you want to edit or start a new blank document.
- Tap the edit (pencil) icon in the bottom right corner.
- Choose the “Format” option at the top.
- Select “Paragraph” from the menu.
- Under “Line Spacing”, use the up arrow to change the value to 2.
The app will instantly double space the selected text or entire document. You can adjust or remove the double spacing later by following the same steps.
Pro Tips for Double Spacing
- When double spacing between paragraphs, make sure to also choose the “Add space before paragraph” option. This will put extra space between each paragraph instead of just the lines.
- Use the “Keep lines together” feature to prevent awkward one-line paragraphs at the top or bottom of pages.
- Quickly remove double spacing by highlighting text and choosing “Clear formatting” under the “Format” menu.
- For publishing, carefully review for extra spaces between words or at the end of sentences which are harder to spot with double spacing.
Conclusion
And that’s it! As you can see, applying double line spacing in Google Docs only takes seconds whether you’re on desktop or mobile.
By mastering these simple formatting techniques, you’ll gain flexibility when adhering to style guidelines or improving readability. So next time you need to double space a document, follow this quick reference guide to save time.
