Line spacing controls the distance between lines inside a paragraph. If a Google Doc looks cramped or excessively loose, adjust this setting rather than adding an empty paragraph after every visible line.
Apply spacing to the right paragraphs
- Open the document on a computer.
- Click inside one paragraph, or select several paragraphs that should match.
- Choose Format > Line & paragraph spacing.
- Select Single, 1.15, 1.5, Double, or the appropriate custom setting.
The toolbar’s spacing control offers the same category of adjustments. Check the selection before applying a document-wide change; quotations, captions, and body paragraphs may have different legitimate requirements.
Distinguish line spacing from paragraph spacing
If lines within a paragraph look correct but the gap between paragraphs is wrong, change the space before or after paragraphs instead. Double line spacing and an extra paragraph gap can accumulate, making a report appear much looser than intended.
Show non-printing characters from the View menu if the document contains manual line breaks or empty paragraphs. Formatting cannot reliably compensate for inconsistent paragraph structure imported from another source.
Check a representative passage
Inspect a short paragraph, a long paragraph, and a list after the change. In Pages format, line spacing can alter pagination and move a heading or table to another page. Review the output before assuming that the new page count represents added or missing text.
If a submission specifies double spacing, apply the actual spacing rule rather than estimating a similar visual gap. Keep the required font and size unchanged unless the instructions also permit those changes. Correct spacing should remain predictable as the text wraps and the document grows.
References
Reviewed against the linked official product guidance on November 3, 2026. Features, limits, screen labels, and access can vary by account, platform, region, and organization policy.