Understanding the Basics of Formatting in Microsoft Word

The Importance of Proper Formatting

Formatting in Microsoft Word is an essential skill anyone who uses the program needs to master. It covers a wide range of tasks from setting margins, choosing fonts and sizes, and arranging texts in a sophisticated and presentable way. One of these important tasks is double spacing, which plays a significant role in enhancing readability. It's especially critical in academic and formal writing where specific formatting standards must be met. Not only does double spacing make a document more pleasant to the eyes, but it also leaves room for notes or corrections in case your document undergoes a review process.

Understanding How to Format in Word

Microsoft Word is feature-rich, user-friendly, and interactive, making the entire process of formatting relatively easy even for first-time users. It offers an array of formatting tools that users can access and use to customize their document based on their preferences or specific requirements. Learning how to utilize these tools will not only allow you to craft documents more efficiently but also make them look more professional.

Basics of Double Spacing

In Microsoft Word, there's no need to press Enter twice to create a double space after every line. The program offers a feature that allows users to set the entire document or specific portions of it to be double-spaced automatically. Double spacing in Word involves magnifying the white space between lines, hence, creating a ‘breathing room’ that vastly improves the document’s readability.

Procedures: How to Double Space on Word

Double Spacing the Entire Document

To double space the whole document, you first need to select everything by pressing Ctrl+A (Command+A for Mac users). Then go to the Home tab, navigate to the Paragraph group, and click on the Line and Paragraph Spacing icon. Choose 2.0. Doing this will set your entire text to be double spaced. This method is simple, straightforward, and efficient, especially when dealing with long documents.

Double Spacing a Portion of the Text

There are instances when you might not need to double space the entire document, but only certain parts of it. To achieve this, first, hold down your cursor and drag it across the specific text area you want to double space. Then, similar to how you would double space the entire document, navigate to the Line and Paragraph Spacing tool and select 2.0. All the selected text will now be double spaced.

Double Spacing Specific Paragraphs

If you want to double space a specific paragraph, place your cursor anywhere in that paragraph, then select 2.0 from the Line and Paragraph Spacing icon. By default, Word takes the paragraph where your cursor is placed as the target for formatting changes. So unlike when double spacing specific text, there's no need to select the whole paragraph.

Extra Tips on Double Spacing in Microsoft Word

Making Double Spacing Default

If you find yourself regularly using the double spacing feature, it might be more convenient to set it as your default spacing option. To do this, go to the Home tab and, in the Styles group, right-click on Normal then choose Modify. Under Formatting, click on the Double Space button then set as Default.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can save time and make your work in Word more efficient. For example, you can double space your line or paragraph instantly by pressing Ctrl+2. Keyboard shortcuts are incredibly efficient, particularly when dealing with lengthy documents.

Adjusting Spacing After a Punctuation

Word allows you to adjust the spacing after punctuations to suit your preferences. By default, Word sets the space after a period as wider than the space between words. To change this, navigate to the File tab, click Options, then Proofing. Click AutoCorrect Options, then reach the AutoFormat As You Type tab. Untick the “Add space after period” option to deactivate this rule.