How to change Double spaces to Single spaces in Microsoft Word


If you have a Word document that was typed using two spaces between each sentence and you want to change them to single spaces, Word provides a way to do a find and replace which makes this change with one command. Here’s how:

If you do not select any text when you begin this process, Word will search the entire document for double spaces. But if you want to search only a specific area of the document, highlight that area before starting.

For your information, Word will search for every instance of double spaces, not just between sentences. If for example, Word finds a place where someone has used five spaces instead of a tab to align text, it will replace some of these double spaces. Therefore, it is wise to select a particular at a time before beginning this procedure especially for long documents.

  • On the Home tab of the Ribbon, click “Replace” on the far right to open the Find and Replace window or just press Ctrl+H.

In the window, type two spaces into the “Find What” box, and one space into the “Replace With” box. This is basically telling Word to search for all instances of double spaces and replace them with single space.

  • If you want to replace everything it finds, click “Replace All”. You can also click through the document with “Find Next” if you want to check every instance before replacing it. Your choice.

After you click “Replace All” and let Word search the entire document, you’ll see a notification informing you the amount of replacements made by Word.

If you only searched for the part you selected, Word will offer to search the rest of the document for you.

Whichever way, every instance of the double spaces in the document or selection would be corrected.



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