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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTo remove unwanted space in Word, first identify whether the gap comes from line spacing, paragraph spacing, or an actual empty paragraph. Change the matching setting for the affected text; don’t delete paragraph marks to fix a spacing value. The menus vary slightly in Word for Windows, Mac, and the web.
Identify what is causing the gap
Microsoft distinguishes the space between lines within a paragraph from the space before or after a paragraph. A visible blank line may instead be a separate, empty paragraph. The fix depends on which one you have.
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- Lines within one paragraph are too far apart: adjust line spacing.
- There is too much space between paragraphs: adjust the paragraph’s Before or After spacing.
- A blank row appears between blocks of text: show formatting marks to see whether it is an empty paragraph.
To display formatting marks, use the paragraph-mark button (¶) on the Home tab. If the gap contains an extra paragraph mark, it is an inserted paragraph break; if not, check the spacing settings.
Change line spacing
Line-spacing options include Single, 1.5, Double, At least, Exactly, and Multiple. Select only the paragraphs that need changing. In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+A first if the adjustment should apply to the whole document.
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Word for Windows
- Select the affected text, or press Ctrl+A to select all text.
- Choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > Line Spacing Options.
- Under Line spacing, choose the setting you want, then select OK.
Word for Mac
- Select the affected paragraphs.
- Choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing and select a spacing value, or open Line Spacing Options.
- In the options, adjust the settings under Spacing.
For a whole-document preset on Mac, Microsoft also documents Design > Paragraph Spacing.
Word for the web
- Select the affected paragraphs, or select all text if the change should apply throughout the document.
- Choose Home > Line Spacing, then select a value or open the spacing options.
Microsoft says Word’s default spacing is 1.15 lines with 10 points after each paragraph. That is a documented default, not a guarantee for every template or customized document; check the actual settings rather than assuming those values are in use. See Microsoft’s spacing instructions and guidance on removing double line spacing.
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Reduce space before or after paragraphs
If the gap is between paragraphs, change paragraph spacing rather than line spacing. For a quick preset in Word for Windows or Mac, choose Design > Paragraph Spacing > No Paragraph Space. In Windows, Microsoft describes this preset as single-spacing the document.
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To adjust only selected paragraphs, use one of these controls:
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- Windows: select the paragraphs, then choose Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > Line Spacing Options. Under Spacing, change Before and After.
- Windows or the web: select the paragraphs, then use Layout > Spacing and adjust the Before and After boxes or arrows.
Microsoft defines Before and After as the spacing amounts around a paragraph. For platform-specific details, see its line-spacing and paragraph-spacing instructions and paragraph spacing options.
Fix spacing that keeps returning
If paragraphs that share a style repeatedly have the same unwanted spacing, the style may be setting it. Microsoft recommends modifying the style rather than correcting each paragraph one at a time.
- Find the style in the Styles gallery.
- Right-click the style and choose Modify.
- Set the desired line spacing. For finer control, choose Format > Paragraph in the Modify Style dialog.
- Confirm the change, then inspect a representative paragraph before applying it broadly.
A direct formatting override on a paragraph can affect how a style change appears, so preview the result. Microsoft’s style-level spacing guidance explains how to edit a style, but does not cover every combination of style settings and local overrides.
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Remove actual empty paragraphs
If formatting marks reveal repeated paragraph marks where the gap appears, the document contains empty paragraphs. Remove those marks only when you intend to remove the blank paragraphs; deleting them will not correct Before or After spacing.
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For consecutive empty or whitespace-only paragraphs, Microsoft Q&A Volunteer Moderator Jay Freedman shared this wildcard Find and Replace method in 2015:
- Work on a copy of the document first.
- Open Find and Replace and enable Use wildcards.
- Find
(^13)[ ^13]{1,}. - Replace with
1, inspect the matches, then use Replace All only if they are the blank paragraphs you want removed.
In that expression, ^13 matches a paragraph mark, and the bracketed set includes a space. This is dated community guidance, not a current official step-by-step Microsoft procedure. Replace All can remove intentional blank lines, so review the matches and keep the backup.
If the gap is still there
A large blank area or blank page is not necessarily caused by paragraph spacing. Check formatting marks and the relevant page or paragraph layout settings; page breaks, section layout, tables, or pagination settings may also be involved. Microsoft’s spacing instructions do not cover every cause of blank pages, so a spacing command alone may not resolve them.
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