To double underline text in Microsoft Word, select the text and press Ctrl+Shift+D on Windows or Command+Shift+D on a Mac. If you prefer menus, open the Font dialog box, choose the double line in the Underline style list and select OK.
Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions for Word on Windows, Mac and the web, plus how to double underline only the words (not the spaces), change the line color, and create an accounting-style double line under totals in a table.
Quick Answer
- Select the text you want to double underline.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+D (Windows) or Command+Shift+D (Mac).
- Or open the Font dialog box (Ctrl+D on Windows, Command+D on Mac), pick the double line under Underline style, and select OK.
In This Guide
- Before you start
- Double underline with the Font dialog (Windows)
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Double underline in Word for Mac
- Word for the web
- Words only, spaces and underline color
- Accounting-style double lines in tables
- Remove a double underline
- Troubleshooting
- Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Start
These steps apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows, and to Word for Mac, as of September 2026. Microsoft’s own instructions for underline styles are on the Underline text or spaces support page.
A double underline is a character format, just like bold or italic. It sits under the letters of the text you select and moves with that text. If you want a double line that spans a whole cell or a whole width no matter how long the text is, that’s a border, which is covered in the table section below.
Double Underline With the Font Dialog (Windows)
The Font dialog box is the most reliable method because it works in every desktop version and also lets you pick a color.
- Select the text you want to double underline. To select a single word, double-click it.
- On the Home tab, find the Font group and select the small arrow in its bottom-right corner (the dialog box launcher). You can also press Ctrl+D. Expected result: the Font dialog box opens on the Font tab.
- Open the Underline style drop-down list.
- Choose the double line (the style showing two parallel lines). Expected result: the Preview box at the bottom shows your text with two lines under it.
- Optionally, open Underline color and choose a color.
- Select OK. Expected result: the selected text now has a double underline.
In most desktop versions you can also select the small arrow next to the U (Underline) button on the Home tab and pick the double underline from the list of styles. If you don’t see it there, select More Underlines, which opens the same Font dialog box.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Microsoft lists these shortcuts on its keyboard shortcuts in Word page:
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Double underline | Ctrl+Shift+D | Command+Shift+D |
| Single underline | Ctrl+U | Command+U |
| Underline words but not spaces | Ctrl+Shift+W | Command+Shift+W |
| Open the Font dialog box | Ctrl+D or Ctrl+Shift+F | Command+D |
| Remove manual character formatting | Ctrl+Spacebar | Not listed |
To use the shortcut while typing, press Ctrl+Shift+D, type your text, then press it again to stop. Pressing it on text that already has a double underline removes it.
Double Underline in Word for Mac
- Select the text.
- Press Command+Shift+D. Expected result: the text gets a double underline immediately.
- For more control, choose Format in the menu bar, then Font (or press Command+D).
- In the Underline style list, choose the double line, pick an Underline color if you like, and select OK.
On some Mac keyboards, function keys or system shortcuts can interfere with Word shortcuts. If Command+Shift+D does nothing, use the Format menu instead.
Word for the Web
Word for the web (the browser version at office.com) has a simpler toolbar. You’ll find the Underline button on the Home tab, but the full Font dialog box isn’t available, and the extra underline styles may not appear depending on your version. If you can’t find a double underline option:
- Select Editing near the top-right, or look for the Open in Desktop App option.
- Apply the double underline in desktop Word using the steps above.
- Save the document. The formatting is stored in the file, so it should still show when you reopen it in the browser.
Words Only, Spaces and Underline Color
Double underline the words but not the spaces
Word has a Words only underline style, but it uses a single line. To get double lines under words while leaving spaces plain, apply the double underline to each word separately. For long passages, it’s usually simpler to accept the double line under the spaces too.
Double underline blank space, such as a signature line
- On the Home tab, select Show/Hide (the paragraph mark button) so you can see tab characters.
- Press Tab a few times where you want the line.
- Select those tab characters and press Ctrl+Shift+D, or apply the double style in the Font dialog box.
Microsoft recommends tabs rather than typed underscores for blank lines in printed documents, because tabs line up more consistently. For fill-in forms used on screen, a table cell with a bottom border works better, since the line doesn’t move as people type.
Change the underline color
Open the Font dialog box, keep the double style selected and choose an Underline color. The text color stays the same. Our guide on changing underline color in Word covers this in more detail.
Accounting-Style Double Lines in Tables
In financial statements, a double line under a total traditionally means “final figure.” Excel has dedicated Single Accounting and Double Accounting underline styles, which Microsoft describes as underlines that fill the width of a cell. Word’s underline list doesn’t include an accounting style, so in a Word table you create the same look with a double bottom border on the total cell.
- Click in, or select, the cell or cells that hold the total.
- Select the Table Design tab (called Design under Table Tools in some older versions).
- Open Line Style (or the pen style list) and choose the double line.
- Open the Borders drop-down and select Bottom Border. Expected result: a double line appears across the full width of the cell, regardless of the number’s length.
Microsoft’s Add a border to a table page shows the equivalent Table Design steps for Word for Mac. Labels can differ slightly between versions.
Which should you use? Use a character double underline when you want the lines under the text only. Use a double bottom border when you want a clean line across the whole cell, as in accounting tables.
Remove a Double Underline
- Select the double-underlined text.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+D (or Command+Shift+D on a Mac) to toggle it off. Microsoft also notes that pressing Ctrl+U twice removes other underline styles.
- Alternatively, open the Font dialog box and set Underline style to (none).
To strip all manual character formatting (bold, italic, underline and so on) at once, press Ctrl+Spacebar on Windows, or see our guide on removing all formatting in Word.
Troubleshooting
Ctrl+Shift+D doesn’t do anything
Another app, such as a screen recorder or keyboard utility, may be using the same shortcut. Use the Font dialog box instead. Also confirm you selected text first, or that your cursor is where you want to start typing.
The double underline also covers spaces
That’s normal. Double underline applies to every selected character, including spaces. Apply it word by word if you want gaps.
The line looks single on screen
At low zoom levels the two lines can blur together. Zoom in to check, or look at a print preview.
The line stops short in a table
Character underlines only extend as far as the text. Use a double bottom border on the cell for a full-width line.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the shortcut for double underline in Word?
Ctrl+Shift+D on Windows and Command+Shift+D on a Mac.
Can I make the double underline a different color from the text?
Yes. In the Font dialog box, choose a color under Underline color.
Can I double underline in Word for the web?
The web version has fewer underline options. If you don’t see a double style, open the document in the desktop app, apply it there and save.
Does Word have a double accounting underline?
That style is an Excel feature. In Word, use a double bottom border on the table cell for the same effect.
Can I make double underline part of a style?
Yes. Modify a paragraph or character style, choose Format and then Font, and set the double underline there. Everything using that style updates.
Summary
- Select your text.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+D (Windows) or Command+Shift+D (Mac).
- Or use the Font dialog box and choose the double line in Underline style.
- Set Underline color in the same dialog if needed.
- For totals in tables, use a double bottom border instead.
Next step: try Ctrl+Shift+D on a heading or total in your document now, and if you need other underline styles, read our guide on how to underline text in Word.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.