To remove extra spaces between words in Word, press Ctrl + H, type two spaces in Find what, type one space in Replace with, and click Replace All. Repeat until Word reports 0 replacements. For extra space between paragraphs, select the text, go to Layout, and set Spacing Before and After to 0 pt.
“Extra space” in Word can mean several different things, so the fix depends on where the gap is. The table below matches each gap to its fix.
Quick Answer
Between words: Ctrl + H, replace two spaces with one, Replace All. Between paragraphs: Layout > Spacing Before/After = 0 pt.
Remove Double Spaces Between Words
- Press Ctrl + H (Command + Shift + H on a Mac) to open Find and Replace.
- Click in Find what and press the spacebar twice.
- Click in Replace with and press the spacebar once.
- Click Replace All.
- Keep clicking Replace All until the count shows zero. Each pass shortens longer runs of spaces, so three or four passes may be needed.
Faster with wildcards: Click More, check Use wildcards, type a space followed by {2,} in Find what, a single space in Replace with, and click Replace All once.
Remove Space Between Paragraphs
- Select the paragraphs (Ctrl + A for the whole document).
- Go to the Layout tab.
- Set Spacing Before and After to 0 pt.
Or go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing and choose Remove Space After Paragraph. To keep space between paragraphs but not within lists, open the Paragraph dialog and check Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style.
Which Fix Do You Need?
| Where the gap is | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Between words | Double spaces | Find and Replace two spaces with one |
| Between words in justified text | Justify alignment stretches lines | Use Align Left (Ctrl + L) |
| Between paragraphs | Spacing Before/After | Layout > Spacing = 0 pt |
| Between lines | Line spacing | Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing > 1.0 |
| Blank lines | Extra paragraph marks | Replace ^p^p with ^p |
| Large gap before a heading or table | Keep with next, page break before | Paragraph > Line and Page Breaks, clear the options |
Remove Empty Lines
- Press Ctrl + H.
- Type ^p^p in Find what and ^p in Replace with.
- Click Replace All, and repeat until 0 replacements.
Turn on Show/Hide ¶ (Ctrl + Shift + 8) on the Home tab to see every space (shown as dots) and paragraph mark before you start.
If a blue line appears between paragraphs, it’s usually a border; see how to remove the blue line in Word.
Unwanted hyphens at line ends? See how to turn off hyphenation in Word.
If a table sits off-center, see how to align tables in Word.
Troubleshooting
- Replace All finds nothing but gaps remain: They may be tabs (^t) or non-breaking spaces (^s). Search for those instead.
- A big gap at the bottom of a page: A paragraph set to Keep with next or Keep lines together is pushing text to the next page. Check Paragraph > Line and Page Breaks.
- Spacing keeps coming back: The paragraph style includes it. Right-click the style in the Styles gallery, choose Modify, and change the spacing there.
- Numbers show at the left margin: That’s line numbering; see how to get rid of line numbers in Word.
Need the opposite? See how to double space in Word.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I delete a blank space in Word?
It’s usually paragraph spacing, a page break, or a table at the end of a page, not a typed space. Turn on Show/Hide ¶ to see what’s there.
How do I remove the space after a period?
Search for a period followed by two spaces and replace it with a period and one space.
Does this work in Word for the web?
Yes. Find and Replace is under Home > Replace. Wildcards aren’t available in the web version.
Summary
- Press Ctrl + H and replace two spaces with one.
- Set paragraph spacing to 0 pt on the Layout tab.
- Replace ^p^p with ^p to remove blank lines.
- Use Show/Hide ¶ to find hidden causes.
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.