In word processors like MS Word and Google Docs, when you hit enter, you just started a new paragraph. Now, I use both MS Word and Google Docs religiously but I’ve noticed a difference between the two when it comes to the default spacing between paragraphs. In MS Word, there is a spacing of 8pt set by default after a paragraph and there’s also a line spacing of 1.08 (as you can see in the paragraph options). In Google Docs, the default line spacing is 1.15 and that’s all there is (without tweaking). There’s no space added between the paragraphs. You must increase the spacing by yourselves.
I am not sure about others but for me, I prefer a bit of spacing between two chunks of text. That’s how we separate them and give the readers a bit of relief from reading paragraphs that might look boring without the spacing. Pressing the enter key twice is not the optimum solution for creating that gap. There’s even a simpler option but you’d have to do it every time you start a blank Google Document.
To add spacing between paragraphs in Google Docs:
- From the menu, click on Format.
- Go to Line Spacing > Add space after paragraph.
It is as simple as that. Now, every time you hit enter, you will notice that there’s some clearance. There’s even an option that says Add space before paragraph which does just as it says. If you need some custom spacing then go to Line Spacing > Custom spacing and enter the appropriate values for Paragraph spacing (pts) and Line spacing if you need it.
If you have already typed your content and you chose to Add space after paragraph, and now you are scratching your head and wondering why the spacing is only added to the active paragraph then here’s a simple solution. Just highlight all the text (CTRL +A) and increase the line spacing for the option. Now every paragraph you see on the screen will have proper spacing. After you have applied this setting, you also notice a Remove space after paragraph or Remove space before paragraph option that shows up in the same sub-menu.
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