I love it when I find a keyboard shortcut that eliminates menu choices. Office is full of them and I’m still discovering them. Just the other day I discovered a couple that have been available for eons, I just wasn’t aware of them. There are two shortcuts for applying line spacing.

Typically, most of us single space text when typing letters and documents. Before submitting a manuscript, I apply double space. It’s a requirement of most publishers. Doing so isn’t a big deal. Simply select the paragraphs in question and choose Paragraph from the Format menu, and then select the appropriate Line Spacing option in the Spacing section.

Occasionally, I find myself going back and forth between single and double. Usually, I decide I need a fresh hard copy and to save paper, I apply single space. After printing, I reapply double space. Again, it’s a simple matter, but if you’re like me, you appreciate keyboard shortcuts.

To single or double spacing from the keyboard, select the paragraph(s) in question and press the following key combinations, respectively:

  • Ctrl+1 for single space
  • Ctrl+2 for double space

It’s nice that the numbers represent the format. That makes the shortcuts easy to remember.

By the way, to select an entire document quickly, move the cursor to the left margin. When the arrow pointer appears, hold down the Ctrl key and click. Doing so will select everything in the document.

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