from one paragraph to the next.
The way to fix this is to add “paragraph spacing” after each paragraph. You can do this from the “Line spacing” dropdown menu,
…or from the Paragraph options box that you access by right-clicking on your text and choosing “Paragraph”.
I typically use something like “10 pt” after each paragraph, and “0 pt” before each paragraph. Choose what looks like a normal space and you’ll be fine.
After you’ve done that, and while your text cursor is still in the same paragraph, go up to the Styles panel (from above), right-click on the “Normal” option, and click “Update Normal to match selection”. That will apply your new line spacing to every paragraph, including future ones that you type. Now, you don’t need to hit “Enter” twice between paragraphs. You’re good to go!
Sometimes this kind of line spacing can confuse people, when they really want to make two lines of text that are next to each other (for example, for a signoff or signature and job title at the bottom of a document). In those cases, you can use “Shift + Enter” on your keyboard (hold Shift and push Enter) to add a line break that doesn’t have the extra line spacing attached.
When you customize your heading styles (using the instructions above) and save a reusable template file, adding a Normal paragraph style with line spacing is a great addition. You can use the same line spacing options to customize the space around your headings. It’s a whole typographic art. The more you know!
A number of universities have great websites that discuss accessibility best practices in Microsoft Word. This includes how to create good headings, along with other important steps (alternative image text, using tables and lists properly, and using Word’s built-in accessibility tools):
- Wright State University’s Accessibility for Online Course Content
- OCAD’s Accessible Digital Office Document (ADOD) Project
- University of Washington’s Accessible Technology website
- Penn State’s Accessibility website
Another great resource is the WebAim guide to creating accessible documents in Word.
If you use other tools (Google Docs, Pages for Mac, etc.), you can use similar steps to add real headings to your documents. Let me know if it’d be useful to add these as a future tech tip, and if you have any feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out!