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How to Change Line Spacing in LaTeX
Use the setspace package. Load it in the preamble and pick one of \singlespacing, \onehalfspacing, or \doublespacing. That is the whole answer for most documents — the rest of this page is why the alternatives you may have seen are worse, and how to handle partial-document and custom-factor cases.
The right answer: setspace
One design decision makes this package the right one: setspace deliberately keeps footnotes and float captions single-spaced while the body text stretches. That is the typographically correct behavior, and it is exactly what thesis offices and journals mean when they ask for "double-spaced manuscript". Roll your own spacing and you lose this for free.
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
\singlespacing | Default spacing (useful to switch back mid-document) |
\onehalfspacing | One-and-a-half spacing |
\doublespacing | Double spacing |
\setstretch{1.25} | Any custom stretch factor |
Why not \baselinestretch?
Older forum answers recommend the raw mechanism:
Two traps. First, the change only takes effect at the next font size change, because that is when TeX recomputes the baseline distance. Put it mid-document and nothing happens until a \section or an explicit \selectfont comes along — which reads as "LaTeX ignored my command". Second, it stretches everything, footnotes and captions included, which is not what any style guide wants. setspace exists precisely to paper over both problems. There is no situation in a normal document where the raw command is the better choice.
Changing spacing for part of a document
The spacing commands work mid-document, and setspace also provides environments for a bounded block:
One subtlety: line spacing is applied when a paragraph ends. If you put \end{spacing} before the blank line that ends the paragraph, the paragraph gets the outer spacing, not the one you asked for. Keep the environment's end after the paragraph break and it behaves.
The manuscript-review use case
The single most common reason anyone needs this: a journal asks for a double-spaced manuscript for review. The recipe is two lines, and it's trivially reversible for the final version:
Because footnotes and captions stay single-spaced, the output matches what editorial offices actually expect — no special handling needed. If the guidelines specify an exact factor ("line spacing of exactly 2"), \setstretch{2} gives you the literal number; \doublespacing uses the slightly different factor that traditional double spacing corresponds to for the current font size. In practice nobody measures, but the knob is there.
One-off vertical gaps are a different problem
Wanting extra room after one particular line is not a line-spacing problem. For that, use a break with an explicit gap, or \vspace between paragraphs:
Resist the urge to fake wider line spacing with \\[6pt] on every line. It doesn't reflow, it breaks when text is edited, and \setstretch already does the real thing in one line of preamble.
Frequently asked questions
How do I double space a LaTeX document?
Load the setspace package and put \doublespacing in the preamble: \usepackage{setspace} then \doublespacing. The whole document switches, while footnotes and float captions deliberately stay single-spaced — which is what journals reviewing your manuscript expect.
What is the difference between setspace and \baselinestretch?
\renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.5} is the raw mechanism: it only takes effect after a font size change, and it leaks into footnotes and captions. setspace wraps the same mechanism correctly — it applies immediately and keeps footnotes and captions single-spaced. Use setspace.
How do I set 1.5 line spacing in LaTeX?
\usepackage{setspace} with \onehalfspacing in the preamble. Note this sets the baseline distance to what 'one-and-a-half spacing' means typographically, which is not literally 1.5 times the font size — if a style guide demands an exact factor, use \setstretch{1.5} instead.
How do I change line spacing for only part of a document?
Use setspace's environments: wrap the block in \begin{doublespace}...\end{doublespace}, or \begin{spacing}{1.8}...\end{spacing} for a custom factor. Spacing switches take effect at the end of a paragraph, so keep the \end after the paragraph's final blank line.
How to Change Line Spacing in LaTeX
Use the setspace package. Load it in the preamble and pick one of \singlespacing, \onehalfspacing, or \doublespacing. That is the whole answer for most documents — the rest of this page is why the alternatives you may have seen are worse, and how to handle partial-document and custom-factor cases.
The right answer: setspace
One design decision makes this package the right one: setspace deliberately keeps footnotes and float captions single-spaced while the body text stretches. That is the typographically correct behavior, and it is exactly what thesis offices and journals mean when they ask for "double-spaced manuscript". Roll your own spacing and you lose this for free.
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
\singlespacing | Default spacing (useful to switch back mid-document) |
\onehalfspacing | One-and-a-half spacing |
\doublespacing | Double spacing |
\setstretch{1.25} | Any custom stretch factor |
Why not \baselinestretch?
Older forum answers recommend the raw mechanism:
Two traps. First, the change only takes effect at the next font size change, because that is when TeX recomputes the baseline distance. Put it mid-document and nothing happens until a \section or an explicit \selectfont comes along — which reads as "LaTeX ignored my command". Second, it stretches everything, footnotes and captions included, which is not what any style guide wants. setspace exists precisely to paper over both problems. There is no situation in a normal document where the raw command is the better choice.
Changing spacing for part of a document
The spacing commands work mid-document, and setspace also provides environments for a bounded block:
One subtlety: line spacing is applied when a paragraph ends. If you put \end{spacing} before the blank line that ends the paragraph, the paragraph gets the outer spacing, not the one you asked for. Keep the environment's end after the paragraph break and it behaves.
The manuscript-review use case
The single most common reason anyone needs this: a journal asks for a double-spaced manuscript for review. The recipe is two lines, and it's trivially reversible for the final version:
Because footnotes and captions stay single-spaced, the output matches what editorial offices actually expect — no special handling needed. If the guidelines specify an exact factor ("line spacing of exactly 2"), \setstretch{2} gives you the literal number; \doublespacing uses the slightly different factor that traditional double spacing corresponds to for the current font size. In practice nobody measures, but the knob is there.
One-off vertical gaps are a different problem
Wanting extra room after one particular line is not a line-spacing problem. For that, use a break with an explicit gap, or \vspace between paragraphs:
Resist the urge to fake wider line spacing with \\[6pt] on every line. It doesn't reflow, it breaks when text is edited, and \setstretch already does the real thing in one line of preamble.
Frequently asked questions
How do I double space a LaTeX document?
Load the setspace package and put \doublespacing in the preamble: \usepackage{setspace} then \doublespacing. The whole document switches, while footnotes and float captions deliberately stay single-spaced — which is what journals reviewing your manuscript expect.
What is the difference between setspace and \baselinestretch?
\renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.5} is the raw mechanism: it only takes effect after a font size change, and it leaks into footnotes and captions. setspace wraps the same mechanism correctly — it applies immediately and keeps footnotes and captions single-spaced. Use setspace.
How do I set 1.5 line spacing in LaTeX?
\usepackage{setspace} with \onehalfspacing in the preamble. Note this sets the baseline distance to what 'one-and-a-half spacing' means typographically, which is not literally 1.5 times the font size — if a style guide demands an exact factor, use \setstretch{1.5} instead.
How do I change line spacing for only part of a document?
Use setspace's environments: wrap the block in \begin{doublespace}...\end{doublespace}, or \begin{spacing}{1.8}...\end{spacing} for a custom factor. Spacing switches take effect at the end of a paragraph, so keep the \end after the paragraph's final blank line.
Getting Started
Text Formatting
Mathematical Expressions
Document Structure
Page Layout
Errors & Troubleshooting