Set the Default Paragraph and Line Spacing

The Change the Amount of Space Before and After Paragraphs and the Change Line Spacing sections discuss how to change the space between paragraphs and set the line spacing for paragraphs you have selected, respectively. If you want to change the space before, space after, and the line spacing for the entire document, use the Paragraph Spacing option on the Design tab.

Styles help you quickly format your document. You can organize styles into groups called Style Sets. Word offers several predefined Style Sets and you can create your own. If you have not selected another Style Set, you are using the default Style Set, Word 2013.

When you click the Paragraph Spacing button on the Design tab, a gallery appears. Word divides the gallery into two parts: Style Set and Built-In. The option listed under Style Set, contains the default line spacing and paragraph settings for the Style Set you are using. The options listed under Built-In provide alternatives to the default. If you do not like the current settings, you can select one of the Built-In alternatives.

Built-in Options
Option	Settings
No Paragraph Space	Spacing Before: 0 pt Spacing After: 0 pt Line Spacing: 1
Compact	Spacing Before: 0 pt Spacing After: 4 pt Line Spacing: 1
Tight	Spacing Before: 0 pt Spacing After: 6 pt Line Spacing: 1.15
Open	Spacing Before: 0 pt Spacing After: 10 pt Line Spacing: 1.15
Relaxed	Spacing Before: 0 pt Spacing After: 6 pt Line Spacing: 1.5
Double	Spacing Before: 0 pt Spacing After: 8 pt Line Spacing: 2

Set the Default Paragraph and Line Spacing

1. Choose the Design tab.
2. Click the Paragraph Spacing button in the Document Formatting Group.
3. Click the menu option you want. Word reformats your document.

How do I change things back to the way they were in Office 2003?

Choose the Design tab. Click the down-arrow  next to the Styles gallery. As you hover over each style, you should see its style name. Locate and click the Word 2003 style.