LaTeX Double Spacing
Use setspace. \doublespacing, \onehalfspacing, or \singlespacing. Apply to whole document or wrap a section in a spacing environment.
The basics
\usepackage{setspace}
\begin{document}
\doublespacing % from this point on, double-spaced
... body text ...
\onehalfspacing % switch to 1.5x
... more text ...
\singlespacing % back to default
\bibliography{refs}
\end{document}Apply to one section only
\begin{spacing}{2.0}
This block is double-spaced.
Multiple paragraphs all spaced equally.
\end{spacing}
Outside the environment, normal spacing.The classic thesis setup
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{setspace}
\usepackage{newtxtext,newtxmath} % Times-style fonts
\doublespacing % whole document double-spaced
\begin{document}
... your thesis ...
% Single-space the bibliography
\begin{spacing}{1.0}
\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{references}
\end{spacing}
\end{document}Spacing reference
| Want | Use |
|---|---|
| Single (default) | \singlespacing or {spacing}{1.0} |
| 1.5x line spacing | \onehalfspacing or {spacing}{1.5} |
| Double spacing | \doublespacing or {spacing}{2.0} |
| 1.25x (subtle) | \setstretch{1.25} |
| Word-compatible double | \linespread{2.0} |
Common mistakes
- Using
\linespreadinstead of setspace. Subtle bugs in tables, lists. Use setspace. - Trying to double-space only equations / tables. They have their own spacing. setspace doesn't affect them — that's usually what you want.
- Forgetting
\usepackage{setspace}. Without it,\doublespacingdoesn't exist. - Mixing setspace and
\linespreadin one document. Pick one. setspace is more robust.
#set par(leading: 0.65em) // single (default)
#set par(leading: 1em) // ~1.5x
#set par(leading: 1.5em) // ~doubleFrequently Asked Questions
Use the setspace package: \usepackage{setspace} \doublespacing in the preamble. The whole document is now double-spaced. For 1.5x: \onehalfspacing. For single (default): \singlespacing.
Set \linespread directly: \linespread{1.6} for double-ish, \linespread{1.3} for 1.5x. The values 1.6/1.3 are slightly different from setspace's pure 2.0/1.5 because LaTeX's default leading already includes some spacing. setspace gives you the 'true' double; \linespread is the 'looks-like-double' approximation.
Wrap in a spacing environment: \begin{spacing}{2.0} ... \end{spacing}. Inside, content is double-spaced; outside, normal. The argument is the spacing factor (2.0 = double, 1.5 = 1.5x, 1.0 = single).
setspace is recommended. \linespread changes spacing immediately but doesn't update during command processing — leads to subtle bugs in tables and lists. setspace is more robust and provides higher-level commands (\doublespacing) that handle edge cases properly.
APA 7 mandates double-spacing throughout: title page, abstract, body, references, footnotes — everything. \usepackage{setspace} \doublespacing in the preamble. Don't add extra paragraph spacing — APA expects the whole paper to be uniformly double-spaced.
Most universities require either double-spacing or 1.5x for the main body. Footnotes and bibliography are often single-spaced. Quotations longer than ~4 lines are typically single-spaced and indented (block quote). Always check your university's thesis guide for specifics.
Wrap the bibliography in \begin{spacing}{1.0} \bibliography{refs} \end{spacing}. Or with biblatex, set: \AtBeginBibliography{\singlespacing}. Bibliography entries are typically single-spaced even in double-spaced theses to save space.
LaTeX's \doublespacing is mathematically double the line height; Word's 'double' has historically been double the FONT SIZE plus a bit. They're close but not identical. For exact Word compatibility, use \linespread{2.0} which produces a slightly tighter result that matches Word's output.