How to Remove Double Spacing in Outlook 2016/2019/Office 365
In this article, we’ll explain to you how to remove double spacing in Outlook by providing its causes and effective fixes, whether you’re using MS Outlook 2016, 2019, or Office 365, so that it can’t lead to this problem again and ensures your email appears to the receiver in a very clean & formal manner. Let’s start.
Sometimes a user faces a problem like its sent emails look so cluttered with a lot of blank space, and it’s the issue of extra line spacing. It usually happens when a user is composing or replying to emails, whether he/she’s using Outlook 2016, 2019, or Office 365. This problem makes your emails very informal or unprofessional, which makes it not easy to read and convey the same meaning.
Why Does Outlook Adds Double Spacing?
Before diving into the solutions, it’s necessary to know what’s the reasons behind of occurrence:
1. Copy-Paste Formatting:
If you paste your body directly from any Word document, then it consists of hidden formatting, which creates unnecessary space.
2. Template or Style Error:
Outlook has its own built-in style editor, which sometimes adds extra line spacing automatically.
3. Incorrect Paragraph Settings:
You can check if you’ve enabled double feature, or by chance added extra space before the content. This can also lead to double spacing in Outlook.
4. Corrupted Data Files:
It’s very rare, but if your Outlook file gets corrupted, then it may result in formatting errors.
5. Email Format Issues:
If you’re using RTF (Rich Text Format) instead of using HTML or normal text, then it can also appear extra line.
Knowing the causes makes the decision easy in choosing the right method to stop double spacing in Outlook.
How to Remove Extra Line Spacing in Outlook?
There are many solutions given below to fix your problem:
- Adjust Paragraph Settings
- Set Default Line Spacing in Outlook Option
- Reset Formatting in Email
- Change the Email Format
- Clear Outlook Templates
Here’s the quick Step-by-Step explanation given below:
Method 1: Adjust Paragraph Settings
One of the most common & easy manual fixes to adjust the paragraph spacing in your email.
Steps:
- Launch Outlook and compose a new email.
- Navigate to Format Text Tab > click on Spacing option.
- Choose Single under the line spacing.
- Make 0 pt before and after spacing.
- Press on Set As Default button to have the new email settings.
Very quick solution to remove double spacing in Outlook.
Method 2: Reset Formatting in Email
If you’ve copied the content from any web page, Word document, or PDF, there are hidden formatting errors which add extra lines.
Steps:
- Check your Text Pasted in your email.
- Go to Message Tab > Basic Text Group > Clear All Formatting.
- Again, apply the Single Line Spacing manually.
This avoids the unwanted formatting style in your Outlook emails.
Method 3: Set Default Line Spacing in Outlook Options
If these errors are coming again and again, then remove double spacing in Outlook by setting it to the default level.
Steps:
- Open Outlook, start writing a New Email.
- Go to Format Text > Paragraph.
- Adjust your line spacing to Single and 0 pt spacing in after or before.
- Click on Set as Default for every email.
This prevents double spacing from ever coming in Outlook.
Method 4: Change Email Format
Sometimes, Outlook text style makes unwanted spacing when we open the email on a different device or another browser.
Steps:
- Nav to File > Options > Mail.
- Select HTML or Plain Normal Text, which is usually found under the compose section.
- Save all the changes.
By performing this, it’ll help you reduce formatting challenges and effectively remove extra line spacing in Outlook.
Method 5: Clear Outlook Templates
Outlook uses NormalEmail.dotm Word template for formatting. If it’s applied incorrectly, then issues will remain there:
Steps:
- Quit Outlook.
- Click on Windows+R and type %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates
- Rename your Template File and launch Outlook again; it works with the new template with built-in spacing.
This helps to solve the hidden formatting error.
Automated Fixes to Remove Extra Line Spacing in Outlook
- Update Your System’s Office: Nav to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.
- Repair Office Installation: Go to Control Panel > Programs > MS Office > Change > Repair.
- Disable Add-Ins: Navigate to File > Options > Add-Ins > Manage COM Add-ins > Disable all.
Note: In many cases, the problem of double or extra line spacing in Outlook is caused by a corrupted data file. So, trying to fix it by using manual methods is not the solution. We recommend using the SysTools Outlook Recovery Tool, which helps to repair the Outlook data file in a few seconds without any data loss. It helps to remove double spacing in Outlook corrupted files which are causing the styling errors and restore all of the data without changing the formatting.
Best Practices to Eliminate Double Spacing in Outlook
Here are some preventive tips to fix the issues:
- Always update your Windows operating system & Outlook.
- You can use the Paste Special > Keep Text Only feature when pasting the content from Word.
- Prevent using the high-quality or rich text format; instead, use HTML.
- Check & set your default paragraph spacing with 0 pt of before/after spacing.
Conclusion
Extra line spacing in Outlook can make your emails a mess, which appears unprofessional. There are many ways to remove double spacing in Outlook, like adjusting your paragraph settings or updating your system. So, if you’ve been thinking How do I get rid of double spacing in Outlook?, then in this article, we’ve answered your question with the most effective and reliable fixes. For those users who are facing more severe problems, the professional tools mentioned above will surely resolve the corrupted data and stop double spacing in Outlook permanently.