# Microsoft Word is driving me crazy - please advise **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320 "2010-09-01T22:57:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/1 "2010-09-01T22:57:25Z")
It’s a simple text document I’m working on, nothing fancy. All I want is for the document to be - and remain - single-spaced. Right now, when I hit ENTER at the end of a paragraph, it double-spaces. So I go under PARAGRAPH\>INDENTS AND SPACING and I check the box next to ‘Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style’. Should fix it, no? I click OK, go back to my document, and it double-spaces again when I start a new paragraph. So, now I select ALL, then open that same window and check the box about not adding a space between paragraphs. I click OK. Again, I get a double-space. I go back to look at the box and it is unchecked. Is there something I am missing here?? (Microsoft Office 2007, btw) Thanks! mmm ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/2 "2010-09-01T23:03:21Z")
In that same dialog box you were on, there’s a setting called “After”. The default is **10 pt**. Change it to **0 pt**. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/3 "2010-09-01T23:29:15Z")
Thank you Ruminator! That seems to have fixed it. Although the pesky ‘don’t add space after new paragraph’ box remains unchecked, no matter what I do. mmm ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/4 "2010-09-02T00:13:06Z")
Since that’s cleared up, can I get a hijack?! I went through the same frustration of double spacing till I changed ‘After’ to 0pt. Only difference is I experienced it with Outlook 2007. Now I can space new emails as desired. How that came to be the default is shaking me with angry rage, however, that struggle is my own. My question is how do I get this setting to stick? As it is, I have to manually select this for every email, then delete a bunch of lines from my sig. ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/5 "2010-09-02T00:22:45Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Only difference is I experienced it with Outlook 2007. Now I can space new emails as desired. How that came to be the default is shaking me with angry rage, however, that struggle is my own. > > My question is how do I get this setting to stick? On that same dialog box as “After”, did you try clicking the “ **Default…** ” button to save the settings? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/6 "2010-09-02T00:26:49Z")
BTW “double spacing” means a space after every _line_, not after the paragraph. > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Since that’s cleared up, can I get a hijack?! > > I went through the same frustration of double spacing till I changed ‘After’ to 0pt. Only difference is I experienced it with Outlook 2007. Now I can space new emails as desired. How that came to be the default is shaking me with angry rage, however, that struggle is my own. > > My question is how do I get this setting to stick? As it is, I have to manually select this for every email, then delete a bunch of lines from my sig. Trying opening Normal.dotx and making the change in that document. (Under File, Open, select file type dotx and it should automatically go to the correct directory.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/7 "2010-09-03T11:28:36Z")
^ Does Outlook use that file? I didn’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-driving-me-crazy-please-advise/552320/8 "2010-09-03T13:13:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > ^ Does Outlook use that file? I didn’t know that. It depends. Outlook has the option to use Word as the email editor, and it may be the default (I don’t remember). If so, then it uses that file.