This tutorial shows how to adjust letter spacing in Microsoft Word.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
[Chime sound]
Today’s shows how to adjust letter spacing in Microsoft Word.
While the default spacing between letters is generally appropriate for most projects,
you may want to adjust the spacing for style reasons or due to space limitations.
I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365.
These steps also apply to Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word for Mac.
To begin, select the text you want to adjust.
To select the entire document, PC users can press Ctrl + A.
And Mac users can press Command + A.
If your document doesn’t have any text yet, just place your cursor where you want the adjusted letter spacing to begin.
Next, right-click, or Mac users can Control-click,
and then select Font from the shortcut menu to open the Font dialog box.
PC users can also open the Font dialog box by selecting the dialog box launcher in the Font group in the Home tab.
Now, select the Advanced tab.
And then select Expanded to increase the spacing or Condensed to reduce the spacing in the Spacing menu.
Use the increment arrows in the By menu to adjust the spacing, which is measured in points.
A point equals 1/72 of an inch.
Alternatively, you can type an amount into the text box.
I am going to leave mine at the default one point.
As you make changes, you can review the Preview box to ensure that your new spacing looks appropriate.
Before we move on, let’s quickly discuss kerning.
Kerning adjusts the spacing between certain pairs of letters but not all letters.
As such, it can produce unexpected results and may even slow down your computer.
Therefore, you may want to avoid selecting the "Kerning for fonts" option unless you have a specific reason to do so.
When you’re finished, select the OK button.
The letter spacing for your selected text should now be adjusted.
Please note that you may need to experiment to find a letter spacing that compliments
your font style, font size, and even font color.
If your results are not satisfactory, remember that you can always undo your last action by pressing Ctrl + Z on a PC
or Command + Z on a Mac.
I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word
including “How to Use the Format Painter in Microsoft Word” for both PC and Mac.
And, “How to Change Page Orientation in Microsoft Word” for PC and Mac.
Please see the complete list in the playlist titled “How to Use Microsoft Word,” which is linked in the description box below.
The companion blog post for this video showing all the steps we just performed
appears on erinwrightwriting.com, along with all my other step-by-step document software tutorials
to help you succeed at work and in the classroom.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic that you would like me to talk about in the future.
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And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds