The default line spacing in Word is 1.15. By default, paragraphs are followed by a blank line and headings have a space above them. Here’s how to change the default settings. On the Home tab, click Line and Paragraph Spacing. Click Line Spacing Options at the bottom of the menu, and then select the options you want in the Paragraph dialog box under Spacing.
To change the default line spacing: Click the [Home] tab > Locate the 'Paragraph' group. In the lower-right corner of the 'Paragraph' group, click the arrow. A 'Paragraph' dialog box will open. From the [Indents and Spacing] tab > Locate the 'Spacing' section. You can also set up Word to automatically collapse certain heading levels by default. To do this, make sure the “Home” tab is active on the ribbon. If it isn’t, click on it to activate it.
If you want to change the spacing before or after the selected paragraphs, click the arrow next to Before or After and enter the amount of space that you want.