Formatting Issues

How to Fix Stretched or Uneven Text Spacing in Microsoft Word

Chanuka Geekiyanage Oct 26, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to resolve an issue where selected lines in a Word document appear abnormally stretched or compressed, despite the font, size, and line spacing settings appearing normal.

How to Fix Stretched or Uneven Text Spacing in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Editing and formatting a document where text layout appears distorted.
Observed behavior: Certain lines of text look unevenly spaced, stretched, or compressed horizontally compared to the rest of the document.

Before you start

Before changing any formatting settings, try zooming in and out or saving the document as a PDF to check if the uneven spacing is merely a display glitch caused by your screen resolution.

Solution 1Recommended

Set Character Spacing to Normal in Font Settings

The most common cause of stretched text is altered character spacing settings. Resetting this to 'Normal' will quickly fix the issue for selected text.

Sometimes, manual character spacing is accidentally applied, or it carries over when pasting text from external sources. The Font dialog allows you to reset this.

Select the affected text

Highlight the specific lines or paragraphs where the text appears stretched or compressed.

Open the Font dialog box

Right-click the highlighted text and select 'Font' from the context menu, or press the shortcut Ctrl+D.

Navigate to the Advanced tab

In the Font dialog box, click on the 'Advanced' tab at the top to view character spacing options.

Change Spacing to Normal

Locate the 'Spacing' drop-down menu, change it from 'Expanded' or 'Condensed' to 'Normal', and click 'OK' to apply.

Set Character Spacing to Normal in Font Settings

Quick Formatting Reset: You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl+Space to clear all manual formatting, which often resolves hidden spacing issues instantly.

Solution 2

Check and Update the Document Styles

If the stretched text appears automatically as you type, the applied paragraph style might be configured with expanded or condensed spacing.

Solution 3

Adjust Font Kerning or Change the Font

Poorly designed or outdated fonts can lack accurate kerning and tracking tables, leading to uneven text spacing.

Easily Manage Text Formatting with WPS Writer

If you frequently encounter frustrating formatting and spacing issues, try WPS Writer. It provides intuitive, easy-to-navigate font controls that let you fix character spacing and styles in seconds.

1. Open your document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open the document experiencing stretched text.
2. Select the text and access Font settings: Highlight the problematic text, right-click, and select 'Font' from the menu.
3. Go to the Character Spacing tab: In the Font dialog, click the 'Character Spacing' tab.
4. Set Spacing to Normal: Ensure the 'Spacing' option is set to 'Normal' and click 'OK' to instantly fix the text layout.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formatsClear and intuitive Advanced Font controlsFree, lightweight, and fast word processorSeamless migration with zero learning curve

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my text look stretched on screen but prints fine?

Screen resolution, display scaling, and zoom settings in Word can sometimes render text spacing inaccurately on your monitor. If the document prints perfectly to paper or a PDF, the formatting is correct and the issue is just a local display glitch.

Does text justification cause uneven spacing?

Yes. When paragraph alignment is set to 'Justify', the word processor stretches the spaces between words to ensure the text aligns evenly on both the left and right margins. Changing the alignment back to 'Align Left' will remove these wide, unnatural gaps.

How do I fix text spacing when copying and pasting from another source?

Pasted text often carries over hidden expanded spacing or conflicting web styles. To avoid this, use the 'Keep Text Only' paste option. Alternatively, highlight the pasted text and press Ctrl+Space to strip away all manual formatting.

Document & File Issues