The Inflated Document
Google Docs applies default spacing rules to ensure text is readable on a screen. One of its standard behaviors is adding extra blank space after every paragraph. When you hit the “Enter” or “Return” key to start a new line, Google Docs doesn’t just drop you down one standard line; it automatically injects a small visual gap. While this is standard practice for modern web design, it creates a massive formatting headache if you are trying to write a formal business letter, draft a strict academic paper, or simply want full control over your document’s physical length, as this auto-spacing drastically inflates the page count.
Removing the Auto-Spacing
To tighten your text blocks and stop Google Docs from automatically adding spaces between paragraphs, you must remove the custom spacing rules from the formatting menu.
Open the Google Doc you are trying to format. If you want to fix text you have already written, highlight it all first (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A). If you are starting fresh, just place your cursor at the top of the page. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on Format. Scroll down to Line & paragraph spacing. A secondary menu will expand to the right. Look toward the bottom of this sub-menu. If the document is currently auto-spacing, you will see an option that says Remove space after paragraph (and potentially “Remove space before paragraph”). Click these “Remove” options. Your text will instantly snap together tightly. To ensure new text behaves correctly, select “Custom spacing” from that same menu and ensure “Before” and “After” are both set to 0.