WD98: Single-Spaced Paragraphs Convert to Double-Spaced in HTML (185147)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition
This article was previously published under Q185147

SYMPTOMS

When you convert a single-spaced Microsoft Word 98 document to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format, and view it in a Web browser, there are double-spaced lines between the paragraphs.

CAUSE

When a Word document is converted to HTML, paragraph marks are converted to paragraph elements.

The paragraph element consists of the start tag (<p>) at the start of the text and the end tag (</p>) at the end of the text. When viewed in a Web browser, the paragraph element is displayed as a double-spaced line between the text.

WORKAROUND

To prevent double-spaced lines between paragraphs, use any of the following methods.

Method 1: Change the Paragraph Marks to Manual Line Breaks

Prior to saving your document in HTML format, change the paragraph marks to manual line breaks. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Open your Word document.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Replace. If there is a More button, click it.
  3. In the Find What box, click Special, and then click Paragraph Mark. The ^p character will appear in the Find What box.
  4. In the Replace With box, click Special, and then click Manual Line Break. The ^l character will appear in the Replace With box.
  5. Click Replace All, click OK, and then click Close.

Method 2: Replace Paragraph Tags With Line Break Tags

After the document has been converted to HTML, view the HTML code and replace the paragraph tags with line break tags. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Open the HTML document.
  2. On the View menu, click HTML Source.
  3. On the Edit menu, click Replace.
  4. In the Find What box, type </p>. In the Replace With box, type <br>, and then click Replace All. Click OK.
  5. In the Find What box, type <p>. Clear the entry in the Replace With box, and then click Replace All. Click OK.
  6. Click Close.
  7. On the File menu, click Save.
  8. On the View menu, click Exit HTML Source.

Method 3: Create a Single Line Space Between Paragraphs in an HTML Document

To create an HTML document with single spaces between the paragraphs, at the end of each paragraph press SHIFT+RETURN, this is the keystroke for a manual line break. This can be done with a Word document or with an HTML document.

MORE INFORMATION

HTML code also uses a <br> tag to represent a line break. If <br> is used instead of <p>, the document will appear with single line spaces.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/4/2002
Keywords:kbhowto KB185147
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.