Paragraph formatting > Spacing above/below a paragraph

In addition to line spacing, you can also define how much space should be kept above the first line and below the last line of a paragraph.

To change this setting, open the dialog box of the ribbon tab Home | group Paragraph with the group arrow in the bottom right corner, and switch to the Paragraph tab.

The section Paragraph spacing contains the following options:

Before

Here, you can set the spacing that is to be kept free above a paragraph.

More specifically, you specify the spacing between the last line of the previous paragraph and the first line of the current paragraph.

After

Here, you can set the spacing below a paragraph.

More specifically, you specify the spacing between the last line of the current paragraph and the first line of the next paragraph.

Suppress for paragraphs with the same paragraph style

This option was implemented primarily for the purpose of compatibility with Microsoft Word, where it also exists.

Enabling the option has the following effects:

▪If the current paragraph and the previous paragraph use the same paragraph style, the Before spacing is automatically suppressed.

▪If the current paragraph and the next paragraph use the same paragraph style, the After spacing is automatically suppressed.

This option is disabled by default.