To stop double spacing after hitting the return key in Microsoft Word:
- Select the paragraph(s) that you want to change the spacing for.
- Right-click on the selected text and choose "Paragraph" from the drop-down menu.
- In the "Paragraph" dialog box, under the "Spacing" section, look for the "After" option.
- Change the value in the "After" box to "0 pt" or "Single" (depending on your version of Word).
- Click "OK" to save the changes.
To modify the default paragraph settings:
- Click on the "Home" tab in the ribbon.
- Right-click on the "Normal" style in the "Styles" section and choose "Modify" from the drop-down menu.
- In the "Modify Style" dialog box, click on the "Format" button at the bottom and choose "Paragraph" from the drop-down menu.
- Follow steps 3-5 above to change the "After" spacing to "0 pt" or "Single".
- Click "OK" to save the changes.
If you want to make this change for all paragraphs in your document, modifying the default paragraph settings is the way to go.