Word is a text reflow program that really depends on the printer driver software to attempt to make the screen image as close as possible to the printed page. It was designed to produce that printed page, after all.

• Word Doesn't Know What a Page Is by Daiya Mitchell, MVP
• Why has my page layout changed when I open my document on a different machine? by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP

When you change the operating system it is very much like opening your document on a different computer. The programmers of Word are not stupid or malevolent. They face a monumental task.


As far as replacing two spaces with one, there is nothing built into Word that does that. You cannot even create an AutoCorrect entry for doing that. There is a grammar setting that you can choose to mark two spaces at the end of a sentence as a mistake, but that is as far as it goes.



I do not doubt that you have this happening, but it is not Word doing it. My guess is that if you open Word in safe mode, it will not happen. Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC - Microsoft Office


By the way, you are not talking to anyone who works for Microsoft when you post in this forum. This is an independent user-to-user support forum. MS does not see anything you post here. The way to get their attention is through the feedback mechanisms.

• How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?
• Send Feedback to MS Developers
• Bonus Reading related to MS Feedback system