How to Make a Line Break or New Line in LaTeX

If you are trying to create a new line in LaTeX, simply pressing Enter may not always give the expected result.

Depending on the situation, you may need a line break inside the same paragraph or a completely new paragraph. LaTeX provides several commands that make this easy to control.

Starting a New Paragraph in LaTeX

The simplest way to start a new paragraph in LaTeX is to leave a blank line in the source file. LaTeX automatically interprets this as the beginning of a new paragraph.

This is the recommended method when writing normal documents such as articles, reports, or books.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

 1st Paragraph ........

 2nd Paragraph ........

 3rd Paragraph ........

\end{document}

Creating a Line Break Using \newline

Sometimes you want to move text to the next line without starting a new paragraph. In this case, the \newline command can be used.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

This is the first sentence.\newline
This sentence starts on the next line
but it still belongs to the same paragraph.

\end{document}

Here the second sentence begins on a new line, but LaTeX still treats the text as part of the same paragraph.

Breaking a Line Using \\

Another common way to insert a line break in LaTeX is by using the double backslash command.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

This is the first line.\\
This is the second line created using a double backslash.

\end{document}

The \\ command behaves similarly to \newline and is widely used in situations such as:

• formatted text blocks
• poetry
• tables
• addresses

For example:

Name\\
Department\\
University

Preventing Page Breaks with \\*

The command \\* works like a normal line break but prevents LaTeX from inserting a page break between the two lines.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

This line will stay connected to the next line.\\*
LaTeX will not allow a page break between them.

\end{document}

This is helpful when two lines should always remain together in the final document.

Using the \linebreak Command

LaTeX also provides the \linebreak command, which gives more control over line breaking.

\linebreak[number]

• 0

  The break can be ignored easily if LaTeX finds a better layout.

• 1–3

  Intermediate preferences where LaTeX decides the best formatting.

• 4

  A forced line break that LaTeX strongly tries to apply.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

This is the first sentence.
This is the second sentence.
This is the third sentence.\linebreak[4]
This is the last sentence.

\end{document}

In this case, LaTeX strongly tries to place the last sentence on a new line.

Adding Extra Space After a Line Break

Sometimes a normal line break is not enough and you want extra vertical space between two lines. In that case you can provide a length argument.

\\[length]
\\*[length]

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

First line.\\[5pt]
Second line with small space.\\[10pt]
Third line with larger space.

\end{document}

Here LaTeX inserts extra vertical spacing between the lines.

Alternative Line Break Method Using \hfill\break

Another way to create a line break is by combining the commands \hfill and \break

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

This is the first line.\hfill\break
This line starts after a forced line break.

\end{document}

Although this method works, it is less commonly used in normal writing compared to \\ or \newline.

Summary of Line Break Methods

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