Cover Letter Format: Layout, Length, Spacing, and Templates

The standard cover letter format is one page with 1-inch margins and a 10 to 12 point font that matches your resume. Single-space each paragraph, leave a blank line between paragraphs, and left-align everything. That layout is called block format. Save it as a PDF unless the employer asks for something else.

Those specs cover nearly every application. The rest depends on how you send the letter: as a file, in an email, or pasted into a text box. This guide covers all three, with setup steps for Google Docs and Word and copy-ready layouts.

If you're still working out what to say, start with how to write a cover letter, then come back here to lay it out.

Cover letter format at a glance#

Use the "standard" column unless you have a reason to change something. If you do, stay inside the "acceptable range."

MIT's career office says a cover letter should be no longer than one page, in a 10 to 12 point font. Purdue OWL's business letter guide describes the left-aligned, single-spaced block layout most cover letters use today.

What's standard in 2026#

Three things have shifted from the old business-letter rules. You don't need your street address; city and state are enough. PDF is the default file type for uploads. And many letters never become files at all, because you paste them into a text box or an email.

The standard cover letter layout, top to bottom#

Every element has a fixed place. Here's the order from the top of the page:

1. Your header: name and contact details.
2. Date: the day you send the letter.
3. Recipient block: the hiring manager's name, title, company, and address if you know it.
4. Greeting: "Dear Ms. Lima:" or "Dear Hiring Manager:".
5. Opening paragraph: the role and your strongest match.
6. Body paragraphs: one to three paragraphs of proof.
7. Closing paragraph: interest and a next step.
8. Sign-off: "Sincerely," or "Best regards,".
9. Your name: typed, with a signature above it if printed.
10. Enclosure line (optional): "Enclosure: Resume" in printed or formal letters.

Here's that order as a skeleton. Each bracket is one element, with blank lines where they belong. The same layout works for a letter of interest sent without a job posting.

Block, modified block, and semi-block#

Purdue OWL's guide to basic business letters describes three layouts. For cover letters, block format is the default.

Block format is the safest choice. It's clean, easy to skim, and survives conversion between file types. Modified block can look elegant on paper, but its centered date and closing tend to shift when the file is uploaded or pasted.

How to format the cover letter header#

The header is the first thing a reader sees and the part they return to when they want to call you. It should be complete, easy to scan, and match your resume.

Include these details:

• Full name, larger than the body text and often bold.
• City and state, or city and country. A street address is optional for online applications.
• Phone number with a professional voicemail greeting.
• Professional email address, ideally a version of your name.
• LinkedIn or portfolio link if it supports the application.

Leave out your date of birth, a photo (in the US), marital status, and any ID numbers. The guide to the resume header covers contact details in more depth.

Three header styles and when to use each#

You can format the header to match your resume, as a traditional business letter, or in a simplified form. All three are correct.

Harvard's career office recommends using the same font type and size as your resume so the documents look like a set. The resume-matching style does that automatically.

Fonts, margins, and spacing#

These three settings decide whether your letter looks open or cramped. Get them right once, save the file as a template, and you won't think about them again.

Fonts#

Match your resume. If your resume uses Calibri, so does your letter. Purdue OWL calls Times New Roman at 12 points the generally accepted business-letter font and says Arial is also fine. Modern sans-serif fonts like Calibri work for most fields. For a full comparison, see the guide to the best resume fonts.

If your resume came from Resume Trail, it uses one of three typefaces: IBM Plex Sans, Source Serif 4, or IBM Plex Mono. All three are free from Google Fonts, so you can install the same one and set your letter to match.

Font size#

Use 11 or 12 points for body text. Drop to 10.5 or 10 only to fit a strong letter on one page, and don't go below 10. Your name in the header can be 14 to 20 points. At 13 or 14 points, a letter starts to look padded.

The chart below shows roughly how font size changes the words that fit on one page with 1-inch margins. Use it as a planning guide, not a rule; the real count depends on the font.

If your letter only fits at 10 points, the problem is usually length, not font size. Cut a paragraph before you shrink the text.

Margins, spacing, and alignment#

One inch on all sides is the standard. You can go to 0.75 inch to keep a letter on one page. Narrower margins look crowded and can get cut off in printing.

Single-space within paragraphs and leave one blank line between them. That's the block layout Purdue describes. Don't indent paragraphs when you already separate them with blank lines. Leave one blank line between the header, date, recipient block, greeting, and body.

Left-align everything. Fully justified text stretches the spaces between words to make a straight right edge. It looks tidy from a distance, but the uneven gaps make sentences harder to read.

Setting up the format in Google Docs or Word#

You can set every spec above in a few clicks. In Google Docs:

1. Go to File > Page setup, choose Pages, and set the paper size and 1-inch margins. Google's help page notes that margins aren't available in pageless format.
2. Go to Format > Line & paragraph spacing and choose Single.
3. Set the font and size from the toolbar to match your resume.
4. Go to File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf), then open the file and check it.

In Microsoft Word:

1. Go to Layout > Margins > Custom Margins and enter 1 inch for each side.
2. On the Home tab, use Line and Paragraph Spacing to choose 1.0.
3. Word adds space after paragraphs by default. Either remove it and type one blank line between paragraphs, or keep the spacing and skip the blank lines. Don't do both.
4. Save as PDF. On Windows, choose File > Save a Copy, then pick PDF from the drop-down. On a Mac, choose File > Save As, then pick PDF under File Format, per Microsoft's instructions.

Match your resume's design#

Your letter and resume often travel together. When they look like a set, you look organized. Keep these elements the same across both:

• Name banner: same font, size, weight, and capitalization.
• Contact line: same order, separators, and links.
• Body font and size: same typeface; the letter can be half a point larger if it reads better.
• Accent color: if your resume uses one, use it only in the letter's name banner.
• Margins: the same on both documents.

How to format the body of your letter#

The body is where your proof lives, so it should be the easiest part of the page to read.

Paragraph length#

Keep each body paragraph to three to five sentences, roughly 50 to 90 words. Long blocks of text are the most common reason a good letter gets skimmed instead of read. If a paragraph runs past six lines, split it where it changes topic.

When to use bullet points#

A short list can work when you have two or three parallel results that each fit on one line. But a letter made mostly of bullets reads like a second resume. Use this test:

If you use bullets, introduce them with a sentence and keep each to one line. Then add a sentence that ties the list to the employer's needs.

Numbers, bold, and accessibility#

Write numbers as numerals when they show results, such as "cut unplanned stops from 11 a month to 4." Use bold rarely, if at all. Avoid underlining, which looks like a link.

Some readers use screen readers or zoom in heavily. Use real text, not an image of text, with dark text on a white background. Keep a simple single-column layout without text boxes or tables. Those choices also help applicant tracking systems read the file.

How long a cover letter should be#

One page is the ceiling for an attached letter. On-screen formats should be shorter.

Shorter letters aren't weaker if every sentence earns its place. A focused 250-word letter with two strong proofs beats a 450-word letter that tries to cover your whole career. The free cover letter checker uses a similar range. It flags letters under 150 words as short and over 450 words as long.

For examples under 200 words, see the guide to the short cover letter.

Greeting and sign-off format#

Purdue OWL's business-letter rule is a colon after the greeting, never a comma: "Dear Ms. Lima:". In email cover letters, a comma is the common practice. If you don't know the reader's honorific, use the full name. The guide on how to address a cover letter covers names, titles, and what to do without one.

Purdue puts a comma after the sign-off, such as "Sincerely," and leaves four lines for a signature in a printed letter. In a digital letter, a typed name is enough. For closing lines, see how to end a cover letter.

File format and naming#

How you save the letter matters as much as how you lay it out. A careful layout that opens with broken fonts undoes your work.

Harvard's career office advises checking that your formatting holds up after converting to PDF. Open the exported file, check every line, and make sure links work. The same reasoning applies to your resume; see should you send your resume as a PDF or Word document.

Name the file with your name, the document type, and ideally the role:

• Good: Liam-ONeill-Cover-Letter-Maintenance-Planner.pdf
• Good: LiamONeill_CoverLetter.pdf
• Avoid: CoverLetter_FINAL_v3.pdf, Document1.pdf, or anything with another company's name in it

Leave apostrophes and accents out of file names. Some upload systems rename or reject files that contain them.

Email and text-box cover letter format#

When you apply by email or through a form with a text field, the format changes. There's no letterhead and no date block, and the word count is tighter. The content stays the same.

When you apply by email, the email body is your cover letter. Don't attach a letter and write "please see attached." Put a shorter version in the message and attach your resume.

• Subject line: job title, your name, and a reference number if the posting has one.
• No header block: skip the date and addresses; the email shows them.
• Greeting: the same as a letter, followed by a comma.
• Body: three short paragraphs, about 150 to 250 words.
• Signature block: full name, phone number, and LinkedIn or portfolio link.
• Attachment: your resume as a PDF, named clearly.

Put the job title and your name in the subject line, since recruiters search their inbox by both. Two patterns cover most cases: "Maintenance Planner application – Liam O'Neill" and "Maintenance Planner (Req. 7781) – Liam O'Neill." The guide to the job application email has more subject lines, including referral versions.

Text box format#

Many online applications give you a plain text field instead of an upload button. These boxes strip formatting, so a clean letter can arrive as a wall of text. Follow these rules:

• Draft in a plain text editor first, so you see what will survive.
• Drop formatting: no bold, italics, bullets, tabs, curly quotes, or em dashes, which may display as odd symbols.
• Keep paragraphs short, with a blank line between them.
• Skip the header and date, since the form already has your details.
• Respect the character limit, if there is one; count characters, not words.
• Preview before you submit, if the form allows it.

If the limit is tight, use your opening and one proof paragraph, then a one-sentence close. That's often 120 to 180 words.

Copy-ready cover letter format templates#

The skeleton above is your block-format template for uploads. These two cover the other common cases. Replace each bracket and keep the spacing as shown.

The minimal format suits startups and creative teams where first names are normal. For law, finance, government, or healthcare administration, use the block skeleton. To compare how finished letters read in different tones, the cover letter generator shows example drafts you can lay out in either template.

Cover letter format by industry#

The core layout is the same everywhere, but formality shifts by field. Match the employer's tone on its website and in its job post.

In law, banking, accounting, and government, use the traditional block layout with the date and a full recipient block. Keep everything black on white, and close with "Sincerely."

Designers and marketers can show more personality, since the letter is partly a work sample. Keep the structure intact, and let creativity show in type and spacing, not in a layout that's hard to read. The guide on creative resumes covers the same tradeoffs.

At tech companies and startups, a simplified header and a short letter often fit better than a formal business letter. If you're unsure, "Dear [First Name] [Last Name]," works in both formal and casual cultures.

How to fit a cover letter on one page#

If your letter spills onto a second page, fix it in this order. Each step keeps the page more readable than the one after it.

1. Cut the weakest paragraph. Most long letters have one that repeats the resume.
2. Trim long sentences. Delete throat-clearing like "I am writing to express my interest in."
3. Remove the recipient's street address for online applications. Name, title, and company are enough.
4. Tighten the header onto one contact line.
5. Reduce margins to 0.75 inch.
6. Drop the font size by half a point, but never below 10.

International format notes#

Outside North America, most countries use A4 paper. Write dates in the local style, such as 29 October 2026 in the UK and Australia. In British English, letters to a named person traditionally close with "Yours sincerely," and letters to an unnamed reader with "Yours faithfully." For country-specific habits, see the guide to resume formats by country.

Formatting mistakes that make a letter look careless#

Most formatting problems come from reusing old files or copying between programs. Scan for these before you send:

• Mismatched fonts. Text pasted from an email or website often brings its own font. Select all and reset the font when you finish.
• Old dates and names. A letter dated three months ago, or addressed to the last company you applied to, signals a copy-paste job.
• Links in a clashing color. Keep links working, but set them to your text color if your resume does the same.
• The wrong page size. An A4 letter printed on US Letter, or the reverse, can clip margins. Set the page size before you export.

Final format check and next steps#

Format is the easiest part of a letter to get right, and getting it wrong can cost you a read. Run this check before every send:

• One page, roughly 250 to 400 words for an attached letter
• 1-inch margins (0.75 inch at minimum) and a 10 to 12 point font that matches your resume
• Single-spaced with one blank line between paragraphs, left-aligned, no indents
• Header, date, recipient block, greeting, body, closing, and name in the right order
• Contact details typed in the page body, not a header field
• Greeting punctuation that fits the channel, and a sign-off with a capitalized first word
• Saved as a PDF with a clear file name, then opened and checked
• For email or text boxes: shorter, plain, and previewed

Once your layout is set, save it as a reusable template so every future letter starts formatted. Then put your effort into the content. The guide to cover letter mistakes catches the errors that format can't fix.