How to Set Equal Spacing in an enumerate List in multicol

To set a consistent gap between numbered items in a multicols environment, use the enumitem package and set the list’s itemsep. You can also control the space before and after the list and the spacing between paragraphs within an item. These settings work inside columns just as they do in ordinary text.

Set the spacing with enumitem

The main lengths to know are:

Setting	What it controls
itemsep	Space between consecutive items
topsep	Space before and after the list
parsep	Extra space between paragraphs within one item
partopsep	Extra space added around a list that starts a new paragraph

For example, itemsep=0.8\baselineskip adds a gap of about 80% of the current line height between items. Use itemsep=0pt for no added gap. The right value depends on the font size and how much of the page the list should occupy.

Worked example

This complete example sets the same item spacing throughout a two-column numbered list. The settings apply to enumerate lists in the document; put them on the enumerate environment instead if you want to change only this list.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{enumitem}
\usepackage{multicol}

\setlist[enumerate]{
  itemsep=0.8\baselineskip,
  topsep=0.4\baselineskip,
  parsep=0pt,
  partopsep=0pt
}

\begin{document}

\begin{multicols}{2}
\begin{enumerate}
  \item First item.
  \item Second item.
  \item Third item, with a little more text to show that an item can wrap
        onto another line in a column.
  \item Fourth item.
  \item Fifth item.
  \item Sixth item.
\end{enumerate}
\end{multicols}

\end{document}

The enumitem package provides \setlist for settings shared by lists. To make the change local, remove the \setlist command and write the options on the list instead:

\begin{enumerate}[itemsep=0.8\baselineskip,topsep=0.4\baselineskip,parsep=0pt]
  \item First item.
  \item Second item.
\end{enumerate}

The multicols environment handles the column layout and may balance the columns at its end. It does not change the meaning of itemsep: that length remains the added space between list items, even if the list continues in another column.

Consistent gaps are not identical item heights

A fixed itemsep makes the added gap consistent. It does not force the tops of items onto evenly spaced horizontal lines. An item with several wrapped lines occupies more vertical space than a one-line item, so the column will naturally look less uniform when item text has different lengths.

Likewise, multicol balances the amount of material in its columns; it does not guarantee the same number of list items in each column or identical column heights in every layout. If your aim is to spread items evenly from the top to the bottom of a fixed-height area, that is different from setting ordinary list spacing. A fixed itemsep alone cannot ensure that result, especially when item text wraps or the columns are balanced automatically.

Common mistakes

• Changing \columnsep to fix vertical gaps: \columnsep controls the horizontal distance between columns, not the space between list items.
• Changing only topsep: this affects the boundary of the list, not the gaps between its items. Set itemsep for those.
• Ignoring paragraphs within an item: a blank line inside an item creates another paragraph. Set parsep if that extra paragraph spacing is unwanted.
• Expecting wrapped items to take equal space: itemsep controls the gap after an item, not the total height of the item’s text.
• Applying a global setting unintentionally: \setlist[enumerate]{...} affects every enumerate list. Use options on one environment for a local adjustment.