Adjusting Column Widths and Row Heights

Adjusting Column Widths and Row Heights

By default, each of the columns in your worksheet is set to a width of 8.43, based on the points scale. Rows are set to 15, to accommodate type that’s 10 to 12 points in size.

To resize them, you can drag their right side wall, double-click their right side, or right-click them and use the resulting command for adjusting their size. You can also use the Format button on the Home tab to use a menu of commands for changing cell size – and of course, the size of any cell is the product of the width of the column and the height of the row that contain that cell.

So let’s make adjustments to a column using each of the methods, one at a time:

First, I’ll resize the selected column E by dragging the column’s heading, using the right side of the button containing the column letter. Note my mouse pointer turns to a 2-headed arrow. The point size also appears in a screen tip, as you drag.

Next, I’ll adjust column B by double-clicking the column heading’s right side wall will resize it to accommodate the widest entry in the column, which is the worksheet title in cell B2.

Next, by right-clicking column G and choosing Column Width from the pop-up menu, I can set the column width to 20 points.

And finally, using the Format button on the Home tab, I’ve selected Autofit Column Width, and column K is resized to accommodate the widest entry in it, which is the heading.

And then adjust a row’s height using each of the methods, too:

I’ve selected the row by clicking its row number, and then I can drag by the top or bottom side of that button. Note the mouse pointer becomes a 2-headed arrow when I point to that side of the row number.

Next, I can double-click the row button’s top wall to resize the column to match the content of the row,

And then I can right-click and choose Row Height from the pop-up menu. I’ll set the row’s height to 10.

Finally, I can select the row and use the Format button on the Home tab to select Row Height or Autofit Row Height. When I do this to Row 2, the row gets taller to accommodate the large font size in cell B2.

Of course, you can utilize each of the methods to adjust a series of columns or rows – select the series and then make the adjustment.

You can also let Excel size each row or column to meet their current contents’ needs. To do this, select all of the columns, and then double-click any one of their right sides. The columns each resize to accommodate the widest entry in each column.

We normally do this to make the column widths match the headings, but if there are numbers in the column that are wider than the column heading, we need to accommodate the numbers – or Excel will display symbols instead of the numbers. To demonstrate this, when I narrow column G too much, some of the dollar amounts are displayed as pound signs, also known as hashtags. To correct this, I can manually re-widen the column, but the best method is to double-click the column letter’s right side to let Excel figure out the correct width.

Of course, some worksheets need to be more uniform – and the columns should all be the same width, regardless of their contents. In this case, you’ll need to use Wrap Text – a feature that changes the row height automatically, and allowing the cell contents to wrap within the cell.

This feature was already in use in the first sheet, so I made a duplicate of the Inventory List on another sheet to demonstrate this. When I make all of the columns the same width, some of the column headings are cut off. So when I select Row 3, which contains the headings, I click the Wrap Text button, and all my headings wrap within the column width.

Finally, let’s talk about combining cells in a single row or within a selected range, the ultimate way to control the width of a cell. The feature I’m talking about is right there on the Home tab, in the Alignment section. It’s called Merge & Center, and it does just that.

When I select a series of cells – usually for a worksheet title above the main content – I can then click the Merge & Center button and the resulting single cell is the result of merging all of the selected cells into that single cell. By default, the contents of the single cell are centered, but you can click the triangle to the right of the button to choose from other merging options or to unmerge the cells.

Note that you don’t want to use this if there is content in more than one of the selected cells – as only the content in the top and right-most cell will be kept. This makes this feature perfect for worksheet titles, making the title span the entire range of columns in the worksheet with a single click.