Changing Column Widths and Row Heights in Excel
For formatting purposes it is sometimes necessary to increase the width of a column or the height of a row. Row heights will change automatically to accommodate the size of the data in a row. In some cases, column widths will adjust automatically, but in most cases you will need to adjust column widths manually to make the columns fit the data you put in them.
There are several methods to change the column widths and row heights.
To change the column widths, do one of the following. You then may need to follow another instruction given to acquire the desired look.
- Double-click the column border. This automatically sizes the column to fit the widest data it contains.
- Drag the column border. When you point to the border between two column headings, the pointer takes the shape of a two-headed arrow. You can then drag the border to the left or right to decrease or increase the size of the column.
-
Set a specific column size in characters.
- Excel 2003: From the Format menu choose Column, slide right to Width. Type a size and click OK.
- Excel 2007: On the Home tab, Cells group, choose Format, choose Column Width. Type a size and click OK.
To change the row height, do one of the following. You then may need to follow another instruction given to acquire the desired look. Row heights will change automatically to accommodate the size of the data in a given row.
- Double-click the row border. This automatically sizes the column to fit the highest data it contains.
- Drag the row border. When you point to the border between two row headings, the pointer takes the shape of a two-headed arrow. You can then drag the border up or down to increase or decrease the size of the column.
-
Set a specific row size in characters.
- Excel 2003: From the Format menu choose Row, slide right to Height. Type a size and click OK.
- Excel 2007: On the Home tab, Cells group, choose Format, choose Row Height. Type a size and click OK.
06-30-05 [jsw]
updated 01-16-08