Microsoft Excel: 5 Ways to Enlarge Cells in Your Spreadsheet

PDF download Download Article
Learn how to increase or decrease the size of Excel cells
PDF download Download Article

Do you have data in your spreadsheet that doesn't fit into cells nicely? This wikiHow will teach you all of the ways to adjust cell size in Microsoft Excel on Windows and Mac.

How to Make Excel Cells Bigger or Smaller

There are several ways to change cell size in Excel. To set a cell to a specific size, highlight it and click Format > Row Height or Column Width and change the number. You can also click and drag the boundaries of a row or column to change the size. Individual cells can be merged to make them bigger, as well.

1

Setting a Specific Size

PDF download Download Article
  1. Start by highlighting the row or column that you want to change the cell sizes of. Then, click the Format button in the "Cells" section of the Home tab.
    • Under "Cell Size," set the Row Height and/or Column Width . Click OK to save your changes.
    • You can also change the size of a row or column by highlighting it, right-clicking the heading (Cmd-clicking on Mac), and selecting Row Height or Column Width in the contextual menu.
    • To select multiple rows or columns, press and hold Ctrl (PC) or ⌘ Cmd (macOS) as you click rows or columns. You can also click and drag to select rows or columns next to each other.
    2. Advertisement
2

Using the Mouse

PDF download Download Article
  1. To resize the cells in a row, drag the boundary below the row heading. To resize the cells in a column, drag the boundary to the right of the column heading.As you drag the boundary down (rows) or right (columns), the cell size will increase, and as you drag the boundary up (rows) or to the left (columns), the cell size will decrease.
    • To select multiple rows or columns, press and hold Ctrl (PC) or ⌘ Cmd (macOS) as you click rows or columns. You can also click and drag to select rows or columns next to each other.
3

Merging Cells

PDF download Download Article
  1. To do this, select all of the cells you want to merge into one large cell and click the Merge & Center button in the "Alignment" category of the Home tab. [1]
    • To select multiple cells, press and hold Ctrl (PC) or ⌘ Cmd (macOS) as you click cells. You can also click and drag to select cells next to each other.
    • If you change the size of a column or row that's part of a merged cell, the merged cell will get larger or smaller as well.
    2. Advertisement
4

Copying and Pasting Cell Sizes

PDF download Download Article
  1. Select a column, row, or cell that you want to copy the height or width of and press Ctrl+C ( Cmd+C on Mac). Then, right-click (Cmd-click on Mac) on the column or row you want to resize and select Paste Special > Keep Source Columns Width .
    • Even if you're copying a row, you'll still select Keep Source Columns Width as there is no row-equivalent button.
    • To select multiple rows or columns, press and hold Ctrl (PC) or ⌘ Cmd (macOS) as you click rows or columns. You can also click and drag to select rows or columns next to each other.
5

Change Cell Size to Fit Content

PDF download Download Article
  1. Start by highlighting the row or column that you want to change the cell sizes of. Then, click the Format button in the "Cells" section of the Home tab.
    • Under "Cell Size," set the AutoFit Row Height and/or AutoFit Column Width . Click OK to save your changes.
    • To select multiple rows or columns, press and hold Ctrl (PC) or ⌘ Cmd (macOS) as you click rows or columns. You can also click and drag to select rows or columns next to each other.
    • You can also change columns or rows to autofit their content by double-clicking the right boundary (for columns) or the bottom boundary (for rows). [2]
    2. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Unhide All Rows and Columns in Microsoft Excel
      How to
      Merge Cells in Microsoft Excel: A Quick Guide
      How to
      Unprotect an Excel Sheet
      How to
      Use If‐Else in Microsoft Excel: Step-by-Step Tutorial
      How to
      Make a Spreadsheet in Excel
      The Best Ways to Make & Format Lists in Excel
      New to Excel? Here's Super Easy Tricks to Get You Started
      How to
      Password Protect a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet
      How to
      Add Numbers & Cells in Excel: Complete Guide
      How to
      Create an Inventory List in Microsoft Excel: Step-by-Step Guide
      How to
      Insert Pictures in Excel That Automatically Size to Fit Cells
      How to
      Link Sheets in Excel
      How to
      Fix Ethernet Doesn't Have a Valid IP Configuration on Windows
      How to
      Create a Pie Chart in Microsoft Excel: Simple Steps
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/merge-and-unmerge-cells-5cbd15d5-9375-4540-907f-c673a93fcedf
      2. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/change-the-column-width-and-row-height-72f5e3cc-994d-43e8-ae58-9774a0905f46

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open Excel .
      2. Open your project or start a new one.
      3. Tap the row or column heading you want to adjust.
      4. Drag and drop the handles to adjust row and column sizes.

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 67,026 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement