Changing cell size in Excel - Spreadsheet warriors please help a noob

Question

I have a spreadsheet. One column has the name, and then the next has a long description about what the client has discussed. The size of the 'comments' box is soo long that you have the press the arrow to go across and read the end of the paragraph.

I want to know how to change the cells from being one long massive box to being a box of a smaller size but with a couple of paragrahs going down, i.e. the box can take up 3-4 lines going down, instead of being one long line across.

Thank you

Answer 1

Select the cell with the comments

Click the menu bar [Format] => [Cell]

Click the tab [Alignment]

Tick the check box [Shrink to fit]

Tick the check box [Wrap text]

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

As someone has said, you can wrap text, or even merge a couple of cells together. To wrap the text, either right button of mouse, format cells, alignment, wrap text or, if you have already typed it, click in the cell, then click in the formula bar where you can see it and where you want the break in lines use Alt Enter to force the words onto next line within same cell. Excel is not really designed for long descriptions and as you yourself say it is 'comments' perhaps you should consider using a comment instead of normal cell (right button of mouse insert comment). The comment is then in a separate box which you can move away from the cell in case it covers other data in other columns, and right button of mouse to show or edit comment. However, as you appear to be using your spreadsheet purely for text, I would advise using a table in Word instead which is more used to text. In that case assuming 2.5 cm margins all the way round and you are working in A4 landscape your first column could be 2 cm wide to accommodate name and the second column 22cm wide to accommodate the comments. You can always cut and paste rather than retying if you want to try this. It would then automatically go into Word as a table and you just need to change the widths. Another advantage of using Word is, as you type in one cell, when it gets to the end margin of that particular cell the text would automatically wrap to the next line.

Answer 4

Ok this is called "Cell Wrapping"



Select the cell you have all the writing in



Next select "Format" (this is located at the top of the screen in the same menu as File, Edit, View, Toolbars etc. etc)



Once you have selected format then select "Cells"

(a new window should apear with a series of tabs running along the top of it called: Number, alignment, font, border, patterns and protection)



Select the Alignment tab



You should now see on the left hand side of the new window three tick boxes labelled "wrap text", "Shrink to fit" and "Merge Cells"



Check the box labelled "Wrap text"



Select OK from the bottom right hand corner of the window



You should now find that the text fits into one cell and that the cell will change its size to fit the text.



If you find that the cell is too thin and tall or too wide and short then you can manually adjust the size of the cell to your desired size.



You should notice that the cell references (i.e. the row number and colum letter) are orange on the activated cell. in order to manually adjust the size of the cell you have selected (a.k.a. the activated cell)

Move your mouse so that the cursor (white cross) is hovering over the orange column letter.



If you now move your mouse so that the cursor is hovering over the line inbetween two columns you should see the cursor change from a white cross to a balck arrow pointing downwards. once it is pointing downwards hold your left mouse button down and drag it to the right. you see the collumn expanding in size!



This same principle follows for when you want to adjust the height of the column



If you find that a cell is too big for your text, a quick way to get the cell to fit the size of your text is to hover you cursor inbetween the two collumns so that the cursor turns to a black arrow again and double click. This will automatically resize the cell to fit the text within it. ( note the cursor must be a balck arrow in order to do this.



Hope this helps

Answer 5

Right-click the cell, and select "Format cells." Click the "Alignment" tab, and select the box that says "Wrap text," and click "OK."



If you move your mouse over the lines separating the column letters, you'll see a double-headed arrow; click and drag the line on the right side of the column until you like the column width.



You might need to go back the "Alignment" tab again and change the vertical alignment so that the cells on that row look right.

Answer 6

If you don't have the toolbar turned on or can't find the button to turn wrapping on you can select the column and goto:



(Office 2003 earlier and maybe later versions)

Format Menu --> Cells... --> Alignment Tab --> Click 'Wrap Text' Checkbox



Excel seems to default to bottom alignment for adjacent cells so you may want to select the other columns and in the same area choose a vertical alignment of top.



Finally the most frustrating thing to figure out was how to input a carriage return within a cell... use ALT+SPACE to create paragraphs in your description cells.



Hope that helps.



(edit: answer lag strikes again...)

Answer 7

right Click on the letter above the column, then choose format cells, and in the alignment tab choose Wrap Text. Now resize your cells to narrower.



If any of the boxes have text runnoing out through the bottom, double click on the line between the 1 and 2 on the left hand side of the screen, to resize the cells to fit.

Answer 8

In 2007 version



In a worksheet, select the cells that you want to format.

On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click Wrap Text

Answer 9

Right click on the column (ie, B) and set the column width for whatever you want it to be. Then highlight the column and format the cells, turn on text wrapping.

Answer 10

Select the column you want, and then go to "Format" and "Cells" and then click the button that says "Wrap Text." This will keep the column width whatever you set it at and the text will go downward.

Answer 11

I hope I understand your question correctly. When you are looking at the excel spreadsheet, in the toolbar at the top, look to the far right. You should see a paint can with a little color under it. Next to that you see a letter A that is red. The paint can is for background color. Just choose the cell you want to add the color to and hit that little paint can arrow beside it (again to the right - upsidedown triangle) and you can change the colors to reflect whatever you need.

Answer 12

'Wrap' the text, on 07 it's on the main toolbar near merge cells, can't remember where it is for earlier versions



for earlier..... right click the cell, Format Cells...text Control:Wrap

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