Enlarging the Formula Bar

When you select a cell in a worksheet, the contents of that cell are shown in the Formula bar. If the contents are longer than what can be displayed in a single line on the Formula bar, the depth of the Formula bar increases so that the entire formula can be displayed. When you move to another cell, the Formula bar again decreases in depth to a single line.

The problem with an automatically adjusting Formula bar is that it can obscure other elements on the screen. If the Formula bar takes up two or three lines of depth, it overlays the column headers and other cells in the worksheet. This can be distracting, at times.

Unfortunately, there is no way to instruct Excel to a) limit the Formula bar to a set depth, or b) decreasing the size of the type in the Formula bar so more can fit within a single line. (At least this is true for versions of Excel prior to Excel 2007—more on that in a moment.) The best you can do is to simply remove the Formula bar completely, so it is not visible. (If you have no Formula bar displayed, then it cannot expand and obscure information in the worksheet.) You can turn off the Formula bar in this manner if you are using a version of Excel prior to Excel 2007:

1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Options dialog box.
2. Make sure the View tab is selected. (Click here to see a related figure.)
3. Clear the Formula Bar check box.
4. Click on OK.

Excel 2007 gives you more flexibility. It allows you to modify the number of lines used by the Formula bar. That way it will always take a specific amount of space and you won't be bothered by it jumping around as much. To expand the Formula bar (so you can see everything it contains), click the tool at the very right edge of the Formula bar. When you hover the mouse pointer over the tool, the ToolTip says "Expand Formula Bar."

If you want to turn off the Formula bar completely in Excel 2007, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office button and then click Excel Options. Excel displays the Excel Options dialog box.
2. At the left of the dialog box click Advanced.
3. Scroll through the options until you see the Display section. (Click here to see a related figure.)
4. Clear the Show Formula Bar check box.
5. Click on OK.