It is a rare worksheet in which each column of data is the same width as every other column. Fortunately, Excel allows you to independently adjust column width for each column in your worksheet. The quickest way to do this is to use the mouse in the following manner:
You can also automatically adjust the width of a column to match the width of the longest cell contents in the column by double-clicking on the dividing line between columns.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1936) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
Want to hide a column so it doesn't appear in the worksheet? It's easy to do using the formatting capabilities of Excel.
Discover MoreHave a heading you need centered across a few columns? It's easy to do using the tool described in this tip.
Discover MoreOne way you can widen the columns in a worksheet to fit whatever is in the column is by double-clicking the right edge of ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2015-04-27 10:09:41
1695814
If you are averse to the mouse, alt-o-c-a (alt-fOrmat-Column-Autofit) will set the width for the selected cell(s).
If you want to quickly select the entire column, use ctrl-space bar, then alt-o-c-a to set the width. (Shift-space bar selects the entire row.)
2015-04-25 05:20:28
Richard Finlinson
Double clicking to automatically determine the column width is a very useful feature as it adjusts to fit the widest entry in the column. It is therefore best to do this once all data has been entered to avoid the need to do it multiple times. It should be noted that changing a column heading to Bold, for instance, will increase the width required. Particular attention should be paid to column A, where this will not necessarily work. Titles etc. are frequently entered in column A and then centralised, so that they no longer appear to be in column A. Using this feature on column A, therefore, will calculate width requirement including the titles, which may well be greatly in excess of the widest data in that column.
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments