Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Creating a Center Across Selection Button.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 23, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you have been using Excel for a decade or so, you know that in versions of the program up through Excel 95 there was a toolbar button that would center the contents of a particular cell across a number of columns. In Excel 97 this toolbar button was replaced with one that merges cells and centers the content within the merged cells. The difference, of course, between the two tools is that one merges prior to centering, and the other does not.
If you miss the old Center Across Selection button, you may wonder if you can ever get it back. (You probably know that you can do the same thing by displaying the Alignment tab of the Format Cells dialog box and then use the Horizontal drop-down list to choose Center Across Selection.) There is no built-in Center Across Selection tool that you can use, but you can create a simple macro that will do the same thing:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Sub CenterAcrossColumns()
With Selection
.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenterAcrossSelection
.MergeCells = False
End With
End Sub
Once you have the macro, you can assign it to a shortcut key or a toolbar button.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1944) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Creating a Center Across Selection Button.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
If you ever get to a situation where you can no longer format cells in a workbook, you'll realize just how important the ...
Discover MoreIf you have a range of numeric values in your worksheet, you may want to change them from numbers to text values. Here's ...
Discover MoreWhen working with very large numbers in a worksheet, you may want the numbers to appear in a shortened notation, with an ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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 © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments