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: Setting Row Height.

Setting Row Height

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 14, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Excel normally sets the height of rows within your worksheet to reflect the size of the largest font used on the row. You can, however, adjust the height of the row to any size desired. For instance, you might want to add additional space before a row. Rather than insert a blank row, you can increase the height of the row, so it has blank space before it.

The easiest method for adjusting row height is to use the mouse. All you need to do is move the mouse pointer into the row header area (the gray area at the left of the row). When you move the pointer, so it is over a dividing line between rows, it changes shape to a double-headed arrow. When the mouse pointer is this shape, you can click on the left mouse button, hold it down, and drag the border to a new position. When you release the mouse button, the row is resized to the new height.

You can also adjust row height in this manner:

  1. Select any cell in the row you want to adjust. If you select a cell range that includes cells in multiple rows, you can adjust the row height for more than one row at a time.
  2. Choose Row from the Format menu. Excel displays a submenu.
  3. Choose the Height option from the submenu. This displays the Row Height dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Row Height dialog box.

  5. Adjust the value in the dialog box to reflect the desired row height.
  6. Click on OK.

The value shown in the dialog box (step 4) represents the current height of the selected row, in points. A point is equal to approximately 1/72 inch; it is the measurement unit used for fonts.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2756) 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: Setting Row Height.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Keeping Word Open after Closing Documents

Usually when you are done working on a document, you want to close Word completely and move on to something else. There ...

Discover More

Unwanted Font in Draft View

Word supports different ways of viewing your document as you work with it. One of those views, Draft, can use a specific ...

Discover More

Freezing Both Rows and Columns

When you are working in a worksheet, you may want to freeze the rows at the top or left of the worksheet. Excel provides ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Hiding Rows Based on Two Values

It's easy to use filtering to hide rows based on the value in a cell, but how do you hide rows based on the values in two ...

Discover More

Hiding and Unhiding Rows

When building a worksheet, you may need to hide some of the rows or unhide other, previously hidden, rows. It's easy to ...

Discover More

Automatic Row Height for Wrapped Text

When you format a cell so that the information within it can wrap to multiple lines, you may be surprised if Excel ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.