Simplifying the Font List

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 3, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 2000, 2002, and 2003


When you click the Font drop-down list on the Formatting toolbar, Excel shows you the names of all the fonts you can use to format whatever you have selected on the screen. Normally, Excel shows the font names using the actual font. You may find the differing font faces to be distracting, or your slower computer may be really slow when listing all the fonts.

Here's how you turn this capability on and off in Excel 2000, Excel 2002, and Excel 2003:

  1. Select Customize from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Customize dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Options tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Options tab of the Customize dialog box.

  4. Clear the List Font Names In Their Font check box.
  5. Click Close.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2832) applies to Microsoft Excel 2000, 2002, and 2003.

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

Sorting by Headings

Headings are a great way to organize your document. If, after getting your headings in place, you want to sort by those ...

Discover More

Limits on Path Length in Word

When you organize your hard drive, it is easy to go hog-wild with folders and subfolders. You need to know that how you ...

Discover More

Using Last-page Headers and Footers

Headers and footers add a nice touch to your documents, particularly if they are printed. You may want Word to use a ...

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)

Buttons for Workbooks

Wouldn't it be great to have a workbook accessible with just a single button click? It's possible if you follow the steps ...

Discover More

Deleting a Toolbar

After a time you may not need one of the custom toolbars you've created. This tip explains how to free up resources in ...

Discover More

Resetting Toolbars to Their Default

Once you've edited your toolbars, you may want to change them back to their default appearance and behavior. This tip ...

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 8 - 1?

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.