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: Indenting Cell Contents.
Excel allows you to format the contents of a cell in a myriad of ways. One of the formatting options you can apply is to indent the contents of a cell by a certain amount. This is similar to indenting done in a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, except that the indenting is specified in a number of characters, not in a linear distance such as inches or points.
To set the indent to be used in a cell, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Alignment tab of the Format Cells dialog box.
Note in step 4 that you can choose either a left or right indent if you are using Excel 2002 or Excel 2003. You cannot, however, indent from both the left and right, like you can with a word processor. You can only choose to indent from the left or the right.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2948) 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: Indenting Cell Contents.
Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!
If you don't like the font that Excel uses, by default, in a workbook, you can change it. Here's how.
Discover MoreHave you ever entered information in a cell only for it to appear as hash marks? This tip explains why this happens, how ...
Discover MoreOne way you can format a cell is so that its contents are repeated over and over again for the entire width of the cell. ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-12-30 13:36:39
Roy
@Ioan Buda: Sadly, this method of formatting uses pretty big chunks of white space and won't let you adjust that in any way, nor use fractional indent values. However, you can format the cell with a custom format that uses single spaces (or any blank character/s you have in the font you are using) to give a finer control of how far inward they indent.
So for a simple example, the format " @" (without the quotes, of course)would add the white space for one "space's" width. You can follow it with another space (" @ ") to indent from both edges. You can also use it in separate formats for positive, negative, and zero values. Or as a component of conditional formats (I mean the kind where you use REGULAR formatting, not "Conditional Formatting" to have conditions like: [<-2]-#.000;{<0]-#.00000;[<2]#.00000;#.000 , though of course, it would work in normal Conditional Formatting too).
You can use different width blank space type characters for fairly fine control.
@corey: Not dead certain, but I believe you are describing the same thing: set it to indent "1" space and the 1 you type in gets moved quite far over. If so, see the above.
To clearly reiterate a point in it, it works with any kind of entry, not just text.
2017-07-21 14:50:27
corey
it appears that excel's "1" integer width is actually 4 characters. Is there a way to change the "1" integer width to actually 1 character?
2015-11-01 08:51:58
Ioan Buda
Hi,
I need to decrease the space between text and the border of the cell.
Thank you,
Ioan.
PS Thank you also for the other information shared !
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 © 2021 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
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: 
Comments