CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-12. Adjust column width

The column width can be shrunk as well as expanded. Drag the double arrow to the left to shrink the
size of the column.
You can also change a column’s width by performing the following steps:
1. Right-click a column head and then select Column Width. The Column Width
dialog box opens (see Figure 3-13).

Figure 3-13. Changing column width

2. Enter the desired width. You can enter any value between 0 and 255. Entering a
width of 0 makes the selected column(s) hidden.
3. Click OK.
The Column Width dialog box can also be accessed by clicking the Home tab and then in the Cells
group click the Format button and then select Column Width. See Figure 3-14.

57
CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-14. Select column width from format button

Automatically Resize Column Widths to Fit Number of Characters in

the Cell
You can have Excel automatically adjust the size of the columns to fit the number of characters in the cell.
This can be accomplished by selecting the column heads for those columns whose width you wish to change
and then double-clicking between any of the column heads of the selected columns. You can also perform an
AutoFit by right-clicking any of the selected columns and then selecting AutoFit Column Width from the menu.

Changing the Column Width for Multiple Columns

You can change the column width for more than one column at a time. The only difference between the
methods used for adjusting the width of multiple columns vs. a single column is that you need to select the
column heads for all the columns whose width you want to change. The column heads you select do not
need to be adjacent to each other. The following steps are an example of how to change the width of multiple
columns at the same time.
1. Drag across the column heads of the columns whose width you wish to change.
Figure 3-15 shows that column heads D, E, and F have been selected. Selecting a
column head selects the entire column.

58
 CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-15. The entire columns are selected

2. Place your cursor between any of the selected column headings. The cursor will
turn into a double arrow as shown in Figure 3-15. Hold down the left mouse
button and drag it to the right to expand all of the selected columns or drag it to
the left to shrink all of the selected columns.
Now, let’s apply some of the things learned in this section.

EXERCISE 3-4: CHANGING COLUMN WIDTHS

In this exercise, you create a new worksheet, create columns of data, and then modify the widths of
those columns. If you have closed the Chapter 3 workbook from the last practice, reopen it.
1. Create a new worksheet. Rename the worksheet tab “Column Widths.”
2. Enter the Table 3-1 data into the worksheet starting in cell A1. Do not adjust the
column widths.

59
CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Table 3-1. Enter data into worksheet

Name Address Profession

Pyle, Gomer 308 Marine Barracks Marine Private
Griffith, Andy 408 Mayberry Ave. Town Sheriff
Presley, Elvis 215 Graceland Rock Singer
Douglas, Lisa 509 Green Acres Unusual Housewife
Adams, Mortisha 313 Spooky Lane Strange Housewife

After entering the data your worksheet should look like Figure 3-16.

Figure 3-16. Enter data without adjusting column widths

3. Place your cursor between column heads A and B. Drag your cursor to the right
until the width is 16.43. See Figure 3-17.

Figure 3-17. Drag between column heads to change a column’s width

4. Place your cursor between column heads A and B. Drag your cursor back to the left
until the width is 7. The text in column A is now partially hidden by the text in column B.
5. Right-click column head A and then select Column Width. Enter 8.43 for the column
width. Click OK.
6. Drag across column heads A, B, and C to select all three columns.
7. Double-click between column heads B and C. Columns A, B, and C adjust to just fit
the longest text in their columns as shown in Figure 3-18.

60
 CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-18. Columns adjusted to fit longest column text

8. With column heads A, B, and C still selected, click the Ribbon’s Home tab. In the
Cells group click the Format button. Select Column Width.
9. In the Column Width dialog box, enter 20 and click the OK button. The three
columns should each have a column width of 20.
10. Click the Format button again. Select AutoFit Column Width. Columns A, B, and C
adjust to just fit the longest text in their columns.

11. Click the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Now that you have learned to adjust the column width, you’ll learn how to change the height of the row
so that you can view all of the text in a cell.

How to Change Row Heights

Changing the height of a row works the same as changing the width of a column. The row height is 15.00 by
default.
Changing row heights is accomplished by selecting the row or rows whose height you want to change.
You select rows the same way you select columns: click the number for a specific row, drag on the numbers to
select adjacent rows, or select nonadjacent rows by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking the row numbers
(see Figure 3-19). After you have made your row selections, place the cursor between the row head of one of
the selected rows and another row head then drag down to expand the height of the row or up to shrink it.

Figure 3-19. Select rows and then drag up or down to change the height of the selected rows

61