Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells: To Modify Column Width

Excel 2016:
Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells
Introduction
By default, every row and column of a new workbook is set to the
same height andwidth. Excel allows you to modify column width and
row height in different ways, including wrapping text and merging
cells.
To modify column width:

In our example below, column C is too narrow to display all
of the content in these cells. We can make all of this
content visible by changing the width of column C.
1. Position the mouse over the column line in the column

heading so the cursor becomes a double arrow.
2. Click and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the column
width.
3. Release the mouse. The column width will be changed.
With numerical data, the cell will display pound

signs (#######) if the column is too narrow.
Simply increase the column width to make the data
visible.
To AutoFit column width:

The AutoFit feature will allow you to set a column's width
to fit its content automatically.
1. Position the mouse over the column line in the column

heading so the cursor becomes a double arrow.
2. Double-click the mouse. The column width will be changed
automatically to fit the content.
You can also AutoFit the width for several columns at the
same time. Simply select the columns you want to AutoFit,
then select the AutoFit Column Width command from
the Format drop-down menu on the Home tab. This
method can also be used for row height.
To modify row height:
1. Position the cursor over the row line so the cursor becomes
a double arrow.
2. Click and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the row height.
3. Release the mouse. The height of the selected row will be changed.
To modify all rows or columns:
Instead of resizing rows and columns individually, you can
modify the height and width of every row and column at
the same time. This method allows you to set a uniform
size for every row and column in your worksheet. In our
example, we will set a uniform row height.
1. Locate and click the Select All button just below the name box to
select every cell in the worksheet.
2. Position the mouse over a row line so the cursor becomes
a double arrow.
3. Click and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the row height,
then release the mouse when you are satisfied. The row height will
be changed for the entire worksheet.
Inserting, deleting, moving, and
hiding
After you've been working with a workbook for a while, you
may find that you want to insert new columns or
rows, delete certain rows or columns, move them to a
different location in the worksheet, or even hide them.
To insert rows:
1. Select the row heading below where you want the new row to
appear. In this example, we want to insert a row between rows 4
and 5, so we'll select row 5.
2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.
3. The new row will appear above the selected row.

When inserting new rows, columns, or cells, you will see
a paintbrush icon next to the inserted cells. This button
allows you to choose how Excel formats these cells. By
default, Excel formats inserted rows with the same
formatting as the cells in the row above. To access more
options, hover your mouse over the icon, then click
thedrop-down arrow.
To insert columns:
1. Select the column heading to the right of where you want the new
column to appear. For example, if you want to insert a column
between columns D and E, select column E.
2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.
3. The new column will appear to the left of the selected column.
When inserting rows and columns, make sure you select
the entire row or column by clicking the heading. If you
select only a cell in the row or column, the Insertcommand
will only insert a new cell.
To delete a row or column:

It's easy to delete a row or column that you no longer
need. In our example we'll delete a row, but you can delete
a column the same way.
1. Select the row you want to delete. In our example, we'll select row
9.
2. Click the Delete command on the Home tab.
3. The selected row will be deleted, and those around it will shift. In
our example, row 10 has moved up, so it's now row 9.
It's important to understand the difference

between deleting a row or column and simply clearing its
contents. If you want to remove the content from a row or
column without causing others to shift, right-click
a heading, then select Clear Contents from the drop-
down menu.
To move a row or column:

Sometimes you may want to move a column or row to
rearrange the content of your worksheet. In our example
we'll move a column, but you can move a row in the same
way.
1. Select the desired column heading for the column you want to
move.
2. Click the Cut command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+X on your
keyboard.
3. Select the column heading to the right of where you want to move
the column. For example, if you want to move a column between
columns E and F, select column F.
4. Click the Insert command on the Home tab, then select Insert Cut
Cells from the drop-down menu.
5. The column will be moved to the selected location, and the

columns around it will shift.
You can also access the Cut and Insert commands by
right-clicking the mouse and selecting
the desired commands from the drop-down menu.
To hide and unhide a row or column:
At times, you may want to compare certain rows or
columns without changing the organization of your
worksheet. To do this, Excel allows you to hide rows and
columns as needed. In our example we'll hide a few
columns, but you can hide rows in the same way.
1. Select the columns you want to hide, right-click the mouse, then
select Hidefrom the formatting menu. In our example, we'll hide
columns C, D, and E.
2. The columns will be hidden. The green column line indicates the
location of the hidden columns.
3. To unhide the columns, select the columns on both sides of the
hidden columns. In our example, we'll select columns B and F.
Then right-click the mouse and select Unhide from
the formatting menu.
4. The hidden columns will reappear.

Wrapping text and merging
cells
Whenever you have too much cell content to be displayed
in a single cell, you may decide to wrap the
text or merge the cell rather than resize a column.
Wrapping the text will automatically modify a cell's row
height, allowing cell contents to be displayed on multiple
lines. Merging allows you to combine a cell with adjacent
empty cells to create one large cell.
To wrap text in cells:
1. Select the cells you want to wrap. In this example, we'll select the
cells in column C.
2. Click the Wrap Text command on the Home tab.
3. The text in the selected cells will be wrapped.

Click the Wrap Text command again to unwrap the text.
To merge cells using the Merge & Center

command:
1. Select the cell range you want to merge. In our example, we'll
select A1:F1.
2. Click the Merge & Center command on the Home tab. In our
example, we'll select the cell range A1:F1.
3. The selected cells will be merged, and the text will be centered.
To access more merge options:

If you click the drop-down arrow next to the Merge &
Center command on the Hometab, the Merge drop-down
menu will appear.
From here, you can choose to:
 Merge & Center: merges the selected cells

into one cell and centers the text
 Merge Across: merges the selected cells
into larger cells while keeping
each row separate
 Merge Cells: merges the selected cells into
one cell but does not center the text
 Unmerge Cells: unmerges selected cells
You'll want to be careful when using this feature. If you
merge multiple cells that all contain data, Excel will keep
only the contents of the upper-left cell and discard
everything else.
To center across selection:

Merging can be useful for organizing your data, but it can
also create problems later on. For example, it can be
difficult to move, copy, and paste content from merged
cells. A good alternative to merging is Center Across
Selection, which creates a similar effect without actually
combining cells.
1. Select the desired cell range. In our example, we'll

select A1:F1. Note: If you already merged these cells, you
should unmerge them before continuing to step 2.
2. Click the small arrow in the lower-right corner of
the Alignment group on the Home tab.
3. A dialog box will appear. Locate and select the Horizontal drop-
down menu, select Center Across Selection, then click OK.
4. The content will be centered across the selected cell range. As you
can see, this creates the same visual result as merging and
centering, but it preserves each cell within A1:F1.
Challenge!
1. Open our practice workbook.
2. Autofit Column Width for the entire workbook.
3. Modify the row height for rows 3 to 14 to 22.5 (30 pixels).
4. Delete row 10.
5. Insert a column to the left of column C. Type SECONDARY
CONTACT in cell C2.
6. Make sure cell C2 is still selected and choose Wrap Text.
7. Merge and Center cells A1:F1.
8. Hide the Billing Address and Phone columns.
9. When you're finished, your workbook should look something like
this:

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Excel 2016:

Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells

To modify column width:

1. Position the mouse over the column line in the column

With numerical data, the cell will display pound

To AutoFit column width:

1. Position the mouse over the column line in the column

2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

3. The new row will appear above the selected row.

2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

To delete a row or column:

It's important to understand the difference

To move a row or column:

5. The column will be moved to the selected location, and the

4. The hidden columns will reappear.

3. The text in the selected cells will be wrapped.

To merge cells using the Merge & Center

To access more merge options:

 Merge & Center: merges the selected cells

To center across selection:

1. Select the desired cell range. In our example, we'll

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