How to format a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

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How to format a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

Updated: 08/31/2020 by Computer Hope

Microsoft Excel provides many options and tools for formatting a spreadsheet. You can adjust data in a cell, change the size of rows and columns, add conditional formatting, and more. To learn how to format a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel, make a selection from the next section, and follow the instructions.

Change font type, size, or color of data in a cell

To change the font type, size, or color, select the cell you want to change, then the appropriate option on the Home tab Font section on the Ribbon.

Set data to be bold, italic, or underlined in a cell

In Excel, you can set data in a cell to be bold, italic, or underlined, to help bring attention to it.

To change a cell's text format, on the Home tab Font section of the Ribbon, click the B icon for bold, I icon for italic, or U icon for underline.

Change the background color of a cell

In Excel, you can change the background color of a cell to a wide variety of colors to highlight specific data in a spreadsheet.

To fill in the background color of a cell, select the cell you want to change. On the Home tab Font section on the Ribbon, click the paint bucket. Select the desired background color from the drop-down window, or click More Colors.

Add a border around one or more cells

In Excel, you can add a border around one or more cells, to group or separate them, improving both visibility and readability of data. You can also choose from different types of borders, and customize their thickness.

To set a border around cells, select the cells that you want to add a border. On the Home tab Font section on the Ribbon, click the icon with a cross and black line on the bottom of the box. In the drop-down window, select the type of border you want to add around the cells.

For additional border styles and options, right-click the selected cells and choose Format Cells. Click the Border tab in the Format Cells window, and select the style of border you prefer.

Change the alignment of data in a cell

In Excel, you can change the horizontal and vertical alignment of data in a cell. You can also indent the data in a cell, if desired.

To change the alignment or indentation, select the cell you want to change. On the Home tab, in the Alignment section on the Ribbon, click the desired alignment option icon. The horizontal alignment options have 3 lines in the icon (top row of icons) and the vertical alignment options have 6 lines in the icon (bottom row of icons).

To indent data in a cell, click the icon with two bold lines and an arrow pointing to the right. To remove indentation of data in a cell, click the icon with two bold lines and an arrow pointing to the left.

How to align text in Microsoft Excel, Calc, and Google Sheets.

Change the data type for a cell

In Excel, you can change, or format, the type of data in a cell. For example, you can change the data to display a currency, displaying a currency symbol next to the left of it. Other data types you can change data to include numerical with decimal places, date, time, percentage, fraction, and text.

Select the cell that you want to change the data type. On the Home tab, Number section in the Ribbon, click the data type drop-down list, and select the data type.

If you want to change the data type to currency or percentage, click the dollar sign icon or the percent icon below the data type drop-down list. If you click the down arrow to the right of the dollar sign icon, you can choose between several currency types, including European and Chinese currencies.

Set up conditional formatting for one or more cells

In Excel, you can set conditional formatting for a cell, based on data in that cell. Conditional formatting is useful for automatically setting a background color in a cell. A common use of conditional formatting is setting the background color to green, yellow, or red based on the numerical data in the cells.

Select the cells where conditional formatting needs to be set. On the Home tab, in the Styles section on the Ribbon, click the Conditional Formatting icon and select a pre-defined rule or click New Rule to create your own.

If you selected a pre-defined conditional formatting rule, enter and select the applicable conditions and options in the window that opens. If you chose to create a new rule, select a Rule Type, then enter and select the applicable conditions and options in the New Formatting Rule window.

See our conditional formatting page for more information and help on setting up conditional formatting in your spreadsheet.

Change width of a column or height of a row

In Excel, the width of a column or the height of a row can be adjusted to fit all text or data. Making these width or height adjustments can make data in the spreadsheet easier to read and understand.

There are two ways you can change the width of a column or height of a row. On the Home tab, in the Cells section on the Ribbon, click the Format option. In the drop-down menu, select Column Width or Row Height to change the size of the selected column or row. In the Column Width or Row Height window that opens, enter the desired width or height value.

The second way is to use your mouse to change the column width or row height. For a column width change, in the horizontal header bar, place the mouse cursor between the column you want to change. The cursor changes to a cross with arrows on either side of the horizontal line in it. Press and hold the left mouse button, then drag the mouse to the left or right to change the column width. Release the left mouse button to set the new column width.

For a row height change, in the vertical header bar, place the mouse cursor between the row you want to change. The cursor changes to a cross, with arrows on top and bottom of the vertical line in the cross. Press and hold the left mouse button, then drag the mouse up or down to change the row height. Release the left mouse button to set the new row height.

Adjust the width and height of a spreadsheet column or row.

Change column header names

In Excel, the column headers are labeled as A, B, C, D, etc. Unfortunately, there is no ability to change these column headers. Instead, you need to enter names into row 1.

To set your own column headers, if you have data in row 1 of the spreadsheet, insert a new row above row 1. To make the column headers stand out from the rest of the data in the columns, consider adding background color and bold formatting.

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