12/27/2017 Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells Tutorial at GCFLearnFree

Excel 2016
Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells

Introduction
By default, every row and column of a new workbook is set to the same height and width. Excel allows you to
modify column width and row height in di erent ways, including wrapping text and merging cells.

Optional: Download our practice workbook.

Watch the video below to learn more about modifying columns, rows, and cells.

*Video removed from printing pages

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Inserting, deleting, moving, and hiding

A er 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 di erent 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.

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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 the
drop-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.

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2 Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

3 The new column will appear to the le 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 Insert
command will only insert a new cell.
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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 shi . In our example,
row 10 has moved up, so it's now row 9.

It's important to understand the di erence 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 shi , right-click a heading, then select Clear
Contents from the drop-down menu.

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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.

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Select the column heading to the right of where you want to move the column.
3
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
shi .

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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 Hide from
the formatting menu. In our example, we'll hide columns C, D, and E.

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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.

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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.

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Click the Wrap Text command on the Home tab.

2

3 The text in the selected cells will be wrapped.

Click the Wrap Text command again to unwrap the text.

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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 Home tab, 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

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• 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-le 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
di icult to move, copy, and paste content from merged cells. A good alternative to merging is Center Across
Selection, which creates a similar e ect 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.

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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.

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Insert a column to the le of column C. Type SECONDARY CONTACT in cell C2.

5

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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