Setting Row Height In Microsoft Excel
Almost everyone who has created a spreadsheet is used to adjusting the widths of columns in Microsoft Excel. Double-clicking on the line between column headings to autofit our data is something just about all Excel users do. Changing the height of rows is something people do less often. In Microsoft Excel, row height is measured in points, the same units used to measure font size. When printing reports this makes it easy to relate the height of rows to the required lines. This means that it is possible to increase the line spacing simply increasing the height of your rows.
The techniques used for changing column widths (something that Excel users do far more frequently) can also be used to change row height. Firstly we can make a selection and in the Cells section of the Home Tab of the Excel Ribbon, we can choose Format then Row Height. Doubling Excel’s default row height will give us an approximation of double line spacing. Multiplying the default by a factor of 1.5 will approximate 1 1/2 line spacing, and so forth.
Excel’s AutoFit facility can also be used automatically resize the height of rows to accommodate the largest font size contained in a given selection. To AutoFit a single row position the cursor at the bottom of the row heading and simply double-click, To AutoFit a range of rows make a selection and then double-click at the bottom of any of the row headings. The same thing can also be achieved by using Format – AutoFit Row Height in the Cells section of the Home Tab of the Excel Ribbon.
In many circumstances, row height can be completely ignored since Excel will automatically adjust the height of rows to accommodate the largest font size found on each row. For example, let’s say we insert a heading row at the top of a worksheet centred across all the columns containing data. If we increase font size of this heading, Excel will automatically increase the height of the row to accommodate the new font size, pushing the rest of the data down.
Finally, we can also increase the row height interactively. This is done by positioning the cursor on the line below the row heading and dragging up or down. As you drag, Excel displays the new row height, both in points and in pixels.
Increasing the height of a row makes the vertical alignment of your text more apparent. By default Excel lines text vertically at the bottom of the cell. In the case of headings, changing the vertical alignment to centred is often far more useful.
The author is a trainer and developer with Macresource Computer Solutions, an independent computer training company offering Microsoft Excel Training Courses in London and throughout the UK.
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