| When you start typing entries, you soon realize how small worksheet cells really are. If you type more than 9 or 10 characters , your entry extends outside the box, and Excel must adjust the column width or truncate the entry to make it fit. Though Excel does a fairly good job of adjusting column widths to accommodate long entries, you may need to adjust the column widths yourself. Excel offers several methods for changing column widths: -
Let Excel Adjust the Column Width: Move the mouse pointer over the right border of the column heading, so the pointer takes on the appearance of a two-headed arrow. (See Figure 5.1.) Hold the mouse steady while double-clicking the left mouse button. Excel automatically adjusts the column width to accommodate the widest entry in the column. (Or, select the column or columns and then open the Format menu, point to Column , and click AutoFit Selection .) Figure 5.1. You can have Excel automatically adjust the column width.  -
Drag and Drop Column Width: Move the mouse pointer over the right border of the column heading, so the pointer takes on the appearance of a two-headed arrow. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to the left (to make the column skinnier) or to the right (to widen the column). -
Specify a Precise Column Width: Select a cell in the column whose width you want to change, or drag over the column headings to select multiple columns. Open the Format menu, point to Column , and click Width . Type a number from 0 to 255 to specify the desired number of characters wide you want the column to be, and then click OK . (A column width of 0 hides the column. To bring a hidden column back into view, drag over the columns to the left and the right of the hidden column, and then choose Format , Column , Unhide .) -
Match Another Column's Width: To make one column the same width as another, select a cell in the column whose width you want to match, and then click the Copy button in the Standard toolbar. Select the column(s) you want to adjust. Open the Edit menu and click Paste Special . Click Column Widths and click OK . Tip  | You can change Excel's default column width to specify the column width you want Excel to use for all columns in a workbook. Right-click a worksheet tab and choose Select All Sheets . Open the Format menu, point to Column , and choose Standard Width . In the Standard Column Width text box, type the number of characters wide you want the columns to be. Click OK . |
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