Adjusting Column Width

Adjusting column width makes the best use of the worksheet space. You can set the column width manually or let Excel make the adjustments for you with its AutoFit feature. By default, column width is set to 8.43 characters , based on the default font and font size, 10-point Arial.

In the upcoming To Do exercise, you adjust column width with a mouse.

To Do: Adjust Column Width

1. Move the mouse pointer to the right column header border at the top of column A. You should see a double-headed arrow, as shown in Figure 8.12. Use the right border of the column header to adjust column width.

   Figure 8.12. Dragging the right border of a column changes its width.

   

2. Hold down the mouse button and drag the border. As you are dragging the border, Excel shows you the column width in a ScreenTip (a buff- color box).

3. When you see a width of 18.00 , release the mouse button. The column width is adjusted.

To change the column width for two or more columns, click and drag over the column headers with the mouse pointer. Then release the mouse button. Move the mouse pointer to one of the column header borders. Use the right border of the column header to adjust the column width. Hold down the mouse button and drag the border. Release the mouse button, and the column width is adjusted for all the columns you selected.

You can make use of Excel's AutoFit feature to quickly make a column as wide as its widest entry. Just double-click the right border of the column header. To change more than one column at a time, click and drag over the desired column headers and then double-click the right-most column header border.