How to Fit Long Text in One Cell in Excel – 6 Methods

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How to Fit Long Text in One Cell in Excel : 6 Simple Ways

The dataset showcases Writer’s Name and long Book Names.

Dataset


Method 1 – Use of the Wrap Text Feature

Steps:

  • Select C5:C12.
  • Select Wrap Text in Alignment.

Selecting wrap text from toolbar to fit long text in one cell in excel

This is the output.

Output after wrap text

Adjust the row height.

  • Select C5:C12 and click Cells >> Format >> AutoFit Row Height.

Fixing the row height

The is the final result.

Output of Applying Wrap Text Feature

 

Note: You can also press ALT + H + W, instead of selecting Wrap Text.


Method 2 – Adjusting the Column Width Manually

  • Select Column C and drag down the Fill Handle to the end of the text.

If the text is too long, this process is not recommended.


Method 3 – Fit Long Text in One Cell Using the AutoFit Column Width Feature

Steps:

  • Select C5:C12.
  • Select Cells >> Format >> Auto-Fit Column Width.

Selecting autofit column width from the toolbar to fit long text in one cell in excel

This is the final output.

Final output of using auto-fit column width


Method 4 – Entering a Line Break to Fit Long Text

  • Place your cursor in the place where you want to break the line and press Alt + Enter.

Placing the cursor to break the line to fit long text in one cell in excel

  • Repeat this process for every cell in C5:C12.

Output after applying line break

  • To fit the row height apply the AutoFit Row Height process as shown in Method 1.

Output after breaking the line


Method 5 – Applying the Shrink to Fit Option to Fit Long Text

  • Select C5:C12 and click Dialog box launcher in Alignment.

Selecting dialog box launcher to fit long text in one cell in excel

  • In the Format cells dialog box, select Shrink to fit in Text Control and click OK.

Selecting shrink to fit option to fit long text in one cell in excel

This is the final output.

Final output after applying shrink to fit option

The font size won’t be the same in all cells.


Method 6 – Merging Cells to Fit Long Text

  • Select all cells that overlap the text.
  • Select Merge & Across in Merge & Center.

Choosing merge across to fit long text in one cell in Excel

Cells are merged.

Output after merging one cell

  • Repeat the process for the rest of the cells.

Output after completing merging.


Things to Remember

  • If you wrap a long text, you need to change the row height to see the whole sentence.
  • You can change text orientation in the Format Cells dialog box.

 

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Afrina Nafisa
Afrina Nafisa

Afrina Nafisa Alam, BSc, Industrial and Production Engineering from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology. She has been working with the Exceldemy project for over 6 months and is currently a web content developer here. She has published over 18 articles and reviewed several during this period. She is keen to learn different features and deliver the knowledge in her current project. She is interested in learning different features of Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Power Query, Data Analysis,... Read Full Bio

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