How to Change Cell Size in Excel (5 Easy Ways)

In this article we will explain five methods to change cell size in Excel.

To demonstrate the methods, we’ll use the following sample dataset containing cell contents that don’t fit well in their cells. We’ll change the cell size so the cell contents fit properly.

Method 1 – Using the Format Menu to Change Cell Size

We can’t see the full values in columns Name and Email and cell D6. To show the full contents of these cells, we’ll use Excel’s Format option.

1.1 – Changing the Row Height

First, we will change the row height of cell D6.

Steps:

Select cell D6.
From the Home tab >> go to Format >> select Row Height…

The Row Height dialog box will appear.

Type 35 in the Row height box.
Click OK.

This value will have to be set by trial and error. If the contents don’t quite fit right, repeat the process to increase or decrease the row height accordingly.

After some tweaks, the value in cell D6 is fully visible.

1.2 – Changing the Column Width

All the columns contain values that are too long to fit properly. We can make them fit by changing the column width.

As not all columns are equal in size, we will change the widths column by column. However, we could select all three columns and perform the same steps to change the widh of all 3 at once.

Steps:

Select the Name column.
From the Home tab >> select Format >> Column Width…

The Column Width dialog box will appear.

Type 18 in the Column width box.
Click OK.

The Name column is now fully visible.

Repeat the process for the Email and Department columns. Appropriate values for their column widths are 26 and 27 respectively.

The final table looks like this:

Method 2 – Using AutoFit to Change Cell Size in Excel

We can also use AutoFit in Excel to change the cell size in our dataset.

Steps:

Select the range to apply AutoFit. Here, B4:D11.
From the Home tab >> select Format >> AutoFit Column Width.

This will AutoFit the columns.

Now we will AutoFit the rows.

Re-select the table (If it is already selected, no need to do it again).
Go to Home >> Format >> AutoFit Row Height.

Everything is visible in our dataset.

Method 3 – Matching the Column Width to Change Cell Size

Now we’ll use the match column width command from the Paste Special command in Excel to change cell size. Our Email column will match the width of the column Department.