A sheet full of correct figures is not much help if nobody can read it comfortably. By the end of this page you will know how to make headings stand out, widen columns, add borders, and line text up so your sheet is easy on the eye.
Formatting changes how information looks, not what it actually contains. A total does not become any more correct by being bold, but making it bold helps the reader's eye find it quickly. Good formatting is about guiding attention, not decoration for its own sake.
- Bold headings stand out from the data
- Widen a column that is cutting off text
To make a heading bold, select the cell or row of headings and either press Ctrl+B or click the Bold button on the Home tab. To widen a column that is cutting off text, move your mouse to the thin line on the right edge of that column's heading letter, until the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow, and then either drag it wider or double-click, which automatically widens the column to fit its longest entry. Borders, found on the Home tab, draw lines around chosen cells to visually separate a table from the rest of the sheet, and the alignment buttons let you set whether text sits to the left, centre or right of a cell.
Try it yourself
Type a row of headings across A1:D1, such as Name, Region, Sales, Notes, then select that row and press Ctrl+B.
Bold headings immediately separate the labels from the data underneath them, without touching the data itself.
Hover over the divider between column D and column E until you see a double-headed arrow, then double-click it.
This automatically widens column D to fit whatever text is longest inside it, so nothing is cut off.
Select A1:D1 again, go to the Home tab, and click the Borders button to add a border underneath the headings.
A border under headings gives the reader's eye a clear line between labels and figures.
Select a column of numbers and click the Centre alignment button on the Home tab.
Centring numbers below a heading can make a small table look neater and more deliberate.
Type a longer sentence into cell D2, then select it and click Wrap Text on the Home tab.
Wrap Text makes long text drop onto a second line within the same cell, rather than spilling over or being hidden.
Words people use
None of this formatting changes a single number, but it changes how quickly and confidently someone else, or you in six months, can understand what the sheet is saying. It is worth doing on any sheet you intend to keep or share.
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can make a heading bold.
- I can widen a column by double-clicking its divider.
- I can add borders and change alignment on the Home tab.
- I can use Wrap Text to keep long sentences readable inside a cell.