3. Which of the following is the best way to add a lengthy explanation to Excel data without being limited to cell sizes and restrictions?
Answers
Answer:
When you enter longer text than will fit in a normal Excel cell, the excess text either carries over into the next blank cell or is truncated by adjacent data. You have several options to remedy this. Increasing the column width will offer more space for text, but it will widen every cell in the column. By default, the column width is 8.43 standard font characters, but the width may be extended to 250. Excel's Word Wrap feature spans text across multiple horizontal lines, but it increases the height of all cells on that row. Merging cells allows the text to occupy a single cell that spans multiple column widths, but this option is only feasible if the adjacent cells are blank.
Explanation:
Increase Column Width
1. Type your long text in the appropriate cell.
2. Point your mouse cursor to the vertical line on the immediate right of the top column letter. As an example, if you entered the text in cell B1, point to the vertical line between column letters "B" and "C." The cursor will turn into a "+" sign with arrows on the sides.
3. Double-click the line to make the column automatically resize to accommodate the lengthy text. Alternatively, you can drag the line to manually resize it.
Wrap Text
1. Right-click the cell containing the long text, and select "Format Cells."
2. Click the "Alignment" tab and check "Wrap Text."
3. Click "OK."
Merge Cells
1. Drag your mouse across the cell containing the text and any number of blank, adjacent cells on the same row.
2. Right-click the selection and choose "Format Cells."
3. Click the "Alignment" tab and check "Merge Cells."
4. Click "OK."
Tips
A final option is to decrease the font size, which will allow more characters to fit in a standard-sized column. To decrease the font size, select the cell containing the lengthy text and enter a smaller number in the "Font Size" field of the Home tab's Font group.
If you frequently run into insufficient column width, you can change the sheet's default column width by clicking "Home," "Format" and "Default Width." Enter a larger number in the "Standard Width" field and click "OK."