Adjusting to a Maximum Row Height

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 13, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

1

Paul has a worksheet that has over a thousand rows of data in it. Most of the rows have a height of 12, but some have a height of over 100. He wonders if there is a way to adjust the row heights so that no row is over 40? (Meaning, those under a height of 40 will retain their current height, but those over 40 will be adjusted to 40.)

Tackling this issue is actually quite easy—you just need a way to step through the rows, determine the current row height, and then adjust the row height if it is too large. This can be done with a very simple macro, such as the following:

Sub MaxRowHeight()
    Dim R As Long

    For R = 1 To ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Rows.Count
        If Rows(R).Height > 40 Then Rows(R).RowHeight = 40
    Next
End Sub

The macro determines the range of used rows in the worksheet and then steps through those rows. The operative property is the .Height property, which is checked. If it is over 40, then it is set to 40. This means that anything with a row height of less than 40 is left unchanged.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10381) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Moving and Copying Cells

At the very heart of editing is the ability to move and copy cells in a worksheet. Understanding the differences between ...

Discover More

Removing Personal Information

As you create and work on your workbooks, Excel can include sensitive personal information with the data. If you want to ...

Discover More

Defining Protected Sections as AutoText

AutoText is a very useful tool. But what if the text you want to use when creating an AutoText entry is protected and you ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Changing Default Row Height

Changing the default row height used for a worksheet is relatively easy, as long as you don't mind the row height never ...

Discover More

Formatting Subtotal Rows

Excel automatically formats subtotals for you. But what if you want to change the default to something more suitable for ...

Discover More

Hiding and Unhiding Rows

When building a worksheet, you may need to hide some of the rows or unhide other, previously hidden, rows. It's easy to ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is seven less than 8?

2023-09-15 17:25:40

Rama

This is a great tip! To show at most three lines set RowHeight=45, four lines RowHeight=60 and five lines RowHeight=75

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.