Wrapping Text in Merged Cells

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 11, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365


Rachel wrote in to ask if there is a way to wrap text in merged cells without resorting to using macros.

The short answer is that, yes, there is a way, and it is the same way you would wrap text in a non-merged cell. All you need to do is select the merged cell in which you want text wrapped, display the Home tab of the ribbon, and click the Wrap Text tool—that's it. (An alternative method is to display the Alignment tab of the Format Cells dialog box and use the Wrap Text check box.)

There are differences, though, in what happens after you turn on text wrapping in a regular cell versus a merged cell. In a regular cell, you'll likely see the row height adjust automatically to display all the wrapped text. In a merged cell, however, that doesn't happen—the row height stays unchanged and you'll need to adjust it manually.

If you are looking for an automatic way to have Excel adjust row height on merged cells, you might want to consider this tip.

In addition, if the merged cell contains a formula that results in a numeric value (this includes date values which look like text, but aren't), then the result won't wrap to additional rows in the cell. (This happens regardless of whether the cell is a non-merged or merged cell.) Instead, you'll see the "#######" designation indicating that your cell is too narrow for the result to be displayed. In those cases, you'll need to either adjust the column width or use a formula that actually results in text being displayed, such as with the TEXT function.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13583) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

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

Using Very Large Font Sizes

You can format your text to use some very, very large font sizes. The results you see from formatting with large fonts ...

Discover More

Adjusting the Width of Characters

Need to adjust how your characters look horizontally? Word provides an easy way you can scale the horizontal appearance ...

Discover More

Inserting Foreign Characters

It is not unusual to need to insert foreign characters (often called diacritical marks) as part of your typing. Word ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Changing Font Sizes

Want to change the size of the font within a worksheet? Excel allows you to choose from a list of sizes, as well as ...

Discover More

Making a Cell's Contents Bold within a Macro

When your macro is processing information in a worksheet, do you need to periodically make the contents of a cell bold? ...

Discover More

Select One Cell and Make Another Cell Bold

Excel provides a number of different ways you can apply formatting to a cell based upon various dynamic conditions. One ...

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.

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 two minus 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


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.