Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 25, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Michael just purchased a new laptop with Office 365 installed. When he selects a range of cells, the sum, average, and count appear in the Status Bar. However, the font size is so large that the right-most numbers are not shown completely. Michael wonders how he can decrease the font size of the information displayed on the Status Bar so he can see it all.
Before getting into making changes to the font, you might want to make sure that your Excel program window is wide enough to display all the information you are trying to display in the Status Bar. If not, then simply make the program window wider and your information should all appear as desired.
You can also, if desired, change what is displayed in the Status Bar. Just right-click a blank area on the Status Bar and you can select which stats show up there. If you display fewer stats, then there is a greater likelihood that you'll be able to see what you want to see.
If you still want to change the font size, this is not controlled within Excel. The program relies on the system fonts defined by Windows itself. This can be a bit involved, as it depends on the version of Windows you are using on your system and how you want to adjust the font size. One way to do it is to scale the fonts, as described in this tip:
https://windows.tips.net/T165
Once you make changes in Windows, you may need to close and open Excel again in order to see the effects of those changes. Understand that any changes you make in Windows will affect all your other programs, as well. So, it may take a bit of testing on your part to get the settings the way that works best for all of your programs.
If you want to change the system fonts entirely (perhaps to a narrower font), then you'll need to rely on some hacks to the Windows Registry. Those are described at this website, for Windows 10:
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-change-default-system-font-windows-10
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13727) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.
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