Mursalin Ibne Salehin
In this article, we will learn to fix when the carriage return is not working in Excel. Carriage return means introducing a line break in an excel cell. However, sometimes the carriage return may not work in Excel. In that case, we can use 2 possible solutions. Using these solutions, you can easily overcome the carriage return not working problem in Excel. Also, you will know how to insert the carriage return in a cell after reading this article. So, without any delay, let’s start the discussion.
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2 Possible Solutions When Carriage Return Is Not Working in Excel
To explain the solutions, we will use a dataset that contains information about the Sales Amount and Remarks of some sellers. Here, we will introduce carriage return in the cells of the Remark column in the solutions.
Solution 1: Utilizing Keyboard Shortcut
Usually, we use the keyboard shortcuts to insert carriage return or line break in Excel. If the carriage return does not work in Excel, then we can use the following keyboard shortcuts.
1.1 Using Alt+Enter Keys
In the first shortcut, we will use the Alt + Enter keys together. Let’s follow the steps below to find the techniques of this method.
STEPS:
- Firstly, click on the cell where you want to insert the carriage return. We have selected Cell D5Â here.
- Secondly, put the cursor before the word where you want to introduce a carriage return.
- Thirdly, press Alt + Enter to insert the carriage return.
Note: Sometimes, the Right Alt key may not work. In that case, you need to use the Left Alt key.
- After that, press Enter and AutoFit the row.
- After autofitting the row, you will have results like the picture below.
- Finally, repeat the steps for all cells inside the Remark column in the dataset.
1.2 Holding Windows+Alt+Enter Keys
If the first shortcut does not work, then you can try this one. Generally, it works when the column width is less than the cell contents. Let’s pay attention to the steps below to see how we can implement the technique.
STEPS:
- In the first place, select Cell D5.
- After that, press the Windows + Alt + Enter keys together.
- Lastly, repeat the previous step for all cells inside the Remark column.
Read More: How to Find Carriage Return in Excel (2 Easy Methods)
Solution 2: Applying Wrap Text Command
In the second solution, we will use the Wrap Text command to fix the carriage return problem in an excel cell. If you need to maintain a constant cell width, then, you must follow this solution. To explain the steps, we will use the previous dataset. In this case, you can not autofit the column width.
Let’s pay attention to the steps below to know more.
STEPS:
- In the beginning, select the cells. Here, we have selected Cell D5 to D8.
- Secondly, go to the Home tab and select Wrap Text.
- After that, you just need to adjust the row height now.
- Finally, you will see results like the picture below.
How to Insert Carriage Return in Excel
In this section, we will show how you can insert carriage returns in Excel. We will show 2 methods here. You can also use them to fix the carriage return not working problem.
1. Apply Excel Formula to Insert Carriage Return
In the first method, we will use 3 different formulas to insert carriage return in Excel. But we need the help of the Wrap Text Command in this method. Here, we will use the Ampersand (&) operator, the CONCATENATE function, and the TEXTJOIN function.
1.1 Use Ampersand (&) Operator
To implement the method, we need a helper column. Here, we will concatenate Cells B5, C5, and D5 using the Ampersand (&) operator and the CHAR function. Then, we will wrap the text of Cell E5.
Let’s observe the steps below to implement the method easily.
STEPS:
- First of all, select Cell E5 and type the formula below:
=B5&CHAR(10)&C5&CHAR(10)&D5
In this case, we have the CHAR(10) function to introduce carriage returns.
- Secondly, press Enter and drag the Fill Handle down.
- Thirdly, select Cell E5 to E8.
- After that, go to the Home tab and select the Wrap Text option.
- In the following step, navigate to the Home tab again and click on the Format option. A drop-down menu will appear.
- Select AutoFit Row Height from there.
- Finally, you will insert carriage returns in the dataset.
1.2 Apply CONCATENATE Function
You can also use the CONCATENATE function to insert carriage returns. The whole process is similar to the Ampersand (&) operator method. Let’s follow the steps below to find out the results.
STEPS:
- Firstly, type the formula in Cell E5:
=CONCATENATE(B5,CHAR(10),C5,CHAR(10),D5)- Secondly, type Enter to see the result.
Here, to introduce carriage returns or line breaks, we have used the CHAR(10) function after every cell inside the formula.
- Lastly, repeat the steps of the previous method to introduce carriage returns or line breaks.
Read More: Carriage Return in Excel Formula to Concatenate (6 Examples)
1.3 Insert TEXTJOIN Function
Like the previous two methods, we can also use the TEXTJOIN function to build a formula to add carriage returns in an excel cell. But the TEXTJOIN function is available in Excel 365 and Excel 2019 only. Follow the steps below for the procedure.
STEPS:
- Select Cell E5 first and type the formula:
=TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10),TRUE,B5:D5)- After that, press Enter to see the result.
Here, the CHAR(10) function is used for line breaks. The second argument ignores the empty cells and the third argument contains the cells that need to be joined.
- Now, repeat the steps of Method 1.1 to get the carriage returns.
2. Insert Carriage Return with ‘Find and Replace’ Feature in Excel
Excel provides another option to introduce line breaks or carriage returns. Using the line breaks you can go to the next line easily. And that is to use the Find and Replace option. Here, the dataset will contain the remarks.
Let’s observe the steps below to learn more about this method.
STEPS:
- First of all, select the cells where you want to introduce the carriage returns.
- Secondly, press Ctrl + H to open the Find and Replace dialog box.
- In the Find and Replace window, press the space key one time in the ‘Find what’ field.
- Then, press Ctrl + J in the ‘Replace with’ field. You will not do anything on the field but it will add some special characters.
- After that, select Replace All.
- A message box will appear.
- Click OK to proceed.
- In the following step, navigate to the Home tab and select the Format option. A drop-down menu will appear.
- Select AutoFit Row Height from there.
- Finally, you will be able to insert carriage returns in the dataset.
Read More: How to Replace Carriage Return with Comma in Excel (3 Ways)
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed 2 easy solutions to the Carriage Return Not Working in Excel problem. Also, we have added 2 more methods to insert carriage return in Excel. I hope this article will help you to perform your tasks efficiently. Furthermore, we have also added the practice book at the beginning of the article. To test your skills, you can download it to exercise. Also, you can visit the ExcelDemy website for more articles like this. Lastly, if you have any suggestions or queries, feel free to ask in the comment section below.
