Akib Bin Rashid
Excel is one of the most widely used tools when it comes to working with a huge dataset. In Excel, we often need to format text in an Excel cell. In this article, I am going to illustrate 10 different ways on how to format text in an Excel cell.
Download Workbook
This is the worksheet I am going to use to explain the methods on how to format text in an Excel cell. We have several students along with their Student ID and their Marks. I will apply different formatting attributes to these cells.
10 Ways to Format Text in an Excel Cell
1. Format Font Type in Excel Cell
We will start with changing the font type in an Excel cell.
STEPS:
Suppose you want to change the font type of the text in C5. To do so,
➤ Select cell C5. Then go to the Home tab >> select the drop-down box shown in the image below.
➤ Excel will give you the available Font types. Choose the one you like. I am going to choose the ALGERIAN.
➤ Excel will change the font type.
Read More: Excel VBA: Format Cell as Text (3 Methods)
2. Change the Font Size of Cell in Excel
Now I will show how to change the font size.
STEPS:
Suppose you want to change the font size of the text in D5. To do so,
➤ Select D5.
➤ Then go to the Home tab >> select the drop-down box (see image below) >> Choose the font size. I am going to choose 16.
➤ Excel will change the Font Size.
Read More: How to Change Font Size of the Whole Sheet with Excel VBA
3. Coloring Cell to Format Text in Excel
In Excel, it is possible to color the texts in a cell. You can change both the Fill Color and Font Color.
STEPS TO CHANGE THE FILL COLOR:
Suppose you want to change the Fill Color of C5. To do so,
➤ Select C5. Go to the Home tab >> select the drop-down box (see image below) >> Choose the Fill Color.
➤ Excel will Fill the background of C5.
STEPS TO CHANGE THE FONT COLOR:
➤ Suppose you want to change the Fill Color of D5. To do so,
➤ Select D5. Go to the Home tab >> select the drop-down box (see image below) >> Choose the Font Color.
➤ Excel will change the Font color of D5.
Read More: Excel VBA: Change Font Color for Part of Text (3 Methods)
4. Using Bold, Italic & Underlined to Format Text
This time I will show how to make a text bold, italic, or underlined.
STEPS:
➤ I have shown the options from the Home tab in the image below.
Suppose you want to Bold B5, Italicize C5, and Underline D5 To do so,
➤ Select B5. Then select the Bold icon.
➤ Select C5. Then select the Italic icon.
➤ Select D5. Then select the Underline icon.
Excel will perform these operations on the selected cells.
Read More: Excel VBA Codes to Bold Text in a String (5 Examples)
5. Text Alignment Options to Format a Text
Excel has several text alignment options available. You can easily choose any of them as per wish. The available options from the Home tab are in the picture below. To apply any alignment option, you just have to select a cell and then click the desired icons.
STEPS:
Suppose you want to Middle Align and Center the text in cell C5. To do so,
➤ Select C5. Then select the icons (See the image).
Excel will Middle Align and Center the text in C5.
You can also increase or decrease the indent of texts in a cell. You just have to select a cell, and then click the icons shown in the image. For example,
➤ Select cell C5. Then select the increase indent icon.
➤ Excel will move the cell content farther away from the cell border.
Read More: Text Alignment with VBA Command Button in Excel (5 Methods)
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6. Applying Borders to Format Text
This time, you will learn how to apply borders around a text in Excel. Suppose you want to apply borders around the range B4:D14.
STEPS:
➤ Select the entire range B4:D14. Then, go to the Home tab >> select the drop-down box (see image below) >> Choose the Border Type. I am going to choose All Borders.
➤ Excel will apply borders around the range B4:D14.
7. Using Cell Styles to Format Text in Excel Cell
You can also use Cell Styles to format a text in an Excel cell. Suppose Alex Morgan has got 15 in the exam which is significantly low. So you want to mark this number as a warning text. You can do so following the steps below.
STEPS:
➤ Select D5.
➤ Then, go to the Home tab >> select the drop-down box (see image below) >> Choose the Warning Text.
As a result, Excel will format D5 accordingly.
Read More: How to Format Cell and Center Text with Excel VBA (5 Ways)
8. Use of Conditional Formatting to Format Text in a Cell
You can easily format a text using Conditional Formatting. In this section, I will show how to do so.
STEPS:
Suppose I want to highlight the cells that have values more than 85 in the Mark column. To do so,
➤ Select the range D5:D14.
➤ Then go to the Home tab >> select the Conditional Formatting >> go to Highlight Cells Rules >> select Greater Than
An input box will appear. Write 85 in the Format cells that are GREATER THAN: box.
➤ Choose the way you want to format the cells from the drop-down. Then click OK.
Excel will format the cells.
Read More: How to Format Text to Capitalize First Letter in Excel (10 Ways)
9. Format Text Using Table
It is possible in Excel to format a range as a table. I will show you how you can do so.
STEPS:
➤ Select the range you want to work with. It is B4:D14 here. Then go to the Home tab >> select the drop-down box (see image below) >> Choose the Table type you want.
➤ Create Table dialog box will pop up. Tick the My table has headers box if you want headers in your table. Then click OK.
➤ Excel will format the dataset as a table.
10. Employing Wrap Text and Merge Multiple Cells to Format Text
Now, I will describe two more important features on how to format text in an Excel cell. These are Wrap Text and Merge & Center.
STEPS FOR WRAP TEXT:
Generally, Excel shows the contents of a cell in one line. If you use the Wrap Text feature, Excel will show the contents of a cell in multiple lines.
Suppose the name Alexander William Morgan is too large to be visible in one line properly (see image).
You can deal with the problem by using the Wrap Text feature. To solve the issue,
➤ Select C5. Then go to the Home tab >> select Wrap Text.
➤ Excel will adjust the contents in multiple lines.
STEPS FOR MERGE & CENTER:
Sometimes you need to merge adjacent cells to make your datasheet visually attractive. You can take the help of the Merge & Center feature in this case.
For example, suppose you want to merge the cells B2, C2, and D2.
To do so,
➤ Select the range B2:D2. Then go to the Home tab >> select Merge & Center.
Excel will merge the cells in one cell. As a result, your datasheet will look more attractive.
Read More: How to Convert Text to Time Format with AM/PM in Excel (3 Methods)
Practice Workbook
It is useful to know the methods to format text in an Excel cell. That’s why I have attached a practice sheet for you.
Conclusion
In this article, I have explained 10 different ways on how to format text in an Excel cell. I hope you will find this article helpful. And lastly, if you have any kind of suggestions, ideas, or feedback please feel free to comment down below.
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