Formatting

Align or rotate text in a cell

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If you want to change the way data appears in a cell, you can rotate the font angle, or change the text alignment.

Change the orientation of text in a cell

  1. Select a cell, row, column, or a range.

  2. Select Home > Orientation  The Orientation option in Excel helps you rotate text in a cell., and then select an option.

    You can rotate your text up, down, clockwise, or counterclockwise, or align text vertically:

    Row of text roated at various degrees.

Rotate text to a precise angle

  1. Select a cell, row, column, or a range.

  2. Select Home > Orientation  The Orientation option in Excel helps you rotate text in a cell.  > Format Cell Alignment.

  3. Under Orientation on the right side, in the Degrees box, use the up or down arrow to set the exact number of degrees that you want to rotate the selected cell text.

    Positive numbers rotate the text upward. Negative numbers rotate the text downward. 

Align a column or row

Begin by selecting the cell or cells you want to align. You can align text in a single cell, a range of cells, a row or rows, a column or columns, or the entire worksheet. (Use Ctrl+A to select all cells.)

  1. Select the cells you want to align.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, select a horizontal alignment option:

    The Align Left button

    Align Left

    The Center button.

    Center

    The Align Right button.

    Align Right

  3. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, select a vertical alignment option:

    The Top Align button.

    Top Align

    The Middle Align button.

    Middle Align

    The Bottom Align button.

    Bottom Align

Rotate text

We're sorry. Excel for the web doesn’t have the font orientation option for you to apply vertical text or rotate text in an angle.

To express your interest in having this feature in Excel for the web, please go to the Visio Suggestion Box and click the Vote button. 

If you have the Excel desktop application, you can use it to open your workbook and rotate text there.

Align text

The alignment options let you define the placement of text within a cell on the horizontal axis and on the vertical axis.

  1. Select a cell, row, column, or a range.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment section, select an alignment option:

  3. The Top Align button.

    Top Align

    The Middle Align button.

    Middle Align

    The Bottom Align button.

    Bottom Align

    The Align Left button

    Align Left

    The Center button.

    Center

    The Align Right button.

    Align Right

Indent text

You can indent text or undo an indent.

  1. Select a cell, row, column, or a range.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment section, select an indent option:

    • Increase Indent Increase Indent button  shifts text rightward.

    • Decrease Indent  Decrease Indent button shifts text leftward.

If you want to change the way data appears in a cell, you can rotate the font angle, or change the text alignment.

Change the orientation of text in a cell

  1. Select a cell, row, column, or a range.

  2. Select Home > Orientation  The Orientation option in Excel helps you rotate text in a cell., and then select an option.

    You can rotate your text up, down, clockwise, or counterclockwise, or align text vertically:

    Row of text roated at various degrees.

Rotate text to a precise angle

  1. Select a cell, row, column, or a range.

  2. Select Home > Orientation  The Orientation option in Excel helps you rotate text in a cell.  > Format Cell Alignment.

  3. Under Orientation on the right side, in the Degrees box, use the up or down arrow to set the exact number of degrees that you want to rotate the selected cell text.

    Positive numbers rotate the text upward. Negative numbers rotate the text downward. 

Align a column or row

Begin by selecting the cell or cells you want to align. You can align text in a single cell, a range of cells, a row or rows, a column or columns, or the entire worksheet. (Use ⌘+A to select all cells.)

  1. Select the cells you want to align.

  2. On the Home tab, select a horizontal alignment option:

    The Align Left button

    Align Left

    The Center button.

    Center

    The Align Right button.

    Align Right

  3. On the Home tab, select a vertical alignment option:

    The Top Align button.

    Top Align

    The Middle Align button.

    Middle Align

    The Bottom Align button.

    Bottom Align

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in Communities.

See Also

Change the format of a cell

Select cell contents

Format text in cells

Format numbers

Format a date the way you want

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