Tip #3525 - Shrink to Fit
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Shrink
to Fit
Ever have data in
MS Excel that's just a bit too long for the cell?
What happened?
Did the column widen
to accommodate? Or, maybe you got the infamous ##### to let you know that
the number didn't fit. Oh, and let's not forget everyone's favorite: the
old "convert the number to scientific notation."
If the results of
Excel's attempt to accommodate the large data are not to your satisfaction,
here's an alternative you can try to see if you like it any better. (After
all, too many columns with extra width may cause problems for printing
later on in your day).
Excel has a cell formatting
option called "shrink to fit." Its effects on data look like
this:
What it does is reduce
the font size for the data piece that's too long for the column. (Of course,
there are limits and if the data is too long, Excel will also make some
of the usual changes).
Also, should you increase
the column width, Excel will automatically adjust the font size back up,
maxing out at the original font size.
So, how do we "shrink
to fit"?
That's a good question,
so let's get to that part.
You need to begin
by highlighting the cell(s), column(s) or row(s) that
need this setting.
Next, we need to open
the Format Cells window. (Right click, Format
Cells choice or Ctrl + 1 or Format menu,
Format Cells choice).
At this point, you
need to select the Alignment tab.
In the Text
Control section, select the Shrink to fit choice.
Click OK.
That's it. Just one
more tool to add to your toolbox when you're handling long data in Excel!
~ April
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