Inside The Web
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Inside The Web
    • Office
      • Excel
      • Ms Word
      • OneDrive
      • Google Docs
      • Google Sheets
      • Google Drive
    • Email
      • Gmail
      • Outlook
      • Emal Etiquette
    • Office Etiquette
    • Productivity
    Inside The Web
    Home»Office»Excel»How to Expand All Columns in Excel

    How to Expand All Columns in Excel

    Asmi DhakalBy Asmi DhakalMay 10, 2023 Excel 4 Mins Read

    When your cell content exceeds the width of your column in Excel, it either spills over to the next column or you end up with the ### error. Either of these scenarios, in my opinion, is not the most ideal and can make your spreadsheet look quite unprofessional.

    If you are dealing with a smaller data set, you can fit individual cell content inside the cell by expanding your column. However, if you have a sea of columns that need expanding, individually making such an arrangement is my personal nightmare.

    Fortunately, there’s no need to panic as Excel has just the workaround for such an issue. In this article, we will be diving into all the possible ways you can expand all columns in the spreadsheet. This includes auto-fitting your cell according to the cell content and increasing the standard width of all cells in Excel, so keep reading!

    Autofit All Cells in Use

    If you want to expand your columns with respect to their cell content, then this method is for you. You can use the autofit feature to resize your cell to fit your cell content. You can use shortcuts, or autofit through the Home ribbon.

    Use Shortcuts

    If you’re anything like me and love Excel shortcuts, you can use the combination of the select all and the ribbon shortcut to autofit the column.

    1. Select all cells:
    Ctrl + A
    Select all Shortcut
    1. Autofit all cells:
    Alt + H + O + I
    Shortcut to Expand Cells

    Use Ribbon

    There is a different method you can use for this approach. Now, you can use the Ctrl + A shortcut to make the selection, or you can use the method we’ve entered in the steps below:

    1. On your spreadsheet, select the ident in the top left corner of your sheet. This will select all cells.
      Select al Cells in Excel
    2. Head to the Home tab.
    3. In the Cells section, select Format > AutoFit Column Width.
      Format Cells Excel

    Expand All Columns to the Same Width

    This method is if you want to resize all of your columns to the same width, and not expand it according to its content. You can either use Ctrl + A to select all your cells or, click on the indent on the top-left corner of your spreadsheet.

    If you only want to resize a set number of columns, select the first column and hold down the Ctrl key to select the remaining columns.

    Expand Selected Columns from Sheet

    After you’ve made the selection, place your cursor on any one of the column lines. When your cursor change, drag it to the position you wish to expand your column to and drop it. This will resize all selected columns in the sheet.

    Change the Default Column Width

    The default column width of all columns in Excel is 8.43 points. If you want to change this measurement to expand the cells in your column, you can change this setting from the Home ribbon of your Excel program. You can resize your column to any measurement between 0 to 255 points.

    1. Open your program and head to the Home tab.
    2. From the ribbon, select Format from the Cells section.
    3. Click Default Width from the flyout.
      Format Cells Excel
    4. Enter your measurement and select OK.

    Alternative to Expanding Columns in Excel

    Sometimes when you expand your column too much, it can make your sheet look unappealing. You should definitely NOT expand all of your columns based on individual cells inside each column. This will throw off the proportion of the remaining cells in the column which will mostly be empty compared to a few of the cells in the columns.

    In such cases, I recommend you opt for alternatives like including line breaks between your texts or, shrinking your text to fit your text inside the cell. You can insert line breaks using Alt + Enter, and shrink text using the Format Cells window.

    Cell Formats
    Asmi Dhakal

      Asmi is a content writer specializing in MS Office. She loves writing Excel-related content to assist other users to learn their way around the program. She started using Excel when she first entered the industry as a marketing intern. Soon, she realized that learning the often-overlooked spreadsheet program was no piece of cake. In her articles, she attempts to brief out complex topics to help beginner to intermediate-level Excel users. Asmi uses Excel for everything, including creating a grocery list to managing her personal finance. She’s a bit dramatic when it comes to the Flash Fill feature; so much so that could write a eulogy out of it. When she’s not working, you’ll find her learning a new recipe, or cleaning up her mess (out of the failed recipe).

      Related Posts

      Excel By Nisha Gurung

      How to Compare Two Columns in Excel Using VLOOKUP

      Excel By Nisha Gurung

      How to Share Excel Files with Multiple Users

      Excel By Nisha Gurung

      How to Filter Based on a List in Excel

      Add A Comment
      Table of ContentsToggle Table of ContentToggle
      • Autofit All Cells in Use
        • Use Shortcuts
        • Use Ribbon
      • Expand All Columns to the Same Width
      • Change the Default Column Width
      • Alternative to Expanding Columns in Excel
      • Home
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      © 2025 Inside The Web

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.