Excel Text Formatting: How to Style Cells

Excel’s text formatting tools let you change how text appears inside cells—font, size, color, bold, italic, alignment, wrapping, and more. This guide covers the essential formatting options in current versions of Excel for Windows and Mac, so you can make your spreadsheets clearer and more professional.

What You’ll Need

• A computer with Microsoft Excel installed (2016, 2019, 2021, or Microsoft 365).
• A spreadsheet with some text already entered, or a blank sheet to practice on.

Step-by-Step

1. Select the cell or range containing the text you want to format. Click a single cell, or click and drag to select multiple cells. To select an entire row or column, click the row number or column letter.
2. Open the Font group on the Home tab of the ribbon. This is the section with the font name box, font size box, and the B, I, U buttons.
3. Change the font style: Click the drop-down arrow next to the font name (it usually shows “Calibri”) and pick a different font, like Arial or Times New Roman. The selected text updates immediately.
4. Change the font size: Click the drop-down arrow next to the font size number and choose a size, or type a number directly and press Enter. You can also use the Increase Font Size (A with an up arrow) and Decrease Font Size buttons to step through sizes.
5. Apply bold, italic, or underline: Click the B for bold, I for italic, or U for underline. Click the same button again to remove the formatting. The U button has a drop-down arrow for underline styles like double underline.
6. Change the text color: Click the A with a red underline (the Font Color button) to apply the current color, or click its drop-down arrow to choose a different color from the theme palette or a custom color.
7. Add a background fill color: Click the paint bucket icon (Fill Color) next to the font color button. Choose a color to shade the entire cell background, not just the text.
8. Add borders: Click the Borders button (a square with four quadrants) in the Font group. Choose “All Borders” to outline every selected cell, or pick individual border placements.
9. Adjust text alignment: In the Alignment group (to the right of Font), use the top, middle, and bottom buttons for vertical alignment, and the left, center, and right buttons for horizontal alignment.
10. Wrap text that is too long: Select the cell, then click the Wrap Text button in the Alignment group. The text will stay within the column width and expand the row height to show all of it.
11. Merge cells for a title: Select several adjacent cells in a row, then click Merge & Center in the Alignment group. This combines them into one large cell and centers the text. Click it again to unmerge.
12. Use Format Painter to copy formatting: Select a cell that already has the formatting you like, click the Format Painter brush icon in the Clipboard group, then click another cell to apply the same formatting. Double-click the brush to apply it to multiple cells, and press Esc to turn it off.
13. Open the full Format Cells dialog: Right-click the selected cell(s) and choose Format Cells, or press Ctrl+1 (Cmd+1 on Mac). This dialog has tabs for Font, Border, and Fill with many more options, including strikethrough, superscript, and subscript.
14. Clear all formatting: If you want to remove all formatting and return to defaults, select the cell(s), go to the Home tab, click the Clear eraser icon in the Editing group, and choose Clear Formats.

Common Mistakes

• Formatting the wrong cells: Always check that the correct range is selected before applying formatting. If you select a header row and format it, the header changes, not the data below.
• Overusing bold and color: Too much formatting makes a sheet harder to read. Use bold for headers and totals only, and limit font colors to one or two accents.
• Merging cells that need sorting or filtering: Merged cells can break sorting, filtering, and copying data. Use “Center Across Selection” (in Format Cells > Alignment > Horizontal) instead if you need a centered title without merging.
• Forgetting Wrap Text: Long text that spills into the next cell looks messy. If text is cut off, the cell to the right has content, or Wrap Text is off.
• Changing font size by typing incorrectly: If you type a size that Excel doesn’t support (like 13.5), it may round it or reject it. Stick to standard sizes or use the increase/decrease buttons.

Tips

• Use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+B (bold), Ctrl+I (italic), Ctrl+U (underline), Ctrl+5 (strikethrough). These work in both Windows and Mac versions.
• Create a consistent style: Decide on a font, size, and color scheme for headings, subheadings, and data before you start, and stick to it across the whole workbook.
• Use cell styles: On the Home tab, the Cell Styles gallery has pre-made styles like “Good” and “Bad” that apply font, fill, and border together. This is faster than formatting each element manually.
• Format numbers separately: Text formatting only affects appearance. If a cell contains a number, use the Number Format drop-down (in the Number group) to show it as currency, percentage, or date—don’t try to type the symbol manually.
• Copy formatting with Paste Special: Copy a formatted cell, right-click the target cell, choose Paste Special, and select “Formats” to paste only the formatting, not the content.

Troubleshooting

• Formatting disappears when you type: If you type new text and it looks plain, the cell may have a different style applied, or you’re typing into a cell that wasn’t selected when you formatted. Re-select the cell and reapply the formatting.
• Text is cut off in the cell: The column is too narrow, or Wrap Text is off. Widen the column by dragging the boundary between column letters, or click Wrap Text.
• Bold or color applies to the whole row: You probably selected the entire row before formatting. Undo with Ctrl+Z and select only the specific cells.
• Format Painter won’t copy to multiple cells: Make sure you double-click the Format Painter button. A single click only works for one target cell.
• Font changes don’t show in print: Check that the font is installed on your system and that you’re not using a web font that Excel can’t print. Also check Print Preview to see if the cell width is causing truncation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make text vertical in Excel?
Select the cell, right-click, choose Format Cells, go to the Alignment tab, and set the Orientation (the text direction dial) to 90 degrees, or type 90 in the Degrees box.

Can I format only part of the text inside a cell?
Yes. Double-click the cell to enter edit mode, select just the characters you want, then apply bold, italic, color, or font changes. The rest of the cell stays unchanged.

Why does my text show as ### symbols?
This happens when the column is too narrow to display the content. Widen the column, or if it’s a number, the cell may need a wider format. Text usually doesn’t turn into ###, but numbers do.

How do I remove formatting but keep the text?
Select the cells, go to the Home tab, click the Clear eraser icon, and choose “Clear Formats.” The text stays, but all font, fill, and border formatting is removed.

What is the difference between font color and fill color?
Font color changes the color of the characters themselves. Fill color changes the background of the cell. You can use both together, for example white font on a dark blue fill.

Can I save my formatting to use in other sheets?
Yes. Create a cell with the formatting you want, right-click it, choose “More” or “Styles,” then “New Cell Style.” Name it and it appears in the Cell Styles gallery for use anywhere in the workbook.

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