Change Column Width and Row Height
Right-click a column heading, choose Column Width, type a number and press OK — Row Height works the same way from a row number. Select several headings before you set the value and every one of them takes it, which is the only dependable way to make columns exactly equal. Mind the units, because they are not the same: column width counts characters of the standard font (default 8.43, maximum 255) while row height is measured in points (default 15, maximum 409).
The formula
right-click heading > Column Width an exact width, counted in characters (0-255)
right-click row number > Row Height an exact height, counted in points (0-409)
select several headings first every one of them takes the size you set
Home > Format > Default Width the starting width for the whole sheet
copy a column > Paste Special > Column widths copies one column's width onto anotherA worked example
Columns B through G have drifted to six different widths and all of them should be 14.
Click heading B, Shift+click heading G, right-click any of them > Column Width > 14 > OK
All six columns become exactly 14 characters wide. Dragging one border of that same multi-column selection does the job too — every selected column follows the one you drag, which is the trick behind "make all the cells the same size" without typing a number at all.
Which one do I need?
| If you want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Setting an exact width or height | Right-click the column heading > Column Width, or the row number > Row Height, and type the number |
| Making several columns or rows exactly equal | Select them all by their headings first, then set the size once — or drag any one of the selected borders |
| Sizing to the contents rather than to a number | Double-click the border and Excel measures the longest entry for you |
| Working in inches or centimetres instead of characters and points | Switch to View > Page Layout, where sizes are shown in the ruler units set at File > Options > Advanced |
| Making one cell bigger than its neighbours | Not possible — width belongs to the whole column and height to the whole row. Merging is the only workaround, and it costs you clean sorting and filtering |
| Making the cell grow around the text inside it | Turn on Wrap Text and leave the row height alone, so Excel adds lines rather than width |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the default column width 8.43 and row height 15?
Both come from the standard 11-point Calibri font. Width is counted in characters, and 8.43 is how many digits of that font fit across the column; height is counted in points, one point being 1/72 inch, so 15 points is a little over 5mm. Change the workbook font and both defaults shift with it, which is why widths look different in a workbook someone else set up.
How do I make all the cells the same size?
Click the corner box above row 1 to select the whole sheet (Ctrl+A does the same), then set Column Width once and Row Height once. Both dialogs apply to everything selected, so a single pass makes every cell identical. Strictly you are setting one width for all columns and one height for all rows — there is no per-cell size in Excel.
What are the maximum row height and column width?
409 points for a row, which is about 5.7 inches, and 255 characters for a column. Anything that needs more than that cannot be displayed in a single cell — reduce the font size, split the value across cells, or wrap it so the text uses height instead. A width or height of 0 is legal and simply hides the column or row.
Can I copy one column's width onto another?
Yes. Click the source column heading and press Ctrl+C, then right-click the target heading and choose Paste Special > Column widths. It transfers the width and nothing else, leaving the target column's contents and formatting alone. Dragging to match by eye is the alternative, but you will not land on the same number.
New guides and tools, once a month
DE + EN · double opt-in · no spam