How to change column width in Google Sheets

Google Sheets can do the same thing in multiple ways. For instance, you may want to change the width of a column. This could be for a number of reasons such as trying to fit in all the relevant information within a column.

Changing the column width is fairly easy on Google sheets. However, there is more than one way to do it. The method to choose depends on your requirements. In this guide, we break down everything you need to know about changing column width on Google Sheets. 

3 Methods of Altering Column Width: 

  • Manually Widen or Narrow Column Width 
  • Automatically Widen Column Width   
  • Changing the Width of Several Columns Together 

Method 1: Manually Widen or Narrow Column Width 

This is the most commonly used method for widening or narrowing the column width.

Step 1: Open Google Sheets 

Step 2: Click on the top of the column that you want to change. To select a column, click on the letter on the top of the column which could be A, B, C, etc. 

Step 3: Click on the right side of the column header. When you do this, the cursor will change into a double-headed arrow. Do not let go of the click. 

Step 4: Drag the line left or right until the width of the column is as per your requirements. Then release the click.

Step 5: This will change the width of the column. 

You can also select multiple columns and use this method to change the width of multiple columns at once 


Method 2: Automatically Widen Column Width 

You can also automatically widen the column width of a column to fit the text. Through this method, you can change the column width to include the cell with the longest text. 

Step 1: Open Google Sheets 

Step 2: Select the top of the column that you want to widen. Click on the column name(s) that you want to change.    

Step 3: Hover your cursor on the right border of the column’s name cell. The cursor will change into a double-headed arrow. 

Step 4: Double click on the line. This will make it wide enough to automatically fit the content that uses the most space.  

Step 5: The width of the column will be automatically changed.  


Method 3: Changing the width by entering pixels

Another method to change the width of multiple columns is by entering the width as pixels. This is particularly useful when you want to change width on a large number columns. This is because dragging them could mean you’ll need to use the drag bar at the bottom of the screen.

Step 1: Select the columns that you would like to change the width of.

Step 2: Select the small drop-down arrow at the header of the column. You will need to hover your cursor on the header to be able to see it.  

Step 3: Click on resize columns. 

Step 4: Enter the desired width of the column (in pixels). Or, you can also select “fit to data”. This makes the column wide enough to accommodate the cell containing the most data. . 

Step 5: Now, your selected columns will have the width you entered.     


Wrapping Up 

Altering the column width on Google Sheets is quite easy, once you know how to do it. We hope that you found this guide helpful. 

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