Format cells
Change the font, colors, borders, alignment, and wrapping of cells in a sheet.
-
Open the sheet and select the cells.
-
Pick a button in the toolbar above the grid. Point at any button to see its name.
The change applies to every cell you selected.
- Don't see a button? In a narrow window, the toolbar runs out of room. The buttons that don't fit move into More formatting tools at its right end.
- Format cells in more than one place. Select the first block, then hold CommandCtrl and click or drag to add more. One click formats them all, and one undo takes it back.
Text
| To do this | Use |
|---|---|
| Change the font | Font, the list that shows the current font, like Arial |
| Change the text size | Font size, the number next to the font. Or click Decrease font size or the Increase font size button Increase font size to go one step down or up |
| Make text bold, italic, or underlined | Bold (CommandBCtrlB), Italic (CommandICtrlI), or Underline (CommandUCtrlU) |
| Cross out text | Strikethrough |
| Change the text color | Text color |
| Color the cell behind the text | Fill color |
For Text color and Fill color, pick a color, then click away. The color applies when the picker closes. To go back to no color, click Reset color or No fill in the picker.
Borders
- Select the cells.
- Click Borders and choose where the lines go: All borders, Outer borders, Inner borders, Horizontal borders, Vertical borders, Top border, Bottom border, Left border, or Right border.
To take borders off, choose Clear borders.
Merge cells
Merging turns several cells into one big cell. It's handy for a title that spans a table.
- Select the cells.
- Click Merge cells and choose:
- Merge all to make one cell from the whole selection.
- Merge horizontally to merge each row on its own.
- Merge vertically to merge each column on its own.
To split a merged cell back apart, select it, click Merge cells, then Unmerge.
Line up and wrap text
- Horizontal align moves text left, center, or right in the cell, or spreads it edge to edge (Justify).
- Vertical align moves text to the top, middle, or bottom of the cell.
- Text wrap decides what happens when text is wider than the cell:
- Overflow lets it spill into the empty cells next to it.
- Wrap breaks it onto more lines, so the row gets taller.
- Clip cuts it off at the cell's edge.
- Text rotation turns text on an angle: Tilt up, Tilt down, Rotate up, Rotate down, or Vertical stack, with one letter under the next. Choose None to set it straight again.
Start over
To take all formatting off the selected cells, click Clear formatting near the left end of the toolbar. The values and formulas stay.
Good to know
- To show numbers as money, percents, or dates, see Format numbers.
- To make columns wider or rows taller, see Insert, delete, hide, or resize rows and columns.
- Borders are always a thin black line. You can't pick a different color or thickness.
- When you merge cells that each have something in them, only the top-left cell's value stays. A warning asks first. Click Continue merging to go ahead.
- You can ask Pitchcrow to format a sheet for you. See Where to use Pitchcrow.
- You need to be an Admin or Editor of the space to change a sheet. See Space roles.