How to Format Cells in Excel

Last updated: November 2026 · Works in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2021 and Excel 2019

Formatting does not change your numbers, but it changes how quickly people understand them. A well-formatted sheet shows currency as currency, dates as dates and totals clearly separated from the detail. This guide covers number formats, alignment, fonts, borders, fills, column widths, cell styles and the Format Painter, with tips for keeping reports clean and professional.

Number formats

Select cells and choose a format from the drop-down in Home > Number, or press Ctrl + 1 to open the full Format Cells dialog.

Useful shortcuts: Ctrl + Shift + 1 applies a number format with two decimals and a thousands separator; Ctrl + Shift + 5 applies percentage; Ctrl + Shift + 3 applies a date format. The Increase/Decrease Decimal buttons change the number of decimals shown without changing the stored value.

Custom number formats

In Format Cells > Number > Custom you can type your own pattern. Some practical examples:

Alignment and text control

• Wrap Text (Home tab) shows long text on several lines within one cell. Press Alt + Enter to insert your own line break while typing.
• Center Across Selection (in Ctrl + 1 > Alignment > Horizontal) centres a title over several columns without merging. It looks the same as Merge & Center but does not break sorting, filtering or copying.
• Indent buttons create a visual hierarchy, for example for sub-categories under a heading.
• Orientation can angle narrow column headers so they fit.

Fonts, borders and fill colours

Keep it simple: one font, two or three sizes, and a small palette. A common professional style is a bold header row with a light fill, thin borders between rows and a double bottom border above totals. Use Ctrl + B for bold and the Borders drop-down on the Home tab for lines. Choose Fill Color sparingly to draw attention to input cells or key results rather than colouring everything.

Rows and columns

Double-click the boundary on the right of a column letter to AutoFit the column to its longest entry. Select several columns first to fit them all at once. If a cell shows #####, the column is simply too narrow for the number or date; widen it. To insert a row, select a row number and press Ctrl + +; to delete it, press Ctrl + -.

Format Painter, cell styles and themes

Format Painter (the paintbrush on the Home tab) copies formatting from one cell to another. Click it once to paint one area, or double-click it to paint several areas, then press Esc to stop.

Cell Styles (Home tab) apply ready-made combinations for headings, totals, inputs and calculations. Using them consistently makes large workbooks feel organised. Page Layout > Themes changes the fonts and colours of the whole workbook in one click.

To strip all formatting from a range, choose Home > Clear > Clear Formats.

Make sheets print-ready

1. Go to View > Page Break Preview to see where pages split.
2. In Page Layout, set Orientation to Landscape for wide tables.
3. Under Scale to Fit, set Width to 1 page so columns never spill onto a second sheet of paper.
4. Use Print Titles to repeat the header row at the top of every page.
5. Add a footer with page numbers via Insert > Header & Footer.

Summary

• Use number formats so values look like what they are; formats never change the stored value.
• Prefer Center Across Selection to merged cells.
• Keep a small, consistent style and use Format Painter and Cell Styles to apply it.
• Set print scaling and print titles before sharing a printed report.

Next: highlight what matters automatically in Outlines and Conditional Formatting.